A team led by physicist Daniele Pranzetti from the Max Planck Institute for Theoretical Physics in Germany conducted research that adds evidence to the theory that the 3D nature of black holes is just an illusion. Their model shows that all of the information of a black hole can be contained in a two-dimensional surface with no need for an actual ‘hole’ inside. This research might help us bridge the gap between Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum mechanics.
The Kepler Space Telescope’s sole mission is to hunt our galaxy for Earth-size planets and estimate how many of the billions of stars in the Milky Way have such planets. In May, the Kepler team published a report in the Astrophysical Journal that reveals they have discovered 1,284 new planets in the last year. “This announcement more than doubles the number of confirmed planets from Kepler,” said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA Headquarters. If we include planets discovered by other telescopes, the number of confirmed planets now sits at over 3,200. Read more HERE.
Starting on May 7th, the entire country of Portugal operated on renewable energy alone for 107 hours – a little over 4 days. The CEO of SolarPower Europe, James Watson said, “This is a significant achievement for a European country, but what seems extraordinary today will be commonplace in Europe in just a few years.” In 2015 Portugal generated 48% of its power from renewable sources.
Since its Pluto flyby in July 2015, the New Horizon’s spacecraft has been transmitting photos back to Earth. The incredible distance of Pluto is the reason it has taken so long to send all of this data. At the end of May, all of the highest resolution images finally reached us allowing NASA to complete this mosaic which extends across the hemisphere that faced the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto.
SpaceX landed another rocket on a drone ship, this time at night and at a greater velocity. The rocket company continues to one-up itself as it ushers in a new age of space flight. As SpaceX perfects ocean based landings, the cost to get into orbit will be reduced drastically.
A team of scientists successfully drilled into a peak ring of the impact crater created by the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. The peak ring was under water off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula. The added difficulty of drilling under water is why this area had never been explored previously. The team managed to excavate to a depth of 4,380 feet and brought up 2,297 feet of material from the peak ring. Joanna Morgan a chief scientist on the expedition and a professor of geophysics at Imperial College London told IFLScience, “I’m really relieved it has been a fantastic success.” The team can now begin to answer questions relating to the force of the impact and gauging the ability of life to rebound after the apocalyptic explosion.
Astronomers from Sweden have determined that the mysterious Planet Nine likely originates from another solar system. They say the planet was ‘captured’ by our Sun’s gravity during a close encounter with another star roughly 4.5 billion years ago. Planet Nine is estimated to be roughly 10 times more massive than Earth and is located 75 times farther away from the sun than Pluto. The likelihood of a planet that big forming that far away is infinitesimally small.
Australian engineers set a new world record by creating photovoltaic cells that can harvest 34.5% of the sun’s energy without concentrators, shattering the previous record of 24%. The key words here are “without concentrators.” Efficiency at this level was expected to be reached several decades from now. Germany’s Agora Energiewende think tank had previously set a target of 35% efficiency by 2050 and now we are only half a percent away in 2016. These new solar cells are also much smaller which will make solar power even cheaper. “Extracting more energy from every beam of sunlight is critical to reducing the cost of electricity generated by solar cells as it lowers the investment needed, and delivering payback faster,” said Mark Keevers of the University of New South Wales. The theoretical limit for solar cell efficiency is 53% and we are now two thirds of the way there.
Clinical trials have revealed magic mushrooms to be an effective treatment for lifting depression. Twelve volunteers were treated with two doses of psilocybin (the psychedelic ingredient) 7 days apart and were assessed for the next 3 months. The volunteers reported sustained improvement with their anxiety and ability to feel pleasure. The researchers say: “This study provides preliminary support for the safety and efficacy of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and motivates further trials, with more rigorous designs, to better examine the therapeutic potential of
this approach.”
