Mathematicians have debunked the bunkbed conjecture, a well-known hypothesis in probability theory that seemed self-evident but has been proven false. The conjecture, which dealt with navigating mathematical mazes called graphs stacked like bunk beds, has significant implications for physics and our understanding of mathematics. The discovery highlights the importance of questioning assumptions and the need…
Science on The Soothsayer / page 19
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery on the moon’s farside, revealing signs of surprising volcanic activity near the lunar south pole. The first samples from the region, brought back by China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft, show that the rocks formed from cooling magma relatively recently, about 2.8 billion years ago. This finding may help solve the mystery…
Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing a black hole in a triple system with two other stars. The system, called V404 Cygni, was previously thought to be a binary comprising a black hole and a star. The observation supports the idea that some black holes do…
Mathematicians are still trying to catch up to the divine genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics in the early 20th century. Ramanujan’s work on partition identities has been found to have deep connections to various areas of mathematics, and his legacy continues to inspire new discoveries. Recently, a…
Researchers have made a significant discovery in the study of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological illness affecting deer. The first detailed structure of an infectious prion responsible for CWD reveals a unique 180-degree twist, which could aid in vaccine development or explain why the disease hasn’t yet jumped to humans. This finding may…
Physicists at TU Wien in Austria have proposed a new explanation for the long-standing neutron lifetime problem. The team suggests that the discrepancy in measurements could be caused by free neutrons being in a mix of different states, with some in the ground state and others in higher-energy excited states. This would alter the neutrons’…
Mathematician Hector Pasten has made a groundbreaking discovery in number theory, solving a problem that has puzzled mathematicians for over a century. By using a time-tested productivity hack, Pasten was able to embed information about prime factors in an elliptic curve, leading to a surprising strength in his result. This breakthrough has the potential to…
Scientists have successfully cooled and accelerated a beam of muons, a breakthrough that could lead to new types of particle physics experiments. Muons, heavy cousins of electrons, could be accelerated and slammed together at future particle colliders to unlock physics secrets. This achievement is a crucial step towards making muon colliders a reality. Forecast for…
Researchers from the Netherlands, the UK, and the US have made a groundbreaking discovery that could bring us closer to understanding dark matter. They found that hypothetical particles called axions could form dense clouds around neutron stars, emitting signals that radio telescopes can detect. This breakthrough raises hopes that axions could be the long-sought solution…
A recent article highlights the issue of missing data in scientific research, which can lead to biased results and undermine the validity of studies. Statisticians have developed techniques to deal with missing data, but the problem persists. The article explores the history of missing data and the efforts of statistician Donald Rubin to develop a…
