Friday, July 9
Black Holes Confirmed
There are certain rules that even the most extreme objects in the universe must obey. A central law for black holes predicts that the area of their event horizons — the boundary beyond which nothing can ever escape — should never shrink. This law is Hawking’s area theorem, named after physicist Stephen Hawking, who derived the theorem in 1971.
Fifty years later, physicists at MIT and elsewhere have now confirmed Hawking’s area theorem for the first time, using observations of gravitational waves. Their results appear today (July 1, 2021) in Physical Review Letters.
In the study, the researchers take a closer look at GW150914, the first gravitational wave signal detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), in 2015. The signal was a product of two inspiraling black holes that generated a new black hole, along with a huge amount of energy that rippled across space-time as gravitational waves.
If Hawking’s area theorem holds, then the horizon area of the new black hole should not be smaller than the total horizon area of its parent black holes. In the new study, the physicists reanalyzed the signal from GW150914 before and after the cosmic collision and found that indeed, the total event horizon area did not decrease after the merger — a result that they report with 95 percent confidence.
Physicists at MIT and elsewhere have used gravitational waves to observationally confirm Hawking’s black hole area theorem for the first time. This computer simulation shows the collision of two black holes that produced the gravitational wave signal, GW150914. Credit: Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) project. Credit: Courtesy of LIGO
Their findings mark the first direct observational confirmation of Hawking’s area theorem, which has been proven mathematically but never observed in nature until now. The team plans to test future gravitational-wave signals to see if they might further confirm Hawking’s theorem or be a sign of new, law-bending physics.
“It is possible that there’s a zoo of different compact objects, and while some of them are the black holes that follow Einstein and Hawking’s laws, others may be slightly different beasts,” says lead author Maximiliano Isi, a NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “So, it’s not like you do this test once and it’s over. You do this once, and it’s the beginning.” TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...
Thursday, July 8
China's Economy Growing Larger Than USA
Although China was the first country hit by Covid-19, it controlled the disease through swift and extremely strict action, meaning it did not need to repeat economically paralysing lockdowns as European countries have done. As a result, unlike other major economies, it has avoided an economic recession in 2020 and is in fact estimated to see growth of 2% this year.
The US economy, by contrast, has been hit hard by the world's worst coronavirus epidemic in terms of sheer numbers. More than 330,000 people have died in the US and there have been some 18.5 million confirmed cases. The economic damage has been cushioned by monetary policy and a huge fiscal stimulus, but political disagreements over a new stimulus package could leave around 14 million Americans without unemployment benefit payments in the new year. TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK MORE...
As You AGE
As you age, it’s important to make sure that you are taking a greater level of care of your wellbeing. Focusing on your health will ensure that you don’t end up in a situation where your quality of life begins to decline as you get older. There are a lot of health issues associated with age that are not completely curable. However, if you catch them early enough then you often improve the prognosis significantly and enjoy great health well into your later years.
Ear Issues
First, you should be aware that issues with your hearing and ear health become far more common once you reach a certain age. For instance, by the time you reach 60, you are more likely than not to have some form of hearing loss. This can be minor or moderate, depending on your situation. As soon as you notice a change in your hearing, it’s worth speaking to an audiologist. They can check what’s going wrong and the level of the damage. They will also be able to recommend the right treatment option. This is usually going to be a pair of hearing aids. There are lots of different types to choose from.
RSI – arthritis
Next, you should think about painful health issues such as RSI. Repetitive strain injury is caused by typing for long periods, often without breaks and typically with the wrong posture. If you are worried about this, then you should make sure that you do research online the right way to type so that you can avoid this issue. Be aware that this can become more serious and significant as you age because your body will be shifting and adapting over time.
You might also develop more significant health issues such as arthritis. The problem with arthritis is that it can impact your mobility and leave you in near-constant pain. It is possible to reduce your chances of issues with arthritis. For instance, studies suggest that you are more likely to develop a condition like this if you are a runner as it puts more pressure on your joints.
Eye Trouble – Glaucoma, Cataracts, Uveitis
Your eyes can also change as you get older too. For instance, you might develop cataracts. This condition where a thin layer begins to form over the eye is quite common. It predominantly impacts caucasian individuals but anyone can notice signs of this once they reach a certain age. This is easily treated with the support of a professional and the danger of surgery is the only minor. Other conditions such as chronic uveitis are more serious. This condition is inflammation of the iris and needs to be treated as quickly as possible. Chronic uveitis treatments are widely available and can ensure that you see significant changes.
Cancer
It’s impossible to write about health issues that become more common as you age without touching upon the ‘c-word.’ There are certainly cancers that increase in likelihood as you get older. For instance, once you reach a certain age, you need to make sure that you are checking for the signs of colon cancer. This includes blood in your stool. You should also be checking your body regularly for differences including raised lumps and bumps that remain for more than a couple of weeks.
Dementia
Finally, you need to be aware of how your age impacts your cognitive health. As you get older, your chances of developing dementia increase substantially. The first signs of dementia can also become apparent far earlier than most people realize as well. For instance, it is possible that you do see early stages of dementia in your forties. This can feel like a complete nightmare but the good news is that if the signs are noticed early then there are steps you can take. You can essentially train your brain to keep it healthy. The brain is like a muscle. You need to make sure that you are taking steps to work it out. This means completing brain teasers and testing your brain. This is more important as you retire because you’ll have fewer things to focus on and think about.
We hope this helps you understand some of the health issues that you might need to watch out for and can become more significant for you as you age. If you take the right steps here, then you’ll be able to guarantee that you don’t see your health decline rapidly once you reach a certain age. Instead, you can enjoy your twilight years in complete comfort.
Improving Your Overall Health
Get enough shut-eye
Several medical experts consider sleep instrumental to overall health and wellness for several good reasons. However, insufficient sleep is so prevalent in America that the CDC considers it a public health epidemic. Poor sleep can weaken your immunity and make you more susceptible to illnesses. In addition, sleep-deprived people are more prone to reduced cognition, attention lapses, and mood swings.
On the other hand, getting enough sleep allows your body to repair cells, tissues, and muscles, replenishing its energy and making you feel refreshed the next day. Also, sleeping more can lead to a sharper brain, healthier heart, mood boost, better athletic performance, and increased productivity. The National Sleep Foundation suggests having seven to nine hours of sleep per night, prioritizing getting this recommended daily dose of sleep to enjoy optimum health.
Prioritize doctor’s visits
Regular checkups are essential to better overall health, but many people sadly avoid their doctors till they develop severe medical conditions. Preventive health care can help you in diverse ways, so you can discover potential health issues before they develop into more severe problems. Early detection of these potentially life-threatening conditions can increase your chances of treatments and cures, boosting your chances of a longer life. Additionally, visiting your doctor can help you manage particular conditions better, enhancing your quality of life. For instance, if you experience hearing loss, visiting your audiologist for a hearing aid fitting will ensure that you get a suitable fit for comfort and functionality.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are crucial elements of a healthy diet, so it is no surprise that many health experts tout their benefits to the general public. These fruits and vegetables have low sugar, fat, and salt and are excellent sources of dietary fiber. Therefore, consuming them can lower your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol. Furthermore, eating fruits and vegetables can help you avoid certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and stroke, so it is undoubtedly an excellent idea to include many fruits and vegetables in your daily portions.
Stay hydrated
The human body is reportedly 60% water, and many of its functions require water to be successful. Therefore, prioritize staying hydrated by drinking between 10 to 16 cups of water daily instead of soda. Water has countless benefits that make it a prime choice for hydration over soda. Firstly, water flushes out toxins from your body since your kidneys need water to eliminate particular waste products. Also, drinking water can aid digestion, normalize your blood pressure, protect your organs and tissues, regulate body temperature, and cushion your joints. In addition, drinking water can even help you lose weight and boost your skin health, so always keep a water bottle within reach to keep your body in optimum health.
Universal Consciousness
In our standard view of things, consciousness exists only in the brains of highly evolved organisms, and hence consciousness exists only in a tiny part of the universe and only in very recent history. According to panpsychism, in contrast, consciousness pervades the universe and is a fundamental feature of it. This doesn’t mean that literally everything is conscious. The basic commitment is that the fundamental constituents of reality—perhaps electrons and quarks—have incredibly simple forms of experience. And the very complex experience of the human or animal brain is somehow derived from the experience of the brain’s most basic parts.
It might be important to clarify what I mean by “consciousness,” as that word is actually quite ambiguous. Some people use it to mean something quite sophisticated, such as self-awareness or the capacity to reflect on one’s own existence. This is something we might be reluctant to ascribe to many nonhuman animals, never mind fundamental particles. But when I use the word consciousness, I simply mean experience: pleasure, pain, visual or auditory experience, et cetera.
Human beings have a very rich and complex experience; horses less so; mice less so again. As we move to simpler and simpler forms of life, we find simpler and simpler forms of experience. Perhaps, at some point, the light switches off, and consciousness disappears. But it’s at least coherent to suppose that this continuum of consciousness fading while never quite turning off carries on into inorganic matter, with fundamental particles having almost unimaginably simple forms of experience to reflect their incredibly simple nature. That’s what panpsychists believe. TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS, CLICK HERE...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)