Deciphering the Dark

Dark energy’s role in propelling the universe’s accelerated expansion presents a pivotal challenge in astrophysics, driving ongoing research and space missions dedicated to uncovering the nature of this mysterious force.

Some 13.8 billion years ago, the universe began with a rapid expansion we call the Big Bang. After this initial expansion, which lasted a fraction of a second, gravity started to slow the universe down. But the cosmos wouldn’t stay this way. Nine billion years after the universe began, its expansion started to speed up, driven by an unknown force that scientists have named dark energy.

But what exactly is dark energy?  The short answer is: We don’t know. But we do know that it exists, it’s making the universe expand at an accelerating rate, and approximately 68.3 to 70% of the universe is dark energy.     READ MORE...

Water Cavern

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
In partnership with NativePath

> NCAA men's basketball tournament first round tips off today with the women's first round beginning tomorrow (More) | See latest men's bracket (More) | ... and women's bracket (More)

> Superstar Shohei Ohtani leads his new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, to victory over the San Diego Padres to open the MLB regular season from Seoul; the season begins in earnest March 28 (More) | Dodgers fire Ohtani's interpreter amid allegations he stole millions from Ohtani to cover gambling debt (More)

> "The Crown" and "Black Mirror" lead all nominees for the 2024 BAFTAs, or British Academy Television Awards (More)

Science & Technology
> Princeton math professor Michel Talagrand wins 2024 Abel Prize, one of the field's most prestigious awards, for his work on analyzing random processes (More)

> Archaeologists discover oldest-known arrowheads, dating to roughly 74,000 years ago in what is now northern Ethiopia; time period coincided with the Toba super-eruption, which spread ash and gas worldwide (More)

> First-ever "quantum tornado" created by scientists in superfluid helium, which experiences near zero friction; phenomenon is meant to mimic and shed light on the dynamics of black holes (More)

Business & Markets
> US stock markets close at record highs (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +1.0%, Nasdaq +1.3%) after Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged, signals three rate cuts this year (More) | Reddit expected to start trading today at $34 per share (More)

> Chipmaker Intel secures $19.5B in federal funding ($8.5B) and loans ($11B) to build and expand facilities across Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon (More) | Memory chipmaker Micron Technology shares rise over 14% in after-hours trading after it announces better-than-expected quarterly results (More)

> Chipotle Mexican Grill shares briefly surpass $3,000 for first time after board approves 50-for-1 stock split (More) | Paramount Global shares close up 12% on report of Apollo Global's $11B offer to buy Paramount's Hollywood studios (More)



Politics & World Affairs
> Four of six former Mississippi law enforcement officers sentenced for charges related to their roles in the January 2023 beating and torturing of two men during a warrantless home search; sentences so far range from 17.5 years to 40 years in prison, with two remaining officers to be sentenced today (More)

> Former Marine Daniel Penny to stand trial beginning Oct. 8 for charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for fatally subduing Jordan Neely on a New York City subway last May (More)

> Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong resigns one year after taking office after reported unspecified violations of the governing Communist Party's rules (More) | Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to step down after successor is chosen, citing personal and political reasons (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Nuclear War

 ON THE BEACH was a movie that was first released in 1959 at the peak of the COLD WAR.  In 2020, there was a remake of the classic movie, but the plot and conclusion did not change much except to give it a more modern twist.

The movie was about the aftermath of a nuclear war where all of humanity, animals, and plants died as a result of nuclear radiation.  The last place where radiation death occurred was in Australia.  They were able to survive about 60-90 days longer.

The global cold war was a field day for spies on both sides but mainly between Russia and the USA.  While the spies played around with stealing secrets and creating double agents, the military was busy building nuclear weapons.  The race to build nuclear weapons was predicated upon the idea of MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction.

In other words, there were no wars of any consequence because each side had enough nuclear bombs and missiles to destroy the world.  Of course, this idea of MAD has changed a little based upon three concepts.

First - more and more countries are developing nuclear weapons, and these countries are far from stable and would just as soon as destroy the entire world than to keep the other side from winning.

Second - there is the belief that humans can survive a nuclear war if they do so underground.  However, it would be hundreds of years before mankind would be able to revisit the surface.

Third - some countries like the USA, Russia, and China, believe that we can postpone the development of a nuclear war long enough to build colonies on Mars or some other planet.

NOTE:  this third concept is enhanced humanoid robots with AI that will serve as flight crews of the spaceships, and builders of the colonies.

Dog & Kittens

 

Cleaning Up Uranium Mines

NAVAJO NATION, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — There are an estimated 140,000 abandoned hard rock mines in the country, including more than 500 uranium mines across the Navajo Nation. If they aren’t cleaned up, they could bring serious health and environmental risks to Arizona and indigenous communities.

Arizona senator Mark Kelly introduced the bipartisan bill ‘Legacy Mine Clean-up Act 2024′ last week. The bill would create the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains (OMDP).

Kelly said the office would help speed up the cleanup process, implement best practices, work with state and tribal partners, and prioritize federal funding. “Abandoned hardrock mines pose serious environmental and public health threats to Arizona communities and tribal nations, but the cleanup of these hazardous sites is too often delayed,” Kelly said in his press release.

The EPA opened a Flagstaff office last year that is focused on uranium mine cleanup across the Navajo Nation. Jacob Phipps is the section manager at the Flagstaff EPA office and said the uranium mines have been a focus of theirs for over a decade. They began touring and assessing mines in 2009.    READ MORE...

Take it Easy

 

Foxy Lady

 

New Method of Producing Hydrogen Energy

A new method for efficient hydrogen production that separates oxygen and hydrogen generation, developed by researchers in Sweden, eliminates explosion risks and the need for rare Earth metals, with a 99 percent efficiency rate. This innovation promises easier integration with renewable energies and has significant potential for commercial application.


Scientists in Sweden have developed an innovative method for generating hydrogen energy with enhanced efficiency. This process separates water into oxygen and hydrogen, eliminating the hazardous possibility of the two gases combining.


Developed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the new method decouples the standard electrolysis process for producing hydrogen gas, which splits water molecules by applying an electric current. In contrast with prevailing systems, it produces the resulting oxygen and hydrogen gases separately rather than simultaneously in the same cell, where they need to be separated by membrane barriers.     READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
In partnership with Babbel

> Blink-182, SZA, and Tyler, the Creator among headliners tapped to perform at 2024 Lollapalooza in Chicago (Aug. 1-4); see full festival lineup (More)

> "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" becomes Disney+'s most-streamed music film three days after its release on the streaming service (More) | NFL star Travis Kelce in talks to host "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" reboot (More)

> NCAA women's basketball tournament kicks off tonight with "First Four" matchups (More) | ESPN announces $7.8B deal to maintain broadcasting rights for the College Football Playoff through 2031 (More) | Russian and Belarusian athletes barred from 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremonies (More)

Science & Technology
> Google's DeepMind unveils TacticAI, an AI-powered model capable of providing strategic suggestions for soccer, including accurately predicting the outcome of corner kicks (More) | Nvidia announces the world's most powerful chip for AI applications (More)

> World Meteorological Organization releases annual global climate assessment, finds March 2023 to February 2024 was the warmest 12-month period in 174 years of record keeping (More)

> Protein found in human sweat helps protect against Lyme disease, new study suggests; finding may lead to new preventive treatments for the condition that affects half a million Americans annually (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.8%, Nasdaq +0.4%); Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates steady today (More) | Nordstrom shares close up 9% following report of its founding family looking to take the US retailer private (More)

> Bank of Japan raises interest rates for first time in 17 years, bringing rates to a range of 0% to 0.1%; move ends an eight-year era of negative interest rates (More) | How negative interest rates work (More) | Chinese property giant Evergrande's unit Hengda Real Estate and founder fined $590M for allegedly inflating revenues by $78B in 2019-20 (More)

> Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announces donation of $640M to 361 small nonprofits (More) | Microsoft hires DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman to run consumer AI division (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> US Supreme Court clears Texas to implement law allowing local officials to arrest and deport migrants; court’s order in effect while issue plays out in appeals court (More) | Congressional leaders agree on Department of Homeland Security funding, one of multiple bills needed to avoid partial government shutdown Saturday (More)

> Businessman Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Republican primary to challenge Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) in November (More) | Former White House adviser Peter Navarro begins four-month prison sentence following conviction for contempt of Congress (More) | Former President Donald Trump sues ABC over alleged defamation (More)

> Vatican criticized by legal analysts after Pope Francis issued four secret decrees during trial over Vatican's failed $380M investment in London property; decrees allow prosecutors to wiretap and detain suspects without a warrant (More)

SOURCE:   1440 News

It's Not Your Father's USA Anymore

 After observing fifty years of politics in the USA, I can safely say that it is not my father's USA anymore.  I base my fifty years on becoming aware of and involved in politics at the age of twenty, although, I believe that my interest actually started much earlier with the popularity of JFK.

The USA has dramatically and for the worse changed:

• Division is at an all time high
• K-12 education is ranked 15th in the world
• A decreasing military (power & personnel)
• Wage and Salary differences
• Politicians no longer represent their constituents
• A decrease in the value of the dollar
• A decrease in the quality of life
• An increase in the cost of healthcare
• Uncontrolled tech giants
• A weaponized DOJ and FBI
• Censorship of conservatives
• A declining American dream

If you think that a different President will change any of this, you are mistaken.  For instance, if Trump wins in November, he will:

• reduce illegal immigration
• start producing gasoline again
• reduce inflation
• improve wages slightly
• present a tough global presence

BUT...  very little, if any, of those first bulleted items will be changed.

The new generation DOES NOT LIKE OR APPROVE of the way the older generations were managing the USA - they see things differently.  They are not worried about wars, or diluted education, nor are they worried about finances because someone will take care of them like they always have.

When you give your children more because you had very little, then those children will expect more and more and more.

Back Rub

 

The Problem of an Expanding Universe

A new, precise measurement of the expansion rate of the Universe is in, and it's serving up a huge cosmic pickle.


Using Hubble data and new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team led by physicist Adam Riess of Johns Hopkins University has confirmed that previous measurements are correct after all, despite years of debate.


Based on immense distances from our Solar System to Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae, which are used to create a 'cosmic distance ladder', our Universe does indeed appear to be expanding at 73 kilometers per second per megaparsec – a rate known as the Hubble constant.  READ MORE...

Lyin' Eyes

 

The Animals

 

Microsoft 365 in Breach of Data Protection Laws

A lengthy investigation into the European Union’s use of Microsoft 365 has found the Commission breached the bloc’s data protection rules through its use of the cloud-based productivity software.


Announcing its decision in a press release today, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said the Commission infringed “several key data protection rules when using Microsoft 365”.


“The Commission did not sufficiently specify what types of personal data are to be collected and for which explicit and specified purposes when using Microsoft 365,” the data supervisor, Wojciech Wiewiórowski, wrote, adding: “The Commission’s infringements as data controller also relate to data processing, including transfers of personal data, carried out on its behalf.”


The EDPS has imposed corrective measures requiring the Commission to address the compliance problems it has identified by December 9 2024, assuming it continues to use Microsoft’s cloud suite.  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
In partnership with LMNT

> YouTube star MrBeast teams up with Prime Video for reality show competition series with prize of $5M, believed to be largest-ever single cash prize in reality competition history (More)

> NCAA men's basketball tournament kicks off tonight with "First Four" matchups from Dayton, Ohio (More)

> Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel frontman known for chart-topping "Make Me Smile," dies at 73 (More) | Recently convicted "Rust" armorer seeks new trial based on recent New Mexico Supreme Court ruling from separate case (More)


Science & Technology
> Apple and Google reportedly in talks to license Google's AI chatbot Gemini on Apple products, including iPhones (More)

> New study suggests hair originally evolved in amphibians, with hair follicles sharing genetic similarities with the claws of clawed frogs (More)

> Paleontologists identify the ancestor of the modern-day crocodile; 200-million-year-old fossil was found in northwest Texas (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.8%) ahead of Federal Reserve kickoff meeting today (More) | What to expect from this week's meeting (More)

> Nvidia shares up 0.7% on first day of its GPU Technology Conference, referred to as the Woodstock of AI; conference to preview next generation of AI-powering semiconductor chips (More)

> Encyclopædia Britannica reportedly seeking $1B valuation in upcoming initial public offering (More) | Joann fabrics retailer files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid reduced consumer spending (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Israeli military raids northern Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, claims to have killed a senior Hamas commander (More) | President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak for first time in more than a month over Israel's imminent Rafah ground operation (More) | See war updates (More)

> Former President Donald Trump's attorneys claim Trump has been unable to secure full bond for $454M judgment in New York civil fraud case, citing rejections from 30 underwriters over bond's large size; Trump must cover full bond by March 25 to avoid enforcement while he appeals the case (More)

> National Institutes of Health's five-year study finds no significant brain injuries or degeneration among US officials overseas suffering from mysterious illness known as "Havana Syndrome" (More) | Listen to an overview on the syndrome (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Overnight in the Hospital

 

My Oncologist changed my chemo pills because my last group of pills was not stopping the growth on my lymphoma.

As per orders of the FDA, at least my first dosage of the new pills has to be done in the hospital so that my vitals can be monitored for 24 hours.  What they are particularly concerned about is that this medication can cause tumor lysis that negatively impacts the kidneys.

I went into the hospital yesterday morning and had my first dosage at 12:30 pm that same day.  I did not have to wear a hospital gown but I did have to have an IV of fluids as per protocol of the FDA.

UT Medical was my facility of choice and there is an entire floor dedicated to Oncology and specifically to stem cell transplants, a procedure that has only been around a couple of years but was and is currently managed by two doctors who had started a similar operation up north.  Each doctor has 20 years of experience in stem cell transplants.

My room was spacious as was the bathroom and rather medically modern with all its in-room equipment for both doctors and nurses to perform their duties.  The Television was adequate in size and offered a plethora of channels none of which I was interested in except two or three.

The bed was the latest version of the hospital bed and was very comfortable.

The food however, had decreased in quality since the last time I was there two years ago.

However, the customer service, at least 98% of the time, was some of the best I had ever experienced.

My Oncologist visited me two, letting me know exactly what he was thinking but when I got discharged yesterday at 12:30 pm, it was not until 4:00pm that I was allowed to leave.

Obviously, the discharge process needs to be improved.  The front end and the back end of a hospital stay is really what people remember with the back end of the process being what really stays in their minds.

Boy on Bike

 

Humans Wearing Clothes

Clothes don't survive the way artifacts made of stone, bone and other hard materials do, so scientists have to get creative to answer this question.


As early humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, they came down from the trees, began to walk upright and lost their fur. But without fur, our ancestors would have been exposed to the elements. They would have needed clothing for protection.


So when did humans start wearing clothes?


This is a tricky question, because clothes don't survive the way artifacts made of stone, bone and other hard materials do. Instead, scientists have to get creative. The evidence used to answer this question comes from a few main sources, including bones bearing evidence of skinning, sewing needles and awls, and lice.  READ MORE...

Willie Nelson

 

Always on my Mind

 

Quantum Mechanical Particles

Electronic states that resemble molecules and are promising for use in future quantum computers have been created in superconducting circuits by physicists at RIKEN.


The most obvious advantage of superconductors—materials that offer no electrical resistance to the flow of electrons—in electronic circuits is that they don't produce any wasteful heating, which limits the energy efficiency of conventional circuitry.

But they also have another big advantage. Superconductivity arises due to quantum-mechanical interactions between electrons. These exotic effects could be harnessed in devices, providing them with a wide range of functionality not available in conventional devices.     READ MORE...

Motorcycle

 

The Rapid Growth of Humanoid Robots with AI

 China is investigating the logic of mass producing a humanoid robot with AI army.

Japan is launching a spaceship with the robot crew on a mission to outer space this summer.

Elon Musk is looking into mass producing humanoid robots with AI that will replace Global Jobs.

Iran is mass producing drones (robots with AI) and currently has more drones than any other country in the world, including the USA.

ChatGPT says that by 2030 or earlier, there will be humanoid robots with AI that think faster than humans and can problem solve quicker than humans.

How Many Jobs Will AI Replace? According to the World Economic Forum's “The Future of Jobs Report 2020,” AI is expected to replace 85 million jobs worldwide by 2025. Though that sounds scary, the report goes on to say that it will also create 97 million new jobs in that same timeframe.  SOURCE:  BuiltIn.com

Question:  Do you believe that AI will create jobs?  What jobs might it create?  Building and Repairing Robots?  Well...  guess what, that can be done by robots.  Writing algorithms and programs for AI?   Well...  guess what, that can also be done by robots.

If there are technical jobs that might be available do you think hourly workers at fast foods will be able to learn those new skills?  What about those who work in the retail industry or the entertainment industry or professional athletes?

Will ROBOTS start attending athletic competitions?  How many robots do you think will attend March Madness in the next couple of years.

What about utility workers, maintenance workers, cooks, pilots, stockbrokers, taxicab drivers, train drivers, educators, clergy, elected officials, sanitation workers, funeral home workers...  and the list goes on and on and on.

NOW - one final question:  What will we do with all the illegal immigrants that are both documented and undocumented.  What work will they do in 2025?

Otter

 

Fundamental Principle of Physics

A new study has overturned a fundamental principle of physics by demonstrating that similarly charged particles can attract each other in a solution, with the effect varying between positive and negative charges depending on the solvent. This discovery has significant implications for various scientific processes, including self-assembly and crystallization. 

The research reveals the importance of solvent structure at the interface in determining interparticle interactions, challenging long-held beliefs and indicating a need for a re-evaluation of our understanding of electromagnetic forces. Credit: Zhang Kang


“Opposites charges attract; like charges repel” is a fundamental principle of basic physics. However, a new study from Oxford University, recently published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, has demonstrated that similarly charged particles in solution can, in fact, attract each other over long distances.

Just as surprisingly, the team found that the effect is different for positively and negatively charged particles, depending on the solvent.  READ MORE...

Imagine