記事 (1323) – onsuggest

Ask Ethan: What should you do when a respected theory is false?

At every point in our quest to understand the world and universe — the one around us and the one within us — we can only start based on what we know and can imagine at present. We are biased by what we know and what we’re ignorant of, and we’re also influenced by the range of experiences that we’re aware of. Nobody has access to the full suite of evidence that all of humanity has ever collected, and even that full suite of evidence doesn’t shed light on all that exists and is possible within our Universe. Our knowledge is limited, and our theories that we’ve devised to explain, predict, and mo

Big Think · EN

Why smart people stay stuck in research mode

I recently had coffee with a university colleague who told me she was in the middle of planning a workshop. She had bought a couple of books about hosting workshops, had created a spreadsheet projecting attendance under different scenarios, and was now comparing ticketing platforms. But she still hadn’t invited a single person. We talked about how none of that research was necessarily a waste of time. When you love learning, figuring out the best approach can be enjoyable in itself. But every answer can produce another question, and before you know it, preparation has become the project. Worse

Big Think · EN

What Vera Rubin Observatory’s first new dwarf planet means

Back in 2006, the International Astronomical Union controversially demoted Pluto . This composite image of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, was based on photographs taken by the New Horizons mission as it flew by the Plutonian planetary system back in 2015. Charon’s appearance is vastly different from Pluto’s, but both bodies are shown with the correct relative size and albedo. The surface features on Pluto show evidence of recent changes, indicating that the next time we visit Pluto to image it at this level of precision, it may exhibit a remarkably different appearance. Credit : NASA, APL

Big Think · EN

What makes something real?

What is the color red? What counts as a mountain versus a hill? What is a president, and what powers does a president have? According to Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, the answers have something important in common: They depend, at least in part, on people collectively assigning meaning to physical signals in the world. “What you do, what you don’t do, what you say, what you don’t say — your daily actions help to constitute reality, help to manifest reality,” Barrett says. A different way to think about reality It’s par

Big Think · EN

Inside the quiet reinvention of corporate learning

Psychologist Pauline Boss coined the term “ambiguous loss” to describe a grief with no clear boundaries, like that experienced by families whose loved ones were missing in action and who could neither grieve nor move on. Since ChatGPT arrived in late 2022, I’ve seen a version of it every day in my work with people across companies. Nothing has been taken from us, and yet something has disappeared. Expertise works like territory. Being the person who can do a particular thing marks out our place, and who we are at work depends on holding on to it. So when AI produces the same output we do, it c

Big Think · EN

Fish pay attention to one influential neighbour in virtual reality

Observing interactions between real and virtual rummy-nose tetra fish shows that, within a group, each individual takes cues from only one influential neighbour

New Scientist · EN

The scientific truth about collagen supplements

Your body uses collagen to give your skin strength and elasticity, so supplements of this protein seem to make sense to reduce wrinkles. But columnist Alice Klein finds it isn’t this simple

New Scientist · EN

From a “modern bestiary” by Richard Dawkins to a book co-authored by Robert Macfarlane and an Ecuadorian cloud forest, there are plenty of exciting new popular-science books out this month, says Liz Else

New Scientist · EN

Curiosity may be what drives our brains to become so complex

We often think that our ability to be curious stems from our complex, human brain – but what if curiosity shapes that complexity?

New Scientist · EN

COP31: Will this year’s climate summit be the most underwhelming ever?

Despite coming after a year of dangerous weather and signs that global warming is accelerating, COP31 is unlikely to deliver dramatic progress on climate action

New Scientist · EN

We are finally pinning down what makes dyslexic brains different

Humans never evolved to read and write, and around 10 per cent of us are dyslexic. Now, we are uncovering the pathways underlying the condition, opening up new ways to support people who struggle to read

New Scientist · EN

Zapping part of the brain makes you think harder – at a cost

Stimulating a part of the brain linked to mental effort boosts performance in demanding tasks, but also leads to greater mental fatigue afterwards

New Scientist · EN

Dinosaur red blood cells recovered from 115-million-year-old fossil

A bit of leg bone from an Aratasaurus dinosaur fossil collected in Brazil has preserved abundant 3D red blood cells in stunning detail

New Scientist · EN

Astronomers may have been wrong about what ended the 'Cosmic Dark Age'

How did the universe transition from an impenetrable fog of hydrogen into the bright and starlit cosmos we see today? Astronomers think they're onto the answer.

Live Science · EN

How do summers differ between Earth's hemispheres?

Each of Earth's hemispheres experiences summer, but how do they differ?

Live Science · EN

Webb and Hubble discover new details in one of our galaxy's spookiest objects

The Cat's Head Nebula shows its ghostly insides and sinister red eye in rival views from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.

Live Science · EN

Blue whales have gone missing off the Galápagos. Scientists think El Niño could be why.

Blue whale sightings have fallen off dramatically near the Galápagos. El Niño may be to blame.

Live Science · EN

Lycurgus Cup: A Roman glass goblet made with ancient color-changing nanotechnology

This Roman glass cup can change from jade green to ruby red, and it features a mythical king who tried to banish Dionysus.

Live Science · EN

'Now you actually have a blood test': Psychiatry's bible, the DSM, is getting upgraded to include biological markers. A psychiatrist explains what that means for mental health.

The next edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders" will include biological factors like genetics in studying and diagnosing psychiatric conditions, according to psychiatrist Anand Kumar .

Live Science · EN

Buried for 2,600 years beneath Nile mud, a massive ancient Egyptian complex was just found — from space

Satellite radar and underground electrical scans have revealed a 2,600-year-old structure at Buto, one of ancient Egypt's most sacred cities. The real surprise wasn't the walls — but what was underneath them.

Live Science · EN

Traces of ancient blood found in 115 million-year-old dinosaur fossil, new study claims

Chemical signatures found in a Brazilian dinosaur bone may be preserved red blood cells, a new study suggests, but not all experts agree.

Live Science · EN

Rocket Lab launches Japanese Earth-observing satellite on 99th mission to date (video)

Rocket Lab launched its 99th mission to date today (Nov. 2), sending a private Japanese Earth-observing satellite toward orbit.

Space.com · EN

What is Starshield? A look at SpaceX's military satellite network

SpaceX is building and operating two satellite networks at the moment, Starlink and Starshield. What’s the difference between the two, and who uses them?

Space.com · EN

'VisionQuest' homework guide: Everything you need to watch to understand Marvel's WandaVision follow-up

White Vision, Hex Vision, and Ultron all converge in this spirited new superhero series.

Space.com · EN