Posted on May 21, 2022 in Biology, Climate Change, Evolution, Extraterrestrial Life, Genetics, Geology, Origin of Life, Pandemic Covid-19, Physics, Science, Science News, Technology
Today’s stories range from Government and Science Must Work Together to Determine the Nature of UAPs to Monkeypox Goes Global to Only 10-30% of Our Lifespan is Due to Genetics, and much more. The Planet Earth Report provides descriptive links to headline news by leading science journalists about the extraordinary discoveries, technology, people, and events changing our knowledge of Planet Earth and the future of the human species.
Could an advanced civilization change the laws of physics? –-Do the laws of physics place a hard limit on how far technology can advance, or can we re-write those laws? asks Big Think. “Are there limits to technology? Can a species become so advanced that it could actually re-engineer physics? One brilliant article explored the rules of physics and asked which ones might have been rewritten by a sufficiently advanced form of life. But it is also possible that the physics we know today severely limits life and what it can do.”
Listen: Will the James Webb Space Telescope Reveal Another Earth? –The space telescope is one of the most ambitious scientific projects ever undertaken. Marcia Rieke and Nikole Lewis, two of the scientists leading JWST investigations, talk to Steven Strogatz about how it may transform our understanding of the universe, reports this Quanta podcast.
Ghostly Unseen “Mirror World” Might Be Cause of Cosmic Controversy With Hubble Constant, reports SciTechDaily. –“According to new research, an unseen ‘mirror world’ of particles that interacts with our world only via gravity might be the key to solving a major puzzle in cosmology today – the Hubble constant problem.”
Advanced alien civilizations could “mix and match physical laws –”It might be possible to change the laws of physics, reports Futurism. “In an extremely cosmic-brain take, University of Rochester astrophysics professor Adam Frank suggests that a civilization could advance so much that it could eventually tinker with the fundamental laws of physics. Frank takes the concept even further, suggesting advanced alien civilizations could “mix and match physical laws any way they see fit.”
The batteries powered by gravity –Gravity batteries could solve one of renewable energy’s biggest problems, reports BBC Future. “Could a cutting-edge technology that harnesses one of the universe’s fundamental forces help solve our energy storage challenge?”
Do you have a lost twin? asks BBC –-“A surprisingly high number of people began life as a twin – without ever realizing. Could a new test reveal if you had a co-twin before you were born?”
Government and Science Must Work Together to Determine the Nature of UFOs. “On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, the first open congressional hearing in half a century was held on the topic of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (also commonly known as UFOs). Witnesses included Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Ronald S. Moultrie, and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, Scott W. Bray.”
Monkeypox goes global: why scientists are on alert –-Scientists are trying to understand why the virus, a less lethal relative of smallpox, has cropped up in so many populations around the world, reports Nature.
The Evolution of a Head Has Been Traced Back Surprisingly Far Up Our Ancestral Line. “In the early days of complex, multicellular life on Earth, animals started out without any spines or brains. They only had a network of neurons spread throughout their body. Over the course of millions of years, however, that system somehow became concentrated on one end. But how?” reports ScienceAlert.
Morgan Levine: ‘Only 10-30% of our lifespan is estimated to be due to genetics’–reports The Guardian –“The Yale scientist explains her research into biological and chronological age – and why she’s joined a $3bn startup funded by the likes of Jeff Bezos.”
The medical power of hypnosis, reports BBC Future –“Hypnosis is emerging as a powerful medical treatment for pain, anxiety, PTSD and a range of other conditions. Can it shake off its reputation as a stage magician’s trick?”
This woman navigated a 3,000-mile Pacific voyage without maps or technology –Polynesian wayfinding has long been a patriarchal tradition. Lehua Kamalu is breaking the mold—and helping to lead a revival of the ancient skill, reports National Geographic.
The Civil War Drastically Reshaped How Americans Deal With Death. Will the Pandemic? –Around 750,000 people died during the conflict—2.5 percent of the country’s population at the time, reports The Smithsonian.
Are near-death experiences real? Here’s what science has to say. –A psychiatrist studied 1,000 near-death experiences. Here’s what he discovered, reports Big Think.
Are you a spectator to reality? Or are you its creator? –-Signals from the environment, such as those detected by your sense organs, have no inherent psychological meaning. Your brain creates the meaning, reports Big Think..
Archaeologists in Egypt Unearth 4,300-Year-Old Tomb of Man Who Handled His Pharaoh’s ‘Secret Documents’, reports The Smithsonian.
Philosopher of the apocalypse –From the ashes of the Second World War, Günther Anders forecast a new catastrophe: technology would overwhelm its creators, reports Aeon.
How to Get Dolphin-Smooth Skin--For skin care like a cetacean, you’re going to need corals, sponges and the ability to hold your breath for a long time reports The New York Times.
Curated by The Daily Galaxy Editorial Staff
Read about The Daily Galaxy editorial team here