These reported discoveries from 2022 could be game changers, if only we were sure of the findings. News reports this year have left us wondering…
Is new physics around the corner?
The measurement of the mass of an elementary particle called the W boson has physicists holding their breath. Data from the Collider Detector at Fermilab, or CDF, suggests the particle is heavier than expected (SN: 5/7/22 & 5/21/22, p. 12). If so, the discovery will be the kind of crack that researchers have been looking for in the standard model of particle physics. That theory successfully explains the fundamentals of our world but does not explain how gravity comes into play. Whether the discovery dissolves into more dimensions or points the way to a new and better understanding of the subject remains to be seen.
Was Old MacDonald a gopher?
Southeastern root-eating pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis) tend their burrows like farmers tend their fields, scientists say (SN Online: 7/14/22). Gophers, which live in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, spread their droppings in tunnels, digging up the soil and harvesting existing roots. All this encourages new roots to grow, and thus preserves future lunches. But some researchers say the unexpected changes in the gopher‘s habitat don’t count as agriculture. At present, it is an open question whether there are mammals but humans grow crops.
Do limb bones reveal our roots?
There is no doubt that the remains of a leg and two arms unearthed in 2001 in Chad are a window into the past. But what they can tell us about evolution has been hotly debated. The bones, dating to about 7 million years ago, belong to Sahelanthropus tchadensis and confirm that the species walked upright, scientists report (SN: 9/24/22, p. 7) . That decision confirms the species’ status as the oldest known hominid, the scientists argue. To see also : Why I chose travel writing as my retirement career. Other proposed hominids are much younger, from about 5 to 6 million years ago. But some scientists say that the 7-million-year-old bones do not clearly indicate that they are bipedal and belonged to an ancient ape. Because of all the uncertainty, these findings can still be reversed.
Do tetraneutrons exist?
Scientists have been hunting for sixty years. Now for the first time they may see a difficult quartet: a group of four neutrons called a tetraneutron (SN Online: 6/22/22). These particles appear to last almost instantaneously, less than a billionth of a trillionth of a second in an experiment reported this year. On the same subject : LIBRARY COLUMN | Books explore the history of the Osage Indian murders. Studying clusters can be useful for researchers who want to know how neutrons work in atomic nuclei. But disagreements between the various theoretical calculations leave some experts unconvinced that tetraneutrons exist.
Is a mystery monkey a hybrid?
A strange-looking fox that was spotted six years ago in Borneo may be a rare species. But researchers won’t be sure until they can collect animal droppings for genetic testing (SN: 6/18/22, p. 11). The photos show that the monkey’s mother is a silver leaf monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus), its father is a proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus). If true, it has to do with integration. This may interest you : Take the behind-the-scenes sports activities. Cross-breeding suggests that the two species are under extreme pressure, possibly due to deforestation for oil palm plantations that divide the area where the monkeys live. which shares near the Kinabatangan River.
Did humans arrive early in Europe?
Humans may have migrated to Europe 56,800 years ago, scientists have reported based on discoveries in a rocky area in southern France. Those finds would place Homo sapiens on the continent about 10,000 years earlier than previously thought and long before the Neandertals died out (SN: 3/12/22, p. 9). The disappearance of the Neandertals, the work suggests, may have been a more complex and fascinating process than previously realized. Researchers suggest that H. sapiens not only traded living in this area with Neandertals, but also took survival tips. However, the evidence relies on a single human tooth and tools that some researchers say could have been made by Neandertals.
Has a ‘photon ring’ been detected?
Remember the amazing first image of a black hole, revealed in 2019 by the Event Horizon Telescope team? It showed the shadow of the black hole in the galaxy M87 on its ring of hot material. However, astronomers announced earlier this year that they had spotted a ring in M87’s ring, showing a thin ring of light created by photons orbiting the black hole before flying out of the black hole. of the World (SN: 9/24/22 , page 8). This “photon ring” could provide a new way to test what we think we know about gravity, but some researchers criticize the methods used to identify the ring. To clearly detect the photon ring may have to wait for space telescopes to join efforts to image the black hole.
Science informs public policy and personal decisions about energy, conservation, agriculture, health, transportation, communication, security, economics, recreation, and research. It is almost impossible to overstate how many aspects of modern life are affected by scientific knowledge.
What is the latest discovery in 2022?
Astronomers report the discovery of HD1, believed to be the earliest and most distant known galaxy in the observable universe, located only 330 million years after the formation of and the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, a light-moving space of 13.5 thousand light years. from Earth, and, due to the expansion of …
What are the latest discoveries in physics? Physics news
- The study reveals the limitations of grasping detection. …
- Using machine learning to better understand how water works. …
- Description: Skepticism about Fusion is based on a century of ingenuity, deception and protest. …
- Imposter particles revealed: An important advance for quantum technology.
What is new discovery in the world of 2022?
It has been an important year of discovering new, fascinating worlds. By 2022, NASA surpassed 5,000 confirmed exoplanets, which are alien worlds beyond our own planetary system. These include a variety of distant planets, including (probably rocky) super-Earths, gas giants like Jupiter, “ice giants” like Neptune, and more.
What was discovered in space in 2022?
Astronomers Find Two Exoplanets May Be in Water Dec. 15, 2022 â Astronomers have found evidence that two exoplanets orbiting a red star are ‘water worlds,’ where water makes up most of the…
What is the oldest thing we have every found on Earth?
The microscopic grains of dead stars are the oldest known objects on earth – older than the moon, the Earth and the solar system itself. By analyzing the chemical data in the mineral dust of the meteorite, the researchers found that the oldest grains are 7 billion years old – about half of the universe.
What is the oldest thing? SEA MAN: About 200,000 years old. According to geneticists, a ten-kilometer-long seagrass near Spain is the oldest known creature on Earth. Posidonia oceanica, known as Neptune grass, is found in the Mediterranean Sea.
What was the first object ever made?
1. The Oldest Information Known. Discovered in 2001 on a sheep farm in a part of Western Australia known as Jack Hills, this ancient zircon crystal is the oldest known mineral on Earth. Scientists say they have an ancient crystal period of about 4.4 billion years ago.
Is a comet coming in 2022?
Teardrop-shaped Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) passed close to the constellation NGC 3488 in Ursa Major on October 21, 2022.
Where is Halley’s comet now in 2022? Halley’s Comet will not return until 2022. It will return in 2061 and will be visible in July and August. The reason it will not appear in 2022 is that the comet has an orbital period of 660,000 hours, which is about 75-76 years.
What comet is coming close to Earth?
The giant comet C/2017 K2 is likely to approach Earth this month on July 14, 2022. The comet was first discovered in 2017 by Nasa’s Hubble Space Telescope hitting somewhere between Saturn and Uranus. It is now approaching Earth and the inner solar system at a distance of about 270 million km.
When can I see comet 2022?
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 K2) Perihelion: Dec. 19, 2022 â 269 million kilometers (1.8 a.u.) Closest to Earth: July 14, 2022 â 271 million kilometers (1.8 a.u.)
What is the holy grail for science?
It sees awareness, because of its fundamental and pervasive nature, as the Holy Grail of scientific objectivity. It gives examples of how it can be misunderstood and exposed to sources of confusion.
What is a metaphor for the Holy Grail? The Holy Grail (COD) is the cup or vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper, and where Saint Joseph of Arimathea received Christ’s blood. Therefore, it is a metaphor for anything that is eagerly sought.
What is the Holy Grail and where is it?
The “Holy Grail” is believed to be the cup used by Christ at the last meal and by Joseph of Arimathea to collect Christ’s blood during the crucifixion. There is no evidence that the Holy Grail ever existed, although many are still looking for it.
Is there such a thing as the Holy Grail?
â The legend of the Grail is a fictional 12th-century text with no history,â Carlos de Ayala, a medieval historian at the University of Madrid, told the AFP news agency. âYou cannot search for something that does not exist.â
