In case you haven’t caught them yet, here’s a recap of his week’s most popular stories. What you should know about near field communications; physicists revealing that molecules made of photons may be possible; evocative high-def views of the iconic Pillars of Creation; researchers creating a magnetic wormhole, and successfully connecting two regions of space; and five myths about gravitational waves are all among the top stories.
Five Myths about Gravitational Waves
The scientists behind the BICEP2 telescope, last year made an extraordinary claim that they had detected gravitational waves, which are ripples in space-time. Initially hailed as the most groundbreaking discovery of the century, it later proved a false alarm: the signal was merely galactic dust. So, are we likely to ever find gravitational waves? And would they really provide irrefutable evidence for the Big Bang?
Researchers Create Magnetic Wormhole, Connect Two Regions of Space
Wormholes are cosmic tunnels that can connect two distant regions of the universe, and have been popularized by dissemination of theoretical physics and works of science fiction like Stargate, Star Trek and Interstellar. Using present-day technology, it would be impossible to create a gravitational wormhole. In electromagnetism, however, advances in metamaterials and invisibility have allowed researchers to put forward…
Evocative High-def Views of Iconic Pillars of Creation
Although Hubble has taken many breathtaking images of the universe, one snapshot stands out from the rest: the iconic view of the so-called Pillars of Creation. The jaw-dropping 1995 photo revealed never-before-seen details of giant columns of cold gas bathed in the scorching UV light from a cluster of young, massive stars. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Hubble revisited the pillars, providing a sharper, wider view.
Physicists Show Molecules Made of Photons May Be Possible
It’s not lightsaber time, not yet. But theoretical physicists have taken another step toward building objects out of photons, and the findings hint that weightless particles of light can be joined into a sort of “molecule” with its own peculiar force. Researchers have shown that by tweaking a few parameters of the binding process, photons could travel side by side, a specific distance from each other.
Near Field … Communications?
Okay, surely by now everyone has heard the term. It seems like every new smart phone commercial is blaring about the magic of near field communications, more frequently referred to as NFC. I think we can start off by agreeing that it is not magic, at least the technology, I don’t know about the hype. Is NFC something we should embrace or eschew? To make a decision like that, it helps to know just what it is.
