Light from Ancient Quasars helps confirm Quantum Entanglement

This artist’s impression of one of the most distant, oldest, brightest quasars ever seen is hidden behind dust. The quasar dates back to less than one billion years after the big bang.
Credit: NASA/ESA/G.Bacon, STScI

Results are among the strongest evidence yet for ‘spooky action at a distance’. New research boosts the case for quantum entanglement. Scientists have used distant quasars, one of which emitted its light 7.8 billion years ago and the other 12.2 billion years ago, to determine the measurements to be made on pairs of entangled photons. They found correlations among more than 30,000 pairs of photons – far exceeding the limit for a classically based mechanism.

Take, for instance, two particles sitting on opposite edges of the universe...

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Nanoparticles in our Environment may have more Harmful Effects than we think

Principal outcomes of Nrf2 inactivation in HepG2 cells after a 24-h co-exposure to silver nanoparticles and cadmium (AgNP + Cd2+). Inhibition of Nrf2 prevented transcription of target genes, resulting in the downregulation of antioxidant defense proteins, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) enzymes, and proteasome subunits (red arrows).

Principal outcomes of Nrf2 inactivation in HepG2 cells after a 24-h co-exposure to silver nanoparticles and cadmium (AgNP + Cd2+). Inhibition of Nrf2 prevented transcription of target genes, resulting in the downregulation of antioxidant defense proteins, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) enzymes, and proteasome subunits (red arrows).

Researchers warn that a combination of nanoparticles and contaminants may form a cocktail that is harmful to our cells. In their study, 72 pct. of cells died after exposure to a cocktail of nano-silver and cadmium ions. Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly widespread in our environment. Thousands of products contain nanoparticles because of their unique properties...

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New Kind of Aurora is Not an Aurora at All

The atmospheric phenomenon 'STEVE' which appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. Credit: © Ryan / Fotolia

The atmospheric phenomenon ‘STEVE’ which appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky. Credit: © Ryan / Fotolia

Thin ribbons of purple and white light that sometimes appear in the night sky were dubbed a new type of aurora when brought to scientists’ attention in 2016. But new research suggests these mysterious streams of light are not an aurora at all but an entirely new celestial phenomenon. Amateur photographers had captured the new phenomenon, called STEVE, on film for decades. But the scientific community only got wind of STEVE in 2016. When scientists first looked at images of STEVE, they realized the lights were slightly different than light from typical auroras but were not sure what underlying mechanism was causing them.

In a new study, researchers analyzed a STEVE event...

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Under Pressure, Hydrogen offers a Reflection of Giant Planet Interiors

Jovian cloudscape, courtesy of NASA's Juno spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Dora

Jovian cloudscape, courtesy of NASA’s Juno spacecraft.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Dora

Hydrogen is the most-abundant element in the universe and the simplest, but that simplicity is deceptive. Lab-based mimicry allowed an international team of physicists including Carnegie’s Alexander Goncharov to probe hydrogen under the conditions found in the interiors of giant planets – where experts believe it gets squeezed until it becomes a liquid metal, capable of conducting electricity. Their work is published in Science.

Hydrogen is the most-abundant element in the universe and the simplest – comprised of only one proton and one electron in each atom...

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