Show Notes 18 August 2023
Story 1: Scientists at Fermilab close in on fifth force of nature
Source: BBC News Story by Pallab Ghosh
Link: https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-fermilab-close-fifth-force-153105864.html
Also see: A weirdly wobbly ‘muon’ particle might revolutionize physics by revealing a 5th force of nature or another dimension.
Source: Business Insider Story by Sonam Sheth and Jessica Orwig
- First, a quick review of the 4 fundamental forces of nature [all of the forces we experience every day can be reduced to just four categories] -source https://www.space.com/four-fundamental-forces.html
- One – Gravitation/Gravity
- Two – Electro-magnetism/Electromagnetic force – The electromagnetic force, also called the Lorentz force, acts between charged particles, like negatively charged electrons and positively charged protons. Opposite charges attract one another, while like charges repel.
- Three – Strong Force – [a.k.a. the strong nuclear force] – The strong nuclear force, also called the strong nuclear interaction, is the strongest of the four fundamental forces of nature.
- It’s 6 thousand trillion trillion trillion (that’s 39 zeroes after 6!) times stronger than the force of gravity. And that’s because it binds the fundamental particles of matter together to form larger particles. It holds together the quarks that make up protons and neutrons, and part of the strong force also keeps the protons and neutrons of an atom’s nucleus together.
- Four – Weak Force – The weak force, also called the weak nuclear interaction, is responsible for particle decay. This is the literal change of one type of subatomic particle into another.
- Okay, what is the Fifth Force? The fifth force of nature is a hypothetical force that is not explained by the four known forces of nature.
- Some physicists have claimed to have found evidence of a fifth force emerging from a helium atom or other experiments. The fifth force may be a manifestation of a more fundamental force or a parallel “dark” sector of the universe. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_force
- With all that said, here’s the big news: Scientists at the Fermilab believe they could be nearing the discovery of a new fifth force of nature.
- Side note, what is the Fermilab? Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics.
- They have found more evidence that sub-atomic particles, called muons, are not behaving in the way predicted by the current theory of sub-atomic physics [a.k.a. the Standard Model of Particle Physics].
- What is a muon? The muon is one of the fundamental subatomic particles, the most basic building blocks of the universe as described in the Standard Model of particle physics. Muons are similar to electrons but weigh more than 207 times as much. Source: https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsmuons
- What is the Standard Model? The Standard Model of Particle Physics is the current best theory to describe the most basic building blocks of the universe. It explains how particles called quarks (which make up protons and neutrons) and leptons (which include electrons) make up all known matter. Source: https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsthe-standard-model-particle-physics
- In an experiment with the catchy name ‘g minus two (g-2)’ the researchers accelerated the sub-atomic particles called muons around a 15 meter-diameter ring [about 49 feet, two inches], where they are circulated about 1,000 times at nearly the speed of light.
- The researchers found that the muons might be behaving in a way [i.e. wobbling] that can’t be explained because of the influence of a new force of nature.
- More data will be needed to confirm these results, but if they are verified, it could mark the beginning of a revolution in physics.
- This recent announcement builds on results announced in 2021 in which the Fermilab team first suggested the possibility of a fifth force of nature.
- Since then, the research team has gathered more data and reduced the uncertainty of their measurements by a factor of two, according to Dr Brendan Casey, a senior scientist at Fermilab.
- Although the evidence is strong, the Fermilab team hasn’t yet got conclusive proof.
Story 2: Freight truck maker Nikola now offering electric and hydrogen fuel cell-powered big rigs – key trend to watch “green trucking”
Source: EV Pulse Story by Craig Cole
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYdZVwQj8rM
- A company called Nikola is looking to revolutionize heavy hauling with battery-electric and fuel cell-powered Class-8 trucks.
- Side note: In the U.S., trucks are organized into eight classes, with Class 7-8 being considered heavy-duty. Source: https://www.badgertruck.com/heavy-truck-information/truck-classification/
- Nikola currently offers two trucks.
- An all-electric Tre BEV [which stands for 3 battery/electric vehicle] and hydrogen-fueled Tre FCEV [which stands for 3 fuel cell electric vehicle].
- Both are based on the Iveco S-Way semi from Europe.
- The Tre BEV features a whopping 733 kilowatt-hours of lithium-ion battery spread across nine separate but serviceable modules. This provides a manufacturer-estimated range of 330 miles, though this will vary.
- Expect that range to increase when the Tre BEV is operated in urban areas where regenerative braking is frequently used and speeds are lower, though this figure will likely decrease when the truck is operated on the interstate for extended periods.
- As for charging performance, Nikola says the Tre BEV big rig can hit 80% in 90 minutes when hooked to a thundering 350-kilowatt power source.
- With a twin-motor axle assembly that provides 645 continuous horsepower the Tre BEV offers a top speed of 70 mph – the truck also can support a gross combined weight rating of 82,000 pounds.
- The hydrogen-fueled Tre FCEV has the same gross combined weight as the Tre BEV rating and utilizes the same axle assembly, though in this application it provides only 536 continuous hp.
- Five hydrogen tanks – three behind the cab and two along the frame – store enough hydrogen to give the Tre FCEV an estimated range of 500 miles, an undeniably impressive figure.
- Even more remarkable is the refueling time, which Nikola says can take as little as 20 minutes, which is comparable to topping off the tank of a traditional diesel-powered rig.
- A Bosch-sourced fuel cell stack uses all that stored hydrogen to generate electricity, which gets routed to a 164 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. Electricity then flows from this pack to the electric motors as needed.
Story 3: Key trend to monitor – Hydrogen-powered flight is closer to takeoff than ever
Source: Popular Science Story by Andrew Paul
See video here for Universal Hydrogen’s 40-passenger Dash 8 prototype first test flight earlier this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKHObpFM0sY
See video here for ZeroAvia craft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp8MoFaaKy8
- Despite only recently taking to the skies, hydrogen-powered planes are already assuaging some skeptics about their role within a more sustainable airline industry. And while current prototypes won’t be making transoceanic flights anytime soon, their proofs-of-concept could guide better, more efficient, and larger craft in the years to come.
- Two California-based startups’ have recently run multiple successful test flights for their experimental hydrogen gas fuel cell propeller planes. Both prototypes involve retrofitting existing turboprops to accommodate hydrogen fuel technology, albeit in slightly different ways to achieve different goals.
- Universal Hydrogen’s 40-passenger Dash 8 prototype, for example, pairs an original jet fuel engine alongside a 1.2-megawatt fuel cell and 800-kilowatt electric motor. According to the company’s CTO Mark Cousin, the Dash 8 has successfully flown a total of nine times reaching 10,000 feet while at speeds upwards of 170 knots (195 mph).
- Meanwhile, ZeroAvia’s modified 19-seat Dornier 228 has flown 10 times at 5,000 feet while traveling at 150 knots [173 mph] without any issues. The company’s twin-engine turboprop includes one standard fuel setup, as well as a 600-kilowatt combination of hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.
Story 4: UK Scientists Regrow Retinal Cells in The Lab Using Nanotechnology
Source: ScienceAlert.com Story by Tessa Koumoundouros
Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-regrow-retinal-cells-in-the-lab-using-nanotechnology
- In efforts to tackle macular degeneration [the leading cause of blindness in developed countries], researchers have recruited nanotechnology to help regrow retinal cells.
- Macular degeneration is a form of central vision loss, which has massive social, mobility, and mental consequences. It impacts hundreds of millions of people globally and is increasing in prevalence.
- What is macular degeneration? The degeneration is the consequence of damaged retinal pigment cells. Our bodies are unable to grow and replace these cells once they start dying, so scientists have been exploring alternative methods to replace them and the membrane within which they sit.
- “In the past, scientists would grow cells on a flat surface, which is not biologically relevant,” explains Anglia Ruskin University biochemist Barbara Pierscionek.
- She goes on to note, “Using these new techniques, the cell line has been shown to thrive in the 3D environment provided by the scaffolds.”
- Nottingham Trent University biomedical scientist Biola Egbowon and colleagues fabricated these 3D scaffolds with polymer nanofibers and coated them with a steroid to reduce inflammation.
- Using a technique called electrospinning, which produces nanometer-wide fibers by squirting a molten polymer through a high-voltage field, the team was able to keep the scaffold sufficiently thin.
- The polyacrylonitrile polymer they used provided mechanical strength The team also used a Jeffamine polymer which attracts water, essentially allowing the synthetic scaffold to act as a membrane.
- Side note, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is a synthetic, semicrystalline organic polymer resin. And the JEFFAMINE® products provide sophisticated performance characteristics, such as long working times for customized epoxy formulations.
- The water-attracting ability of the material is what helps the cells bind to the scaffold and also encourages their growth, but when the effect is too strong, it’s also been associated with cell death in previous research.
- The team’s new formulation seems to be just right, as the system increased the growth and longevity of the retinal lab cells and kept them viable for at least 150 days.
- “This research has demonstrated, for the first time, that nanofiber scaffolds treated with the anti-inflammatory substance…can enhance the growth, differentiation, and functionality of retinal pigment epithelial cells,” says Pierscionek.
Honorable Mentions:
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Scientists Use DNA to Construct Material Lighter and Stronger Than Steel
Source: Futurism Story by Frank Landymore
Link: https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-dna-material-stronger-steel
By using an unorthodox fusion of DNA and glass, researchers have synthesized an impressive material that, though impractical at the moment, they say is both stronger and lighter than steel.
Kerala University researchers develop eco-friendly, cost-effective solar cell
Source: The New Indian Express
The ‘visible blind solar cell’, named so for its insensitivity to visible and infrared light but responds to ultraviolet light, is lead-free and uses oxides of zinc and copper that are non-hazardous. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A solar cell that works with the same efficiency even when the sun remains hidden behind clouds for many days – That’s what researchers from the University of Kerala have come up with. They are now working on further increasing the efficiency of the solar cell that generates power from ultraviolet (UV) light.