Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Observing Greenland from a helicopter, the main problem is one of comprehending scale. I have thought we were skimming low over the waves of a fjord, before noticing the tiny shadow of a seabird far below and realising what I suspected were floating shards of ice were in fact icebergs the size of office blocks.…

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are fascinating and mysterious states of matter that have intrigued scientists for decades. First proposed by Nobel laureate Philip Anderson in the 1970s, these materials break the conventional rules of magnetism by never settling into a stable magnetic state, even at temperatures close to absolute zero. Instead, the spins of the…

Researchers from Queensland University of Technology developed a prototype biosensor that can detect rare earth elements. Professor Kirill Alexandrov and colleagues have engineered proteins to create molecular nanomachines that generate easily detectable signals when they selectively bind to lanthanides, elements used in electronics, electric motors and batteries. Publishing their… Continue Reading News Source: https://www.marinetechnologynews.com/news/bacteria-detect-earth-elements-645041

Mars continues to surprise scientists with its geological activity. While the Red Planet lacks the tectonic movements that shape Earth, it still experiences seismic activity caused by internal forces and meteoroid impacts. Recent discoveries, powered by artificial intelligence, have revealed a new crater on Mars that evidences how deeply impact-generated seismic waves can travel. This…

Greenland’s Ice Sheet is cracking open at the seams, literally falling apart at speeds indicative of the brutal and accelerating impact of global climate change. In just five years, 930 million cubic meters of crevasses opened up in the Greenland ice sheet. A recent, large-scale study from the University of Florida highlights how this vast,…

Two remarkable objects orbiting low-mass stars have been detected in our cosmic vicinity. This fascinating discovery was confirmed through observations from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft. Gaia’s primary mission is mapping stars, so its ability to detect these unusual star companions highlights its unexpected contributions to exoplanet research. The newly confirmed objects, Gaia-4b and Gaia-5b,… Continue Reading News…