Muons and the standard model, refuting an apocalypse, stellar tidal waves

This week on phys.org, we have exciting updates on muons, gigantic stellar waves, a mini ice age that obstructed Homo erectus, and a new discovery in the world of whales.

Examining Particle Wobbles: In the quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe, physicists have made microscopic precision measurements of the muon anomalous magnetic moment. By challenging the limitations of the standard model, scientists aim to understand enigmatic entities such as dark matter. One intriguing phenomenon is the anomalous magnetic moment, which occurs when muons orbit powerful magnets and exhibit unexpected wobbling patterns. This suggests the presence of yet-to-be-discovered particles that influence the behavior of muons under these conditions. Although the latest project, the Muon g-2 experiment, doesn’t provide a definitive answer, it does validate previous findings with much higher precision. Physicists consider this validation to be a significant breakthrough, noting that their definition of “big” is equivalent to the size of an electron.

A New Whale Discovery: For those who feel a connection to creatures transitioning from land to sea and back again, prepare to be amazed by a new whale discovery. An international team of scientists has unearthed the remains of an extinct whale species that once roamed the ancient Tethys Ocean in what is now Egypt. This particular species, named Tutcetus ratanensis, belonged to the basilosaurid family and existed during the middle to late Eocene period. Tutcetus ratanensis is the smallest known basilosaurid, shedding light on the evolution of whales during this period.

Debunking an Apocalypse Theory: Last year, a research paper claimed that the Indigenous Hopewell culture met a catastrophic end due to an exploding comet 1,500 years ago. However, archaeologists at Ball State University have now challenged this theory. According to their response paper, there is no evidence to support the claim that the Hopewell sites studied by the original researchers were destroyed by an exploding comet. Rather, the researchers argue that the supposed burned surfaces were either ceremonial burnings or not burned at all. They also highlight instances of potentially intentional data manipulations in the original paper.

An Inhospitable Earth: While some may long for a cooling event during the current planetary heatwave, ancient Homo erectus individuals in western Europe would probably disagree. A recent study published in Science reveals that approximately 1.5 million years ago, a massive North Atlantic cooling event drastically altered the climate just as Homo erectus was establishing a presence in the region. This cooling event, known as a terminal stadial, occurred during the final phase of a glacial cycle characterized by the disintegration of ice sheets, ocean circulation changes, and the expansion of sea ice. The study’s climate simulation suggests that early human species would have struggled to survive in these extreme conditions, explaining the absence of stone tools and human remains in western Europe for the next 200,000 years.

Unveiling Stellar Tidal Waves: Scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have made a fascinating discovery regarding a heartbeat binary star system named MACHO 80.7443.1718. These stars exhibit periodic fluctuations in brightness, similar to a heartbeat. As the stars come closer during their elliptical orbits, their mutual gravity generates tidal waves of plasma, towering as high as three suns and resulting in significant changes in visible light from Earth. The larger star, which is 35 times the size of our sun, experiences brightness swings of 20%, surpassing any other known heartbeat star. This finding serves as a reminder of both the immense power of stars and the relative insignificance of our planet in the grandeur of the universe.

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