LATEST TRENDS & ISSUES IN

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
BY: FREDERICK S. VALDEVIESO IV - BSBA
 ASTROLOGY
• ASTROPHYSICISTS HAVE DISCOVERED HOW TO CONTROL THE 'MICOLENSING' EFFECTS OF
STRONGLY LENSED TYPE 1A SUPERNOVAE WITH SUPERCOMPUTERS AT NERSC. ARMED WITH THIS
KNOWLEDGE THEY BELIEVE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FIND 1,000 STRONGLY LENSED TYPE IA
SUPERNOVAE IN REALTIME FROM LSST DATA -- THAT'S 20 TIMES MORE THAN PREVIOUS
EXPECTATIONS.
• THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO BEING ACTIVE IN THE NIGHT. FEWER PARASITES ARE ACTIVE AND THE
SAME GOES FOR PREDATORS. WHAT IS MORE, THERE ARE NOT AS MANY COMPETITORS FOR FOOD
AS THERE ARE DURING THE DAY. FOR ANIMALS THAT MIGRATE OR SEARCH FOR FOOD OVER VAST
DISTANCES IN PARTICULAR, THE COOLER HOURS OF THE NIGHT ARE PREFERABLE TO THE HEAT OF
THE SUN.
 ASTROLOGY
• PHYSICISTS INSIST ON DETERMINISM: YOUR PAST AND PRESENT DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE UNIQUELY, PER
EINSTEIN'S EQUATIONS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY. THEY CALL THIS STRONG COSMIC CENSORSHIP. A
MATHEMATICIAN FOUND SOME TYPES OF BLACK HOLES -- CHARGED, NON-ROTATING OBJECTS IN AN
EXPANDING UNIVERSE -- THAT ALLOW AN OBSERVER INSIDE THE BLACK HOLE TO TRAVEL ACROSS A HORIZON
INTO A PLACE WHERE THE PAST IS OBLITERATED AND THERE ARE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF POSSIBLE FUTURES
FOR EVERY INITIAL STATE.
• MARS ROVERS AND ORBITERS HAVE FOUND SIGNS THAT MARS ONCE HOSTED LIQUID WATER ON ITS SURFACE.
MUCH OF THAT WATER ESCAPED OVER TIME. HOW MUCH WATER WAS LOST, AND HOW DOES THE WATER
THAT’S LEFT MOVE FROM ICE TO ATMOSPHERE TO SOIL? DURING ITS FIRST YEAR OF OPERATIONS, NASA’S
JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE WILL SEEK ANSWERS. WEBB ALSO WILL STUDY MYSTERIOUS METHANE PLUMES
THAT HINT AT POSSIBLE GEOLOGICAL OR EVEN BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.
 ASTROLOGY
• BASED ON DATA FROM NASA'S K2 MISSION AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF SCIENTISTS HAVE JUST CONFIRMED NEARLY
100 NEW EXOPLANETS, PLANETS LOCATED OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. THIS BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NEW
EXOPLANETS FOUND WITH THE K2 MISSION UP TO ALMOST 300.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE DETECTED HINTS OF THE UNIVERSE’S PRIMORDIAL SUNRISE, WHEN THE FIRST
TWINKLES OF STARLIGHT APPEARED IN THE COSMOS.
• THERE’S A PLANET JUST NEXT DOOR THAT COULD EXPLAIN THE ORIGINS OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE. IT WAS PROBABLY
ONCE COVERED IN OCEANS. IT MAY HAVE BEEN HABITABLE FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS. ASTRONOMERS ARE DESPERATE
TO LAND SPACECRAFT THERE.
NO, NOT MARS. THAT TANTALIZING PLANET IS VENUS. BUT DESPITE ALL ITS APPEAL, VENUS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST
PLACES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM TO GET TO KNOW. THAT’S PARTLY BECAUSE MODERN VENUS IS FAMOUSLY HELLISH, WITH
TEMPERATURES HOT ENOUGH TO MELT LEAD AND CHOKING CLOUDS OF SULFURIC ACID.
 CHEMISTRY
VAST ENERGY VALUE IN HUMAN WASTE
• THE UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY'S CANADIAN-BASED INSTITUTE FOR WATER, ENVIRONMENT
AND HEALTH HAS PARTNERED WITH OTHER AGENCIES TO CREATE A PILOT PROGRAM THAT
TAKES HUMAN WASTE FROM A UGANDAN SCHOOL’S LATRINES AND TRANSFORMS IT INTO
BIOGAS AND RESIDUE MATERIAL THAT CAN BE USED AS FUEL. THE SERIES OF VESSELS
CONTAINING THE WASTE RELIES ON ANAEROBIC DIGESTION TECHNOLOGIES
 CHEMISTRY
BETTER SIGNALS FROM ELECTRONIC BODY IMPLANTS
• A MEDICAL MONITORING DEVICE CAN BE IMPLANTED IN THE BODY TO PERFORM FUNCTIONS
SUCH AS RECORDING BRAIN ACTIVITY OR ANALYZING BLOOD. THE DEVICE PERIODICALLY
TRANSMITS DATA WIRELESSLY TO A RECEIVER OUTSIDE THE BODY, BUT THE RECEIVER NEEDS TO
BE WITHIN ABOUT A METER OF THE DEVICE BECAUSE OF THE POOR RADIATION EFFICIENCY OF
BIOLOGICAL TISSUES. NOW DENYS NIKOLAYEV FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF RENNES 1, FRANCE,
AND COLLEAGUES PREDICT THAT THESE TRANSMISSIONS COULD BE MADE 10 TIMES MORE
EFFICIENT BY CHOOSING THE RIGHT FREQUENCY. THIS EFFICIENCY INCREASE COULD ENABLE
THE TRANSMISSION DISTANCE OF THESE DEVICES TO BE TRIPLED.
 CHEMISTRY
NEW MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES HELP ATHLETES AND ENHANCE PHYSICAL REHAB
• THE DEVICE MEASURES SWEAT AND SWEAT BIOMARKERS ACCURATELY AND IN REAL TIME,
ALLOWING ATHLETES, MILITARY PERSONNEL, FITNESS PROS AND OTHERS TO MONITOR SWEAT
RATE AND ELECTROLYTE LOSS, SO THEY CAN KEEP HYDRATED, REPLENISH THEIR ELECTROLYTES
AND STAY ON TOP OF THEIR GAME.
• THE PARTNERSHIPS ARE AIMED AT FURTHER DEVELOPING, TESTING AND VALIDATING ROGERS'
DEVICE, WHICH MONITORS SWEAT LOSS AND ANALYZES SWEAT CHEMISTRY WITH A SIMPLE,
REAL-TIME VISUAL READOUT.
 CHEMISTRY
• NEW MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES HELP ATHLETES AND ENHANCE PHYSICAL REHABSQUID SKIN
COULD BE THE SOLUTION TO CAMOUFLAGE MATERIAL
• THE CHROMATOPHORE ORGANS, WHICH APPEAR AS HUNDREDS OF MULTI-COLORED FRECKLES ON
THE SURFACE OF A CEPHALOPOD'S BODY, CONTRIBUTE TO FAST CHANGES IN SKIN COLOR. IN A
PAPER PUBLISHED LAST WEEK IN ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS, DERAVI'S GROUP DESCRIBES ITS
WORK IN ISOLATING THE PIGMENT GRANULES WITHIN THESE ORGANS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
THEIR ROLE IN COLOR CHANGE. THE RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED THESE GRANULES HAVE
REMARKABLE OPTICAL QUALITIES AND USED THEM TO MAKE THIN FILMS AND FIBERS THAT COULD
BE INCORPORATED INTO TEXTILES, FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS, AND FUTURE COLOR-CHANGING DEVICES.
 GEOLOGY
• BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS ENDANGERED BY GLOBAL CHANGE
• THE CORE REGION OF THE ATACAMA DESERT IS ONE OF THE MOST ARID PLACES ON EARTH.
HOWEVER, SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND MICROORGANISMS THERE. BUT IT HAS REMAINED
UNCLEAR WHETHER THESE ENVIRONMENTS SUPPORT ACTIVE MICROBIAL GROWTH OR
WHETHER THE OBSERVED CELLS WERE INTRODUCED BY WIND TRANSPORT AND
SUBSEQUENTLY DEGRADED. DETAILED ANALYSES BY AN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH TEAM
SHOW: EVEN IN THE MOST ARID ZONES OF THE ATACAMA A MICROBIAL COMMUNITY EXISTS
WHICH BECOMES METABOLICALLY ACTIVE FOLLOWING EPISODIC INCREASE IN MOISTURE
AFTER RAINFALLS.
 GEOLOGY
LIFE UNDER EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS
ANALYZING MICROORGANISMS FROM THE ATACAMA DESERT POINTS TO POSSIBLE LIFE ON
MARS
• BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS PROTECT THE SOIL, ACCELERATE THE RATE OF SOIL FORMATION
AND CONTRIBUTE TO BIOGEOCHEMICAL NUTRIENT CYCLING VIA FIXATION OF ATMOSPHERIC
CARBON (C) AND NITROGEN (N). ALTHOUGH, VISUALLY, THEY ARE AMONG THE LEAST
IMPRESSIVE COMMUNITIES IN NATURE, THEY FORM A VITAL PART OF NATURAL CYCLES.
 PHYSICS
CANCER-FIGHTING NANOROBOTS PROGRAMMED TO SEEK AND DESTROY TUMORS
• IN A MAJOR ADVANCEMENT IN NANOMEDICINE, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY (ASU)
SCIENTISTS, IN COLLABORATION WITH RESEARCHERS FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR
NANOSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (NCNST), OF THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, HAVE
SUCCESSFULLY PROGRAMMED NANOROBOTS TO SHRINK TUMORS BY CUTTING OFF THEIR
BLOOD SUPPLY.
 PHYSICS
DIAMOND FOR TREAT CANCER TUMORS
• AUSTRALIAN SCIENTISTS HAVE USED DIAMONDS TO TURN A PHARMACEUTICAL PROBLEM INTO
A PHYSICS PROBLEM. THEY’VE DETERMINED HOW TO IDENTIFY BEGINNING CANCER TUMORS
BEFORE THEY GROW INTO SOMETHING LIFE-THREATENING. THEY HAVE DONE SO USING
DIAMONDS.
 PHYSICS
INNOVATIVE RESTORATION OF CORAL REEFS HELPS PROTECT CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
• AS BREAKWATERS TROPICAL CORAL REEFS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN COASTAL PROTECTION.
FOR THE LOCAL POPULATION, THEY FORM A NATURAL BARRIER AGAINST STORM WAVES AND
TSUNAMIS AND AT THE SAME TIME PROTECT THE COAST FROM EROSION. RESEARCHERS FROM
BREMEN, AUSTRALIA AND FRANCE HAVE NOW STUDIED THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN CORAL REEFS AND
THE MONSTER WAVES OFF TAHITI AND MOOREA. USING NEW MEASUREMENT DATA AND
CALCULATIONS, THEY SHOW HOW REEF DEGRADATION AND SEA LEVEL RISE CAN AFFECT THE
HEIGHT OF THE WAVES OFF THESE TROPICAL ISLANDS IN FRENCH POLYNESIA. THE RESEARCH
RESULTS HAVE JUST BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE RENOWNED SCIENTIFIC MAGAZINE SCIENTIFIC
ADVANCES.
 PHYSICS
NEW MAPPING SHOWS JUST HOW MUCH FISHING IMPACTS THE WORLD’S SEAS
• FISHING HAS LEFT A HEFTY FOOTPRINT ON EARTH. OCEANS COVER MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS
OF THE PLANET’S SURFACE, AND INDUSTRIAL FISHING OCCURRED ACROSS 55 PERCENT OF
THAT OCEAN AREA IN 2016, RESEARCHERS REPORT IN THE FEB. 23 SCIENCE. IN COMPARISON,
ONLY 34 PERCENT OF EARTH’S LAND AREA IS USED FOR AGRICULTURE OR GRAZING.
 EARTH SCIENCES
HOW BIOFUELS FROM PLANT FIBERS COULD COMBAT GLOBAL WARMING
• A STUDY FROM COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FINDS NEW PROMISE FOR BIOFUELS
PRODUCED FROM SWITCHGRASS, A NON-EDIBLE NATIVE GRASS THAT GROWS IN MANY
PARTS OF NORTH AMERICA. SCIENTISTS USED MODELING TO SIMULATE VARIOUS GROWING
SCENARIOS, AND FOUND A CLIMATE FOOTPRINT RANGING FROM -11 TO 10 GRAMS OF
CARBON DIOXIDE PER MEGA-JOULE -- THE STANDARD WAY OF MEASURING GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS.
 EARTH SCIENCES
HOW A VAPORIZED EARTH MIGHT HAVE COOKED UP THE MOON
• THE MOON MIGHT HAVE FORMED FROM THE FILLING DURING EARTH’S JELLY DOUGHNUT PHASE.
• AROUND 4.5 BILLION YEARS AGO, SOMETHING HIT EARTH, AND THE MOON APPEARED SHORTLY
AFTER. A NEW SIMULATION OF HOW THE MOON FORMED SUGGESTS IT TOOK SHAPE IN THE
MIDST OF A HOT CLOUD OF ROTATING ROCK AND VAPOR, WHICH (IN THEORY) FORMS WHEN BIG
PLANETARY OBJECTS SMASH INTO EACH OTHER AT HIGH SPEEDS AND ENERGIES. PLANETARY
SCIENTISTS SIMON LOCK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND SARAH STEWART OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, DAVIS PROPOSED THIS DOUGHNUT-SHAPED PLANETARY BLOB IN 2017 AND DUBBED
IT A SYNESTIA (SN: 8/5/17, P. 5).
 EARTH SCIENCES
HUMAN-MADE EARTHQUAKE RISK REDUCED IF FRACKING IS 895M FROM FAULTS
• THE RISK OF HUMAN-MADE EARTHQUAKES DUE TO FRACKING IS GREATLY REDUCED IF HIGH-
PRESSURE FLUID INJECTION USED TO CRACK UNDERGROUND ROCKS IS 895M AWAY FROM
FAULTS IN THE EARTH'S CRUST, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH.
• RESEARCHERS USED MICROSEISMIC DATA TO ESTIMATE HOW FAR FRACKING-INDUCED
FRACTURES IN ROCK EXTENDED HORIZONTALLY FROM BOREHOLE INJECTION POINTS.
• THE RESULTS INDICATED THERE WAS A ONE PER CENT CHANCE THAT FRACTURES FROM
FRACKING ACTIVITY COULD EXTEND HORIZONTALLY BEYOND 895M IN SHALE ROCKS.
 EARTH SCIENCES
CLIMATE VALUE OF EARTH'S INTACT FORESTS
CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE RISK FAILURE UNLESS INTACT FORESTS ARE
PRESERVED
• NEW RESEARCH PUBLISHED TODAY IN NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION DEMONSTRATES THE EXTRAORDINARY
VALUE OF EARTH'S REMAINING INTACT FORESTS FOR ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AND PROTECTING
WILDLIFE, CRITICAL WATERSHEDS, INDIGENOUS CULTURES, AND HUMAN HEALTH. YET THE GLOBAL POLICY AND
SCIENCE COMMUNITIES DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE AMONG THE RELATIVE VALUES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOREST
LANDSCAPES -- WHICH RANGE FROM HIGHLY INTACT ONES TO THOSE WHICH ARE HEAVILY LOGGED,
FRAGMENTED, BURNT, DRAINED AND/OR OVER-HUNTED -- DUE IN PART TO THE LACK OF A UNIFORM WAY OF
MEASURING THEIR QUALITY.
 THANK YOU
• REFERENCES: