Category: Scientific theories
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Mapping the brain. But not your brain…
To map neurons, researchers currently use an electron microscope to take pictures -- with one image usually containing a small number of neurons. The researchers then study each neuron's shape and size as well as its thousands of connections with other nearby neurons to learn about its role in behavior or biology. "We don't know…
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Testability. The criterion for good theories. The death of modern humans.
Scientists are testing a theory of particles in a Weyl semimetal instead of testing it near a black hole. Because the behavior or particles in a semimetal is similar to the behavior of particles near a black hole. At the same time string theory has been maligned because it makes predictions that cannot be tested.…
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The transition to life. mRNA translation. The futility of life questions.
The transition from an egg to a developing embryo is one of life's most remarkable transformations. Yet little is known about it. Now Whitehead Institute researchers have deciphered how one aspect - control of the all-important translation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) into proteins - switches as the egg becomes an embryo. That shift is controlled…
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Fermions. Breaking the Lorenz symmetry. Shielding scientific theories from change. Breaking the tea cup.
A weird new particle imitator flouts the established rules of particle physics. The discovery could help scientists simulate how particles behaved just after the Big Bang or lead to the development of new devices with unusual electromagnetic properties. The curious new phenomenon involves a particle-like entity called a quasiparticle, formed from a jostling mosh pit…
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Science modelling: Can scientific models ever be “wrong”? A not-so-evident answer…
Can scientific models be falsifiable? Let’s read two stories of changes in scientific models and try to find out the answer. If you are bored to read, skip directly to the Conclusion at the end… You will get the meaning. Story 1: Modelling sun spots… A group of researchers believes that contrary to a common…
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