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A physicist studying mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus claims to have found evidence for a new law of physics termed the &;quot;second law of Infodynamics&;quot;‚ and that it could indicate we are living in a simulated universe. On top of that‚ he suggests the study appears to imply that the theory of evolution is incorrect‚ with mutations not being entirely random.There's a lot to unpack here. The first thing to say is that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence‚ and so far – as Dr Melvin Vopson explains in his work – we do not have that at all. In fact‚ we aren't even close. However‚ the ideas and results presented are intriguing and interesting‚ even if further study or scrutiny proves them incorrect.In his latest study‚ Vopson looked at mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus from an information entropy (a term distinct from usual entropy) perspective. &;quot;The physical entropy of a given system is a measure of all its possible physical microstates compatible with the macrostate‚&;quot; Vopson explained in the paper. &;quot;This is a characteristic of the non-information bearing microstates within the system. Assuming the same system‚ and assuming that one is able to create N information states within the same physical system (for example‚ by writing digital bits in it)‚ the effect of creating a number of N information states is to form N additional information microstates superimposed onto the existing physical microstates. These additional microstates are information bearing states‚ and the additional entropy associated with them is called the entropy of information.&;quot;While entropy tends to increase over time‚ information entropy tends to decrease‚ according to Vopson. An illustration of this would be the heat death of the universe‚ where the universe reaches a state of thermal equilibrium. At this point‚ entropy has reached its maximum value‚ but not information entropy. At this heat death (or just before)‚ the range in temperatures and possible states in any area of the universe is very small‚ meaning that fewer events are possible and less information can be superimposed‚ making information entropy lower.     While interesting as a way of describing the universe‚ can it tell us anything new‚ or are we just seeing a secondary but unimportant way of describing entropy&;#63; According to Vopson‚ the idea is a physical law that could govern everything from genetics to the evolution of the universe.&;quot;My study indicates that the second law of infodynamics appears to be a cosmological necessity. It is universally applicable with immense scientific ramifications‚&;quot; Vopson wrote in The Conversation. &;quot;We know the universe is expanding without the loss or gain of heat‚ which requires the total entropy of the universe to be constant. However we also know from thermodynamics that entropy is always rising. I argue this shows that there must be another entropy – information entropy – to balance the increase.&;quot;Vopson looked at the SARS-CoV-2 virus as it has mutated through the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus has been regularly sequenced‚ to keep an eye on how it is changing‚ largely in order to develop new vaccines. Looking at the RNA‚ not DNA‚ he found that the information entropy decreased over time.“The best example of something that undergoes a number of mutations in a short space of time is a virus. The pandemic has given us the ideal test sample as SARS-CoV-2 mutated into so many variants and the data available is unbelievable‚&;quot; Vopson explained in a press release.“The COVID data confirms the second law of infodynamics and the research opens up unlimited possibilities. Imagine looking at a particular genome and judging whether a mutation is beneficial before it happens. This could be game-changing technology which could be used in genetic therapies‚ the pharmaceutical industry‚ evolutionary biology‚ and pandemic research.”  To Vopson‚ this suggests that mutations are not random‚ but governed by a law that states that information entropy must stay the same or decrease over time. This would be an astonishing find if confirmed‚ overturning how we believe evolution works‚ but Vopson points to a similar experiment in 1972 which saw an unexpected reduction in the genome of a virus over 74 generations while in ideal conditions‚ which he suggests is consistent with his second law of infodynamics.“The worldwide consensus is that mutations take place at random and then natural selection dictates whether the mutation is good or bad for an organism”‚ he explained. “But what if there is a hidden process that drives these mutations&;#63; Every time we see something we don’t understand‚ we describe it as ‘random’ or ‘chaotic’ or ‘paranormal’‚ but it’s only our inability to explain it. &;quot;“If we can start looking at genetic mutations from a deterministic point of view‚ we can exploit this new physics law to predict mutations – or the probability of mutations – before they take place.”Vopson believes that the law could also explain why symmetry appears so abundantly in the universe.&;quot;A high symmetry corresponds to a low information entropy state‚ which is exactly what the second law of infodynamics requires‚&;quot; Vopson wrote in his paper. &;quot;Hence‚ this remarkable observation appears to explain why symmetry dominates in the universe: it is due to the second law of information dynamics.&;quot;The bold claims (with their requirement for further evidence) do not stop there. &;quot;Since the second law of infodynamics is a cosmological necessity‚ and appears to apply everywhere in the same way‚ it could be concluded that this indicates that the entire universe appears to be a simulated construct or a giant computer‚&;quot; Vopson adds in The Conversation.&;quot;A super complex universe like ours‚ if it were a simulation‚ would require a built-in data optimisation and compression in order to reduce the computational power and the data storage requirements to run the simulation. This is exactly what we are observing all around us‚ including in digital data‚ biological systems‚ mathematical symmetries and the entire universe.&;quot;This doesn't mean that confirmation of the &;quot;second law of infodynamics&;quot; would prove we are living in a simulation – it's possible that the theory could be correct without that being the case. There are other quantum mechanical effects that appear to prove we are not. So‚ how can we test this all further&;#63; If infodynamics is correct‚ information should have mass‚ allowing it to interact with everything else. There are hints this could be the case‚ such as that irreversible erasure of information appears to dissipate heat‚ according to a study conducted in 2012. For Vopson‚ this indicates that this energy must be stored as mass prior to erasure‚ making information a separate state of matter equivalent to mass and energy.Proving or disproving that information has mass may not be too difficult to do experimentally. One simple experiment would be to measure the mass of a hard drive before and after irreversible information erasure. Unfortunately‚ this is currently beyond our capabilities given the small amount of mass change expected.But according to Vopson‚ if this theory is true‚ elementary particles would likely carry information about themselves. For instance‚ letting an electron (or maybe the universe's only electron) know its properties‚ such as its charge and spin. One proposed experiment is to send particles and antiparticles at each other at high speeds.&;quot;The experiment involves erasing the information contained inside elementary particles by letting them and their antiparticles (all particles have 'anti' versions of themselves which are identical but have opposite charge) annihilate in a flash of energy – emitting 'photons'‚ or light particles‚&;quot; Vopson added. &;quot;I have predicted the exact range of expected frequencies of the resulting photons based on information physics.&;quot;While the idea is out of the mainstream‚ the experiment is relatively cheap at $180‚000 (absolutely nothing to simulation theory proponents such as Elon Musk)‚ and testable with current technology. Sure‚ it might just tell us that the idea is incorrect‚ but it seems like an interesting idea to look into‚ and rule it out‚ or find out whether it has weight (or‚ more precisely‚ mass).

Yellowstone Lake‚ the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park‚ has been impressively resilient in the face of climate change. In the last century‚ the length of time that the lake has been covered by ice each year has not changed‚ despite increasingly warm temperatures in the region.In the midst of a climate crisis‚ most lakes around the world are experiencing shorter periods of ice cover. “Lakes are sentinels of environmental change‚” the researchers write in their new study. As things get hotter‚ they tend to freeze later and melt earlier – but not Yellowstone Lake.“Contrary to expectation‚ the ice phenology of Yellowstone Lake has been uniquely resistant to climate change‚” they add. “Indeed‚ despite warming temperatures in the region‚ no change in the timing nor duration of ice cover has occurred.”Yellowstone Lake‚ with a surface area of 341 square kilometers (132 square miles) and sitting 2‚357 meters (7‚733 feet) above sea level‚ is North America's largest high-elevation lake. Such lakes were thought to be particularly vulnerable to climate change‚ but few long-term records of their phenology – the timing and duration of ice cover during winter – exist.To rectify this‚ the team behind the new study quantified Yellowstone Lake’s ice phenology over 95 years (1927-2022)‚ comparing it to seven similar lakes in northern Europe.Typically‚ the lake is ice-covered from late December through May – and this has stayed surprisingly consistent over almost a century‚ even with the 1°C (1.8°F) increase in temperature the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has seen since 1950. Other lakes in Europe‚ meanwhile‚ have not seen the same consistency.“The unchanging ice phenology of Yellowstone Lake stands in stark contrast to similar lakes in the Northern Hemisphere‚” the researchers write.Which begs the question: Why is Yellowstone Lake seemingly so invulnerable to climate change&;#63;The team believe that the lake’s secret weapon may be increased snowfall‚ which has likely acted as a shield against spikes in temperature. “Shifts in local precipitation‚ especially increases in fall and spring snow‚ appear to be buffering the lake’s ice phenology against warming temperatures‚” they explain.It’s simple thermodynamics: a thicker layer of ice takes more energy to melt‚ so a quicker build-up of snow in fall‚ followed by an extra sprinkling in spring creates a thick covering that can withstand increasing air temperatures – at least for now.Climate projections suggest that there will be continued warming and a shift from snow to rain in both fall and spring in the high Rocky Mountains‚ which could be detrimental to Yellowstone Lake’s enduring ice cover. The researchers think a “tipping point” may be on the horizon‚ which could bring about abrupt changes in the lake’s ice phenology.The tide may be turning for Yellowstone‚ and it could really shake things up for the lake’s whole ecosystem‚ affecting its hardy inhabitants and impacting everything from nutrient cycling and lake productivity‚ to fisheries and recreation.The study is published in Environmental Research Letters.

We associate a lot of things with bees: honey‚ the coming of spring‚ maybe the occasional sting‚ and the adorable waggle dance‚ to name a few. But rarely do the words “underwater&;quot; and “bees” appear in the same sentence. Now some slightly accidental research has revealed that queen bees can survive underwater for days at a time. The study’s lead author Sabrina Rondeau had been studying pesticide residue in soil and how this affected queen bees who burrow underground to overwinter when some water entered the tubes that contained some of the bees. &;quot;I freaked out‚&;quot; said Rondeau to AFP. &;quot;It was only a small proportion... so it was not that big of a deal‚ but I didn't want to lose those bees.&;quot;To her surprise all the bees in the tubes survived‚ and this inspired Rondeau to start a proper experiment looking into this ability. &;quot;I've been studying bumblebees for a very long time. I've talked about it to a lot of people and no one knew that this was a possibility.” continued Rondeau.Typically at the end of the summer months‚ unmated queens are made by the colony and then they breed before spending 6-9 months in burrows in the ground overwintering in a process called diapause. Only the queens survive the winter months while the rest of the colony dies off. Diapausing in the ground for so long comes with challenges‚ however‚ including the problems of parasites‚ mold‚ and potential flooding. In the new experiment‚ 143 hibernating queen common eastern bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) were placed in a tube with soil‚ with either no water as a control tube‚ fully submerged with a plunger‚ or floating in water. The period in the tubes was 8 hours‚ 24 hours‚ or 7 days‚ and the bees were put into an artificially induced diapause in a fridge. After this‚ the bees were transferred to new tubes with soil and kept in cold conditions for a further eight weeks.The experimental setup.Image Credit: Rondeau‚ S. &; Raine‚ N.E Biology Letters (2024) CC BY 4.0The results of the study showed that 81 percent of the bees (17/21) that were fully submerged survived not only the full seven days in the experiment but were still alive after eight weeks in refrigerated conditions.The team thinks this unusual survival could be down to the species‚ as common eastern bumblebees are particularly tough and have not experienced the same degree of population decline as other bee species. &;quot;So we are also wondering whether this resistance to flooding can be part of why they're doing so well‚&;quot; said Rondeau. The team thinks this discovery is good news and means that this species might have a better chance of surviving climate change-related flooding events in the future.The paper is published in the journal Biology Letters. 

Do you have an eye for the wonders of the miniature world&;#63; Are you able to capture the beauty of things too small for human perception&;#63; Then now is the time to showcase your talent. Grab your microscopes and camera and join Nikon as they celebrate 50 years of their Small World Competition. This time‚ you could be the big winner in the world of tiny wonders.Small worlds are a big dealThe Small World Competition started in 1975 to recognize and applaud the skill of photography performed through the light microscope. Since then‚ this competition has become a place to exhibit the staggering beauty of this unseen world in a way that blends art with science. Each year‚ participants from a broad range of scientific disciplines submit an ever more diverse range of images – from the intricate patterns of a rodent optic nerve to the delicate but vibrant details of a live oak leaf‚ or the mesmerizing crystalline structure of a frozen water droplet – to show that even the smallest subjects can leave big impressions. Since 2011‚ Nikon has also run the Small World in Motion competition‚ which showcases movies or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope. These submissions add a distinct visual dimension to otherwise invisible activities taking place around or inside us. 50 years of mesmerizing microscopy Nikon’s Small World is the oldest and largest photomicrography competition in the world. As such‚ it is not only a catalog of luminous and exquisite images of rarely seen specimens‚ but it is also a historical record of the subtle advancements in technology and scientific precision. “Nikon's Small World Competition beautifully illustrates how far microscopic imaging has come in the past 50 years‚” Tom Hale‚ Senior Journalist at IFLScience and judge for the 2019 Small World Competition‚ explained. “Looking at the hundreds of stunning images that have been entered over the decades‚ you get a sense of how science‚ technology‚ and art are deeply intertwined with each other.”“Over the 50-year course of this competition‚” added Eric Flem‚ Communications and CRM Manager‚ Nikon Instruments‚ “the gallery has mirrored not only the advances in technology in microscopy imaging‚ but has also acted as a barometer for various scientific disciplines that have been opened up as microscope technologies made imaging in these areas possible.”The developments in microscopes and digital cameras have transformed the field from a highly specialized practice to something that is more accessible to wider groups of people. This does not mean that photomicrography is easy‚ mind you. It still demands skill and knowledge to perform well‚ but digital cameras allow scientists‚ artists‚ and anyone else to view and review results faster than before. This has also meant a change in the subjects being photographed. As Flem explained to IFLScience: “As the competition evolved through the years there has been a shift to more biological samples as technology has made the capture of these types of images easier and more widely available to scientists‚ artists‚ and hobbyists.”Just a casual glance at the winning entries for each year is enough to illustrate this. In 1975‚ the winning image was submitted by James Dvorak who presented a mosaic-like image of oxalic acid crystals during precipitation. Dvorak captured this image by transmitting polarized light through a quartz wedge. Then‚ 10 years later‚ Jonathan Eisenback presented a formalin-fixed whole mount of a spiral nematode that he captured using multiple exposures. Throughout these years‚ the majority of images were of static structures‚ but you can see the complexity and clarity of the images developing over this time. Today‚ the situation is much different. The images submitted are crisp and sharp compared to earlier entries‚ and they are produced using a wider range of techniques. For instance‚ the winner of the 2022 Small World Competition used high-resolution microscopy and image-stitching to capture the embryonic hand of a Madagascar giant day gecko. To achieve this‚ Grigorii Timin‚ supervised by Michel Milinkovitch‚ performed whole-mounted fluorescent staining and tissue clearing to capture the hand with a confocal microscope.   “The scan consists of 300 tiles‚ each containing about 250 optical sections‚ resulting in more than two days of acquisition and approximately 200 GB of data”‚ Timin told Nikon. How to enterEntries for this year’s competition‚ both Small World and Small World in Motion‚ are open until April 30‚ 2024. Anyone over the age of 18 with an interest in microscopy and photography can take part‚ and all participants receive a calendar for entering. For more information about prizes or any other questions‚ visit Nikon's Small World FAQ page.   Competitors are welcome to use any type of light microscope and technique‚ including phase contrast‚ polarized light‚ fluorescence‚ interference contrast‚ darkfield‚ confocal‚ deconvolution‚ and mixed techniques. Electron microscope and macro images are not eligible.  So‚ grab your favorite specimens and take part in the ultimate showcase of all things miniature and marvelous. Remember‚ entry is open until April 30‚ 2024.This article includes sponsored material. Read our transparency policy for more information.

Have you ever wondered how squirrels react to different types of food&;#63; A delightful exploration into this curious topic is featured in a video where squirrels are introduced to homemade “doughNUTS‚” a nutty treat made especially for them. The reaction of these bushy-tailed critters is not only adorable but also quite insightful‚ shedding light on... The post Woman makes ‘doughNUTS’ for squirrels and they light up with pure joy appeared first on Animal Channel.

When Sarah and her husband discovered a donkey in distress‚ unable to receive the care he needed from his own mother‚ they didn’t hesitate to step in. They named him Cash‚ and what followed was a heartwarming tale of recovery and unexpected companionship. Cash‚ the donkey‚ not only regained his health but also became a... The post Pet donkey knows when it’s bedtime and goes into ‘snuggle mode’ appeared first on Animal Channel.