Billy Corgan is tired of playing the victim, and is all about embracing serenity in 2024

Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony looks back on the time his band toured with Black Sabbath, as well as the sometimes dangerous shenanigans that took place on the road

Fatherhood Is Bad For You?

The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission unveiled beautiful new images last week together with the publication of its first scientific results. Among the papers yet to be peer-reviewed, there is an intriguing one about so-called "rogue" planets – free-floating worlds that travel the galaxy starless.The team reports the observations of seven planets in the open cluster Sigma Orionis. This might not be familiar to you but it is next door to the most famous clouds in the galaxy: the Horsehead Nebula. The scope of the paper is to look at just how good Euclid is at seeing what is happening in very young clusters of stars and just how small an object it can pick up.The free-floating planets in question have masses between just over 25 times that of Jupiter to just under four times. The latter is close to the theoretical minimum that Euclid can reach for these kinds of objects up to a distance of 1,300 light-years.There is not a single theory for the formation of free-floating planets. They could form around stars and then be kicked into interstellar space due to instability from within or from outside the star system. And it looks like they might also form away from stars.This comes down to the initial mass function (IMF), an empirical formula that tells astronomers the distribution of stars of different masses in a stellar nursery. This extends to objects that are not quite stars like brown dwarfs. But there is a clear cut-off and this function might extend all the way to objects with planetary mass.Something similar was seen last year by JWST in the Orion Nebula. Researchers discovered JuMBOs, Jupiter Mass Binary Objects. These are pairs of free-floating planets. If they had been kicked out of a star system, they would not form a pair, so they are likely to have formed away from stars. However, their small mass challenged current ideas about the IMF.“This study demonstrates the great potential of Euclid to tackle the study of the substellar IMF in nearby star-forming regions and very young open clusters,” the authors wrote in the paper.Euclid is designed to hunt for the invisible but crucial components of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. It does so thanks to its ability to measure the shape of galaxies with high precision as well as take wide-field views of galaxies. The telescope looks for small variations that astronomers could use to reconstruct the distribution of dark matter. This precision is extremely useful in finding rogue planets too.These objects are small and relatively cool so to find them it is necessary to use infrared light, a job that Euclid is up for. In a single day, this observatory was capable of observing 5 million objects in infrared.A paper discussing the work is available on the paper repository arXiv.

A billionaire and a deep-sea explorer have announced they are hoping to travel in a submersible to explore the sunken Titanic wreckage, less than one year after the ill-fated Oceangate sub imploded on a voyage to the wreck site.Plans for the voyage began when Larry Connor, a 74-year-old real-estate investor from Ohio, called up Patrick Lahey, the co-founder and CEO of Triton Submarines, urging him to build a submersible that could reliably visit the Titanic’s wreck, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).They hope to travel to the wreck of the Titanic, located off the coast of Newfoundland at 3,810 meters (12,500 feet) deep, and carry out a scientific study of the site. Along with surveying the wreck, the mission also wants to undo some of the bad PR that accumulated around private deep-sea submersibles since the disaster involving the Titan sub of Oceangate – a rival company that has been controversial in the industry for years.“He [Connor] called me up and said, ‘You know, what we need to do is build a sub that can dive to [Titanic-level depths] repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that, and that Titan was a contraption’,” Lahey told the WSJ.“I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way,” added Connor.RMS Titanic sunk in the north Atlantic on 15 April 1912 and has remained there ever since.Image credit: NOAAOn June 18, 2023, Oceangate’s Titan sub imploded while descending to the Titanic wreck site, killing all five people on board: Stockton Rush, the founder and chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions; Hamish Harding, a British businessman and explorer; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French deep sea explorer; Shahzada Dawood, a British-Pakistani businessman; and his 16-year-old son, Suleman Dawood.The tragic incident attracted a wave of attention on social media and OceanGate was quickly put under the spotlight with numerous industry experts criticizing its submersible design and safety practices. One of the most prominent critics was James Cameron, the Hollywood director behind the 1997 movie Titanic who has completed over 30 submersible dives to the ship's sunken wreck."[Oceangate] didn't get certified because they knew they wouldn't pass," Cameron told BBC News last year. "I was very suspect of the technology that they were using. I wouldn't have gotten in that sub."The upcoming mission by Triton Submarines aims to use totally different technology and organization to the ill-fated Oceangate venture.The pair plan to command a sub called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, described on their website as “the world’s deepest diving acrylic sub” built to descend to depths of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). The cutting-edge submersible was used to film parts of Blue Planet II and the Five Deeps Expedition, in which Victor Vescovo visited the deepest points of all of Earth's five oceans.If you fancy buying one of these high-tech vehicles, it could be yours for a mere $20 million…

Sam McKee: It has been over a century since the boom period of physics exploded with Albert Einstein, Max Planck and others, sending us spinning into a new world of chaos from our previously ordered universe. This brilliant generation of physicists ultimately peeled back the layers of the universe, as well as of the atom, to reveal a world stranger than fiction. Ever since those earliest days of quantum mechanics, the theory ruling the microworld of atoms and particles, the holy grail of physics has been finding a theory of everything – uniting quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which applies to the universe on large scales. But we still don’t have a tried and tested theory of everything. And I believe a fear of failure is a big part of the problem. Creating a theory of everything isn’t exactly easy. It involves producing one framework uniting the fundamental forces of our universe, while accounting for all the underlying constants and quantities as well as every subatomic particle. The prize for whoever answers this ultimate question is eternal glory in the annals of humankind. There was great hunger to solve it in Einstein’s generation. In fact, Einstein worked on a theory of everything on his very deathbed – work that he was ultimately ridiculed for. Einstein’s contribution to physics was so great he still remains a superstar. But physicists Arthur Eddington, Hermann Weyl and mathematician David Hilbert were not so fortunate, with some facing much worse consequences. Take Eddington, for example, perhaps the greatest scientist you have never heard of. The Cambridge astronomer and physicist proved Einstein correct in his work analysing a 1919 eclipse – launching Einstein to superstardom. Eddington also wrote the first English books on relativity before doing the same on Georges Lemaître’s Big Bang theory. He also wrote a book on quantum physics, and became the greatest popular writer on science in the 1920s and 1930s, alongside his groundbreaking work on stellar physics (the physics of stars). Yet he is obscure today due to his intense pursuit of a fundamental theory. Published posthumously, his attempt was immediately banished for its incredible failure. Mocked as numerology (the belief in a mystical relationship between a number and events), his strange interest in the power of certain numbers was made fun of by other scientists. And, as many notable astrophysicists have pointed out, it has produced no value since its publication. Eddington’s stunning final failure served as a powerful warning of the price that comes with missing the mark. The final decade of his life spent pursuing a theory of everything ended in severe damage to his legacy. Albert Einstein tried and failed. wikipedia, CC BY-SA A new generation The generation of the physicist Richard Feynman (1918-88), following that of Einstein and Eddington, lost interest in a theory of everything. Feynman and his peers found their own glory in new subatomic discoveries and theories, and applications of physics to chemistry and biology, leading to several Nobel prizes. The ridicule endured by those who tried and failed before them may have been one of the reasons. This inordinate cost for failure ultimately rose alongside the glory of interwar physics. In a period of unparalleled success, failure was more unforgiving. This was hardly an incentive for young and brilliant modern minds seeking to apply themselves to the largest question. Even today, attempts at theories of everything get mocked. String theory, for example, is such an attempt, and has been scorned by Nobel laureate Roger Penrose as not being “real science”. He is not alone. Physicist Stephen Hawking believed a version of string theory called M-theory was our best option for a theory of everything. But the theory has struggled in producing predictions that can be tested by experiments. A young scientist today may wonder, if Einsteinx, Eddington and Hawking could not solve the problem, then who will? And indeed, many are doubtful that it can be achieved. Is it even necessary as, pragmatically, we can do without one? It is no wonder, then, that many physicists prefer to avoid the term “theory of everything” these days, opting instead for less grandiose alternatives such as “quantum gravity”. Funding and career progression Alongside the heavy price of failure, other problems are lurking. A brilliant young mind could be staring at a career dead end in seeking out a theory of everything. What academic progression can one expect at the start of their career if this is desired? Who will give significant funding to young, unproven researchers pursuing a seemingly impossible goal in the short term? It is likely that a theory of everything will ultimately require massive collaboration to be solved. Ironically, this may be a job for the older physicists, despite the warnings of Eddington and others. Francis Crick dedicated his attention to trying to solve the problem of consciousness in his later years, albeit without success. We need collaboration. But we may be looking at the prospect of a theory of everything only coming from those who have accomplished so much they can afford the potential embarrassment and will be given the benefit of the doubt. This hardly stirs the enthusiasm of the vibrant, young minds that may otherwise tackle the problem. In trying to solve the ultimate problem, we may have inadvertently created a monster. Our academic framework for research progression is not conducive to it, and history has presented an unkind picture of what happens to those who try. And yet, our greatest progress has always come from those willing to take risks. Sam McKee, Lecturer and researcher in Philosophy of Science, Manchester Metropolitan University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The post How fear of failure hinders physicists’ quest for the Theory of Everything appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Not all UFO encounters have ended on a positive note. In some rare and eerie instances, encounters with unidentified flying objects have reportedly led to fatal outcomes. Here we will look at several frightening cases where people could die after encountering a UFO. The Thomas Mantell Incident One of the most well-documented and tragic cases involves Captain Thomas F. Mantell, a Kentucky Air National Guard pilot. On January 7, 1948, Mantell was dispatched to pursue an unidentified object spotted over Fort Knox, Kentucky. Described as a large, metallic object, the UFO had captured the attention of military personnel and civilians alike. Mantell, flying his P-51 Mustang, climbed to an altitude of 20,000 feet in pursuit of the object. Witnesses reported that Mantell described the object as “metallic and tremendous in size” over the radio. As he ascended higher, Mantell lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, and his plane ultimately crashed, killing him instantly. While the U.S. Air Force later suggested that Mantell had been chasing the planet Venus or a weather balloon, many remain unconvinced, believing his death was directly linked to an encounter with a UFO. The Frederick Valentich Disappearance Another perplexing case is that of Frederick Valentich, a 20-year-old Australian pilot who disappeared on October 21, 1978. Valentich was flying a Cessna 182L light aircraft over the Bass Strait when he reported encountering a strange craft. During his last radio transmission, Valentich described the unidentified object as “long, metallic, and with a green light.” He also reported experiencing engine problems before the transmission abruptly ended. Despite an extensive search, neither Valentich nor his aircraft was ever found. Speculation about his fate ranges from crashing into the sea to being abducted by extraterrestrials. The incident remains one of Australia’s most enduring UFO mysteries. Dyatlov Pass Hikers The Dyatlov Pass Incident Though not a typical UFO encounter, the Dyatlov Pass incident remains one of the most enigmatic and fatal episodes associated with unidentified phenomena. In February 1959, nine experienced hikers led by Igor Dyatlov ventured into the Ural Mountains in Russia. They never returned. When their bodies were discovered weeks later, investigators found inexplicable injuries: crushed skulls, broken ribs, and even a missing tongue. One of the strangest aspects was that some of the hikers’ clothes were found to be highly radioactive. Although theories abound, ranging from secret military tests to an avalanche, some suggest a connection to UFO activity, as reported sightings of strange lights in the sky were recorded around the same time and location. The Marconi Scientists Mystery In the 1980s, a series of mysterious deaths among scientists working for Marconi Systems, a British defense contractor, raised alarm bells. Between 1982 and 1990, over 20 scientists died under suspicious circumstances, many of which were officially ruled as suicides or accidents. However, the nature of these deaths – including electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning, and staged car crashes – led to speculation about foul play. Some conspiracy theorists believe these scientists were involved in top-secret projects related to UFOs and extraterrestrial technology. They posit that these deaths were orchestrated to prevent sensitive information from being leaked. While no concrete evidence supports this theory, the sheer number of unexplained fatalities continues to fuel speculation. According to Bibliotecapleyades these four photos are from the U.S. Air Force Blue Book files and show a “French Flying Saucer Device” that is alleged to be one of the craft used by Marconi and built at the secret city in South America. The photos are known to have been taken in 1953. The Todd Sees Case In 2002, Todd Sees, a 39-year-old man from Pennsylvania, disappeared while scouting deer near his home. After an extensive search, his body was found in a tree, under mysterious circumstances. Witnesses reported seeing a UFO in the area on the day of his disappearance, and Sees’ body showed signs of strange injuries, including severe burns and the presence of a white, powdery substance. The unusual nature of his death and the reported UFO sightings have led some to believe that Sees was the victim of an extraterrestrial encounter gone wrong. Despite an investigation, no definitive cause of death was determined, leaving the case shrouded in mystery. These cases represent a dark side of UFO encounters. While many reported sightings involve nothing more than brief glimpses of mysterious objects in the sky, these fatal incidents suggest that the unknown can sometimes be perilous. The debate over the potential dangers of extraterrestrial encounters continues. The post Fatal UFO Close Encounters: The Grim Side of Extraterrestrials appeared first on Anomalien.com.