There is no dark matter. Instead, information has mass, physicist says

Is information the fifth form of matter?

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  • Researchers have been trying for over 60 years to detect dark matter.
  • There are many theories about it, but none are supported by evidence.
  • The mass-energy-information equivalence principle combines several theories to offer an alternative to dark matter.
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The hunt for the 'angel particle' continues

In 2017, researchers believed they had found evidence for the elusive Majorana fermion. Now, a new study found that the exotic class of particles may still be confined to theory.

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  • In 2017, researchers believed they had found evidence for the so-called "angel particle"; that is, a Majorana fermion.
  • Majorana fermions differ from regular fermions in that they are their own antiparticles.
  • New research shows that the previous finding was due to an error in the scientists' experimental device. Thus, it's back to the drawing board in the search for the Majorana fermion.
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What can old stars teach us about the birth of our galaxy?

These needles in the vast galactic haystack take more effort to find, but they help piece together our origins.

  • With billions of stars in our galaxy, why should astronomers seek out the oldest ones?
  • Age-dating stars is a complicated process, so astronomers use chemical compositions, telescopes, and prisms to determine the age of these ancient stars.
  • Some telescopes used for this purpose are in extremely remote places, where you can observe the bright band of the Milky Way with the naked eye.
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Scientist figures out how to move our sun to avoid space collisions

An astrophysicist proposes new designs for stellar engines that can move a solar system.

Credit: CapnHack, via energyphysics.wikispaces.com.
  • An astrophysicist proposes two new designs for stellar engines.
  • The engines would be able to move our sun and whole solar systems.
  • Moving the sun would be necessary to avoid collisions with supernovas and other space catastrophes.
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#1: A mind-blowing explanation of the speed of light | Top 10 2019

We have arrived: Big Think's most popular video of 2019 tells us light exists outside of time.

  • Taking the #1 spot on Big Think's 2019 top 10 countdown, NASA's Michelle Thaller reminds us the only things that travel at the speed of light are photons.
  • Nothing with any mass at all can travel at the speed of light because as it gets closer and closer to the speed of light, its mass increases. And if it were actually traveling at the speed of light, it would have an infinite mass.
  • Light does not experience space or time. It's not just a speed going through something. All of the universe shifts around this constant, the speed of light. Time and space itself stop when you go that speed.
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science physics universe space light speed nasa time ask an astronomer michelle thaller