MI weekly selection #578
Black holes may contribute to universe’s expansion
Astronomers proposed a link between black holes and dark energy, potentially explaining the universe’s expansion, according to a study in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, though researchers said that further observations are needed to confirm the connection. “The two phenomena were consistent with each other — as new black holes were made in the deaths of massive stars, the amount of dark energy in the universe increased in the right way,” said Duncan Farrah, study co-author.
Full Story: Live Science
Breakthrough in anti-Bredt olefins synthesis
Chemists have successfully synthesized anti-Bredt olefins, or ABOs, molecules previously considered too unstable to exist, challenging a 100-year-old chemical bonding rule known as Bredt’s rule. This breakthrough opens new pathways for synthesizing complex drug candidates, as ABOs can be used to create enantioenriched compounds, which are crucial in pharmaceuticals.
Full Story: Nature
Model for adaptive learning proposed
Researchers have developed a mathematical model that determines the optimal learning rate for organisms in changing environments, according to a study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences. The model suggests that an organism’s learning rate should align with the square root of the environmental change rate, balancing the need for adaptation without overwhelming cognitive load.
Full Story: Earth
Bats make mental maps of their surroundings
Kuhl’s pipistrelle bats use vision as well as echolocation to navigate, and they create a mental map using acoustic landmarks. “During the localization phase, bats conduct a meandering flight that, at a certain point, changes to a directional flight toward their destination, suggesting they already know where they are,” said behavioral ecologist Aya Goldshtein, one of the study’s co-authors. “Bats fly near environmental features with more acoustic information and make navigation decisions,” Goldshtein said.
Full Story: Popular Science
Oldest tadpole fossil challenges frog evolution theories
Paleontologists in Argentina have discovered the oldest tadpole fossil, dating back 161 million years to the middle Jurassic period. The fossil, identified as the species Notobatrachus degiustoi, provides crucial insights into frog evolution, challenging previous beliefs that ancient frogs lacked a tadpole stage.
Full Story: National Geographic