Category archives: Humanities & Social Sciences

MI weekly selection #158

MI weekly selection #158

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Universe isn’t a hologram, experiment determines A controversial experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has found no evidence supporting the theory that the universe is a giant hologram. The Holometer searched for a kind of holographic noise using interferometers, but nothing has been detected. Science Sonic tractor beam developed A tractor beam that lifts […]

Clearly placed before the mathematical mind

Clearly placed before the mathematical mind

HistoryPhysics

By DIPC

We recently explored the concepts that Faraday introduced regarding the relationship between electricity and magnetism. In this article we focus on their treatment by Maxwell. The work of Oersted, Ampere, Henry, and finally Faraday had established two basic principles of electromagnetism: 1. An electric current in a conductor produces magnetic lines of force that circle […]

Free water policy in South Africa

Free water policy in South Africa

Economics

By José Luis Ferreira

Standard supply and demand analysis shows that competitive markets will deliver a given commodity up to the point where costs (as perceived by producers) equal benefits (as perceiver by consumers). When both producers and consumers internalize all costs and benefits, the result is efficient in the sense that the market does not dilapidate resources. An […]

MI weekly selection #155

MI weekly selection #155

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Stability improved by allowing plasma closer to fusion reactor walls Researchers studying magnetic confinement fusion have found that allowing plasma to get closer to reactor walls may make the system more stable. It was a scary proposition because if their experiment didn’t work, it would have melted the reactor. Teams from China and the US […]

Is nature “natural” anymore?

Is nature “natural” anymore?

BiotechnologyEthics

By Silvia Román

It seems that we are definitely heading towards the bio-based society, a new way of interacting with the environment where fossil fuels won’t be needed anymore and “ more natural ” processes for producing energy, food and materials will prevail. Remarkably, this bio-turn often involves highly advanced biotechnology and strict competitive targets, both facts that […]

MI weekly selection #154

MI weekly selection #154

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Mars atmosphere stripped away by solar storms Solar storms have been stripping away the air on Mars, according to data collected by NASA’s Maven spacecraft. Researchers say this could help explain why Mars’ atmosphere became so thin so rapidly, turning a once warm planet with liquid water into the dry, desolate landscape it is today […]