more questions than answers.



Higgs boson scientists: The universe should have collapsed

The science and astrophysics community was ecstatic with the discovery of the Higgs Boson in July of 2012, but two years later the physics its discovery has exposed shows the universe shouldn’t exist.

By Ryan Johnson, Daily Digest News
Tuesday, June 24, 2014



Last year’s discovery of the Higgs boson was thought to answer a number of questions regarding how particles derive their mass. Now, however, it seems the discovery of the elusive particle is raising more questions than answers.
Physicists at King’s College in London now say they have recreated conditions for the Big Bang now with the information from the discovery of the Higgs boson, and they report that the universe should have expanded too quickly and collapsed.
“During the early universe, we expected cosmic inflation — this is a rapid expansion of the universe right after the Big Bang,” said study co-author Robert Hogan, a Ph.D. student in physics at King’s College in London. “This expansion causes lots of stuff to shake around, and if we shake it too much, we could go into this new energy space, which could cause the universe to collapse.”
While the data shows the universe should not exist, it clearly does, leading some to question exactly how the findings should be interpreted.
“We are here talking about it,” Hogan told Live Science. “That means we have to extend our theories to explain why this didn’t happen.”
A telescope in the Antarctic called Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP¬2) –so named for its extraordinary detection capabilities —is believed to have detected slivers of cosmic inflation in background microwave radiation that permeates the universe. The data collected by BICEP¬2 could provide further evidence as to why the Big Bang occurred and why the universe remains stable.
Already some scientists have put forth theories as to how to interpret the Higgs data. One theory holds that supersymmetry, the theory that all currently known particles have superpartner particles, may be partly responsible. Hogan believes with more powerful particle accelerators—more intense than the Large Hadron Collider which found the Higgs Boson—these particles may one day be discovered.
The discovery of the Higgs Boson has already led to many apocalyptic visions by researchers, who believe out of its fundamental instability, the universe should collapse in a few billion years. For now, scientists will have to mold and adapt their theories to explain why we’ve been here for the first 13.8 billion years.
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Nasa to send astronauts a million miles into space to build massive telescope for alien hunt

Jack Simpson,The Independent | Jun 22, 2014, 05.18 PM IST
READ MORE The Atlast Space Telescope|NASA|Hubble Space Telescope|extraterrestrial life forms|Biggest Space Telescope
Nasa to send astronauts a million miles into space to build massive telescope for alien hunt
The Atlast will be 4 times bigger than the 44-feet Hubble Space Telescope as seen in this photo. (Getty Images photo)
LONDON: Scientists have announced plans to build a telescope that may give us clues to whether alien life exists on planets millions of miles away.

The Atlast, or Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope, will be the most powerful telescope in the world and will be able to analyse atmospheres of planets and solar systems up to 30 light years away.

It is hoped that the telescope will give astronomers crucial insights into whether extraterrestrial life forms are able to exist in undiscovered areas of space.

To be able to analyse these planets, the telescope will have to be the largest of its kind ever to be built and up to four times bigger than the 44-feet Hubble Space Telescope.

Inside will be a mirror with a diameter of 52 feet, the largest man-made mirror ever.

Due to the size of the telescope, no rocket will be capable of transporting it up to space and instead, a team of astronaut construction workers will be ferried by Nasa's Orion rocket to assemble the telescope situated 1million miles from the earth's surface.

The Hubble Space Telescope. (Getty Images photo)

The details of the project will be revealed at this week's National Astronomy Meeting in Portsmouth by the president for the Royal Astronomical Society, Martin Barstow.

According to Barstow, the telescope will allow astronomers to discover around 60 new planets and provide information on the levels of oxygen and other gases that might indicate potential life.

Barstow told Sunday Times: "This telescope could see Earth-like planets around stars up to 30 light years away. There are tens of thousands of stars within that distance and we estimate that at least a few thousand of those will be similar to the sun."

The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of glowing hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur gases in the Swan Nebula, also known as M17. (Getty Images photo)

He added: "Once it found a planet, the telescope would analyse its atmosphere for ozone, methane, oxygen and other gases which suggest the presence of life."

For the Atlast telescope to progress past the planning stage, it is believed a global collaboration between all of the world's space agencies will be required.

Barstow said: "Nasa will have to take the lead as it is the biggest space agency, but it is already in discussion with the European Space Agency, of which Britain is a member. We are looking at 2030 because that is how long these projects take."
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Bihar to have its 1st encephalitis immunization campaign

 
ImmunizationMr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister on Saturday said that the Central Government is willing to launch an immunization campaign on encephalitis to ensure 100 percent immunization in states where children were hit by a suspected encephalitis outbreak. Harsh Vardhan, who arrived Patna on Friday night, said to reporters ‘My top priority now is to ensure 100 percent immunization for children of the encephalitis struck area.’ (Read: West Bengal litchi virus – kills eight childern, leaves six more in serious condition)
The Union Health Minister is set to visit the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar (the worst hit place by encephalitis) today to personally scrutinize the progress in the situation. In the past three-week time, the suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed nearly 130 lives of children in Bihar, mostly of to the Muzaffarpur region. He also said that the Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr. Jitan Ram Manjhi has requested him to launch this health initiative to check the disease. He also added that the center is also very serious to tackle this situation.
The Encephalitis disease that was restricted to the Muzaffarpur area till last week, has now spread to  many other surrounding districts namely – Sheohar, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, East Champaran, Gaya,   Bhagalpur and Begusarai districts. According to the doctors, the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome is a severe case of encephalitis that causes serious inflammation of the brain. Also, this infection is easily transmitted by mosquitoes causing high grade fever among children suffering from this condition.
What is encephalitis?
Encephalitis is a disease that results in inflammation of the brain. The patient’s central nervous system is affected. While the lesser symptoms include headaches and fevers, the more severe ones cause the onset of mental issues like seizures, confusion, disorientation, tremors and hallucinations. It can be caused due to bacterial or viral infections of the brain, injection of toxic substances or increased complications of an infectious disease. (Read:Disease trends in India)
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