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The potential impact of the parity non‐conserving (PNC) weak nuclear interaction on the chirality of a nascent chiral carbon center has previously been examined in the context of evolutionary models for enantiomeric selectivity in the formation of natural amino acids and nucleic acids. Since the PNC effect is the only inherently handed property in nature, it is an obvious candidate to consider in those cases where there is a natural selectivity for a specific enantiomer, including the molecular building blocks of the molecules of life. Over geological timeframes, the potential impact of the PNC weak nuclear force on chiral preference appears feasible. Key requirements included an autocatalytic reaction cycle and involvement of metal‐ion catalysts. While prior studies offer no feasible path to experimentally test the hypothesis; the Z5‐dependence of the PNC interaction does suggest that catalysis by heavy elements could yield observable chiral preferences within an experimentally accessible timeframe. Calculations of the magnitude of the effect are presented for select heavy‐elements and it is shown that chiral preference could be observed within a time span of weeks to months when such metals are used to promote amino acid synthesis via an autocatalytic Strecker reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free neutron decay is the prototype for nuclear beta decay and other semileptonic weak particle decays. It provides important insights into the symmetries of the weak nuclear force. Neutron decay is important for understanding the formation and abundance of light elements in the early universe. The two main experimental approaches for measuring the neutron lifetime, the beam method and the ultracold neutron storage method, have produced results that currently differ by 9.8 ± 2.0 s. While this discrepancy probably has an experimental origin, a more exciting prospect is that it may be explained by new physics, with possible connections to dark matter. The experimental status of the neutron lifetime is briefly reviewed, with an emphasis on its implications for cosmology, astrophysics, and dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the mystery of the origins of life on Earth and the possibility of life existing elsewhere, exploring scientific, philosophical, societal, and religious perspectives. A Special Issue on the origins of life (OoL) research was created to showcase diverse viewpoints and the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Contributions in the issue cover topics such as the formation of amino acids, tRNA evolution, autocatalytic networks, genetic code origin, and the role of non-canonical amino acids, among others, highlighting the complexity and importance of incorporating various perspectives in understanding OoL. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the potential of a muon collider to revolutionize particle physics, exploring its feasibility, technical hurdles, and its capacity to address key inquiries such as elucidating the Higgs mechanism, which explains how particles acquire mass, investigating dark matter, and probing supersymmetry. Topics include the challenges in building a muon collider, its advantages over conventional colliders, and its implications for addressing fundamental questions in particle physics.

This document is an editorial that discusses the concept of electromagnetic (EM) field theories of consciousness. It highlights the growing interest in this type of solution for understanding consciousness and its philosophical and physical aspects. The document also includes summaries of various research papers on EM field theories of consciousness, which explore the role of EM fields in understanding consciousness and propose different frameworks and theories to explain its mechanisms. The papers discuss topics such as brain activity, EM field oscillations, qualia, and the boundary problem in consciousness studies. Overall, these papers contribute to the ongoing exploration of EM field theories of consciousness and offer potential avenues for further research. [Extracted from the article]

Natural chiral amino acids typically adopt an L structural configuration. While a preference for specific molecular chiralities is observed throughout biology and cellular chemistry, the origins of this preference are unclear. In a previous report the origin of enantiomeric selectivity was analyzed in terms of an "RNA World" model, and a pathway to a chiral preference for d-ribose was proposed based on the autocatalytic transformation of glyceraldehyde as a precursor to the formation of sugars. Metal-ion-promoted catalysis allows the parity non-conserving (PNC) weak nuclear interaction to influence the chirality of a nascent chiral carbon center. Since the PNC effect is the only natural property with an inherent handedness, it is an obvious candidate to influence enantiomeric preference from a catalytic reaction performed over geologically relevant time scales. The PNC influence requires and emphasizes the important role of catalytic metal ions in primordial chemistry. In this study, the impact of geologically available divalent calcium and higher Z alkaline earth elements are examined as mediators of chiral preference. Detailed calculations of the magnitude of the effect are presented, including the influence of time, temperature, pH, and metal ion identity. It is concluded that metal ions can direct chiral preference for amino acid synthesis via a metal-promoted autocatalytic Strecker reaction within a relatively short geological timeframe, thereby providing a pool of l-amino acids for catalytic chemistry evolving either from an RNA-world model of molecular evolution or alternative pathways to protein synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a four-component relativistic approach to describe the effects of the nuclear spin-dependent parity-violating (PV) weak nuclear forces on nuclear spin-rotation (NSR) tensors. The formalism is derived within the four-component polarization propagator theory based on the Dirac–Coulomb Hamiltonian. Such calculations are important for planning and interpretation of possible future experiments aimed at stringent tests of the standard model through the observation of PV effects in NSR spectroscopy. An exploratory application of this theory to the chiral molecules H2X2 (X = 17O, 33S, 77Se, 125Te, and 209Po) illustrates the dramatic effect of relativity on these contributions. In particular, spin-free and spin–orbit effects are even of opposite signs for some dihedral angles, and the latter fully dominate for the heavier nuclei. Relativistic four-component calculations of isotropic nuclear spin-rotation constants, including parity-violating electroweak interactions, give frequency differences of up to 4.2 mHz between the H2Po2 enantiomers; on the nonrelativistic level of theory, this energy difference is 0.1 mHz only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since for baryons and leptons, positive numbers represent matter and negative numbers represent antimatter, the consequence of ( I B i - I L i ) conservation is that baryons can convert into antimatter leptons and antimatter baryons can convert into matter leptons; for example, a proton could convert into a positron (antimatter electron). When the expansion of the universe dropped the photon energy below 1.022 MeV, electron/positron production ceased, nominally locking in the universe as being a bath of photons, electrons, and positrons. The universe would also contain neutrinos, the production of which is beyond this article, as well as a few protons and antimatter protons that were created by chance encounter by triplets of quarks or antiquarks. It predicted the existence of what we now call antimatter.[4] Antimatter is the opposite of matter.[5] When matter and antimatter are combined, they annihilate into a substantial amount of energy. [Extracted from the article]

Chen-Ning Yang (杨振宁, 1 October 1922 -), or C.N. Yang or by the English name Frank Yang received the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics with Tsung-Dao Lee for their work on parity non-conservation of weak interaction. Yang and Robert Mills also proposed the non-abelian gauge theory, widely known as the Yang-Mills theory. Yang and Baxter found the Yang-Baxter equation that plays an important role in integrable models and has influenced several branches of physics and mathematics. Professor C.N. Yang is not only a great physicist, but also an outstanding educator and a thoughtful philosopher. This edited interview was conducted in 2014 by the author. Parts of the Chinese version were published in a few Chinese newspapers and magazines at the time. This English version, translated by Tyler Ross from New York, USA, provides readers worldwide with an opportunity to share and understand Professor Yang's long-lasting successful journey and thoughts on scientific preparation and innovation, cross-disciplinary integration, and effective collaboration, in particular how Yang's in-depth understanding and appreciation of mathematics in his successes in physics. This interview is also to celebrate Professor Yang's 101st birthday and his public speech at Zhejiang University in China in 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the similarities and differences between catalysis/electrocatalysis of chemical processes, such as ammonia synthesis or H2O electrolysis on one hand, and of nuclear catalytic processes, commonly called baryosynthesis, such as the synthesis of neutrons and protons from quarks, on the other. In chemical synthesis the underlying forces are well known to be electrostatic in nature while in the synthesis of hadrons or nuclei from quarks (known as hadronization or nucleosynthesis) the underlying forces are known as the Strong nuclear forces, whereas if electrons are also involved, as Weak nuclear forces. Here we discuss for the first time from a catalytic viewpoint the importance of some recent developments in our understanding of the structure and synthesis of hadrons via a model entitled Rotating Lepton Model (RLM), which is quite similar to the Bohr model of the H atom used in Chemistry but which has shown that the Strong Force is a gravitational force between three very fast (relativistic) neutrinos, rotating symmetrically on a circular orbit, whose gravitational masses and gravitational attraction increases dramatically with increasing rotational speed, according to the theory of Special Relativity (SR), thus reaching the masses of quarks and the value of the Strong Force respectively. We show that, interestingly, positrons and electrons, which quite often play a very important and well established catalytic role in chemical synthesis due to their electrical charge, also play an equally important and central catalytic role in nuclear synthesis due to their enormous mass, relative to the mass of the neutrinos, and the concomitant dramatic acceleration of neutrinos to ultrarelativistic speeds and huge mass increase, resulting to enhanced very strong gravitational binding between them which reaches the value of the Strong Force. Consequently, electrons and positrons are the dual, electrostatic and gravitational, catalysts of our Universe for the production of chemicals and baryons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the 25 International Conference on Condensed Matter Nuclear Science (ICCF25) held in Poland, discussing the conference's opening session, attendance, and notable presentations, including Jean-Paul Biberian's talk on excess heat in nanoparticles and Jirohta Kasagi's presentation on photon radiation calorimetry for anomalous heat generation in NiCu multilayer thin films during hydrogen gas desorption.

The article discusses a theoretical challenge in particle physics related to the addition of more Higgs particles to the standard model. The popular method of adding extra Higgs particles faces mathematical inconsistencies and fails a fundamental requirement called "renormalizability." The article highlights the complex nature of particle theory and the ongoing quest for a deeper understanding of fundamental particles, emphasizing the need for theorists to address the challenges posed by the new results. [Extracted from the article]

A team of cosmologists has conducted a search for the dark photon, a potential particle that could make up the universe's mysterious dark matter. However, the search based on archival data did not find any evidence of dark photons. The study does provide limits on some dark photon masses and suggests that the search could be extended to other mass ranges with different data sets. Dark matter, which accounts for 85% of all matter in the universe, remains a mystery, and this research opens up new avenues for further exploration. [Extracted from the article]

A recent measurement indicates that the W boson, a subatomic particle, has the expected mass as predicted by the standard model of physics. This contradicts a previous measurement that suggested the W boson was heavier than predicted, raising hopes for new particles and forces beyond the standard model. The new measurement was conducted by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and presented at CERN. While some physicists are disappointed by the result, others believe that further investigation is needed to understand the discrepancy. Funding agencies may consider supporting future research to resolve the issue. [Extracted from the article]

A team of cosmologists has used existing astronomical data to search for a hypothetical particle called the dark photon, which could potentially explain the universe's mysterious dark matter. By comparing the afterglow of the Big Bang to the distribution of galaxies, the researchers found no evidence of dark photons. However, their search has put limits on some dark photon masses, and the technique could be extended to other mass ranges with different cosmological data sets. The study highlights the importance of searching for dark matter in various ways and using existing data and analysis techniques. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents the systematic classical consideration of a statistical averaging procedure that permits the calculation of partition function, equilibrium constant, and some observables for polyatomic dimers composed of weakly interacting rigid monomers. It was shown that the number of independent internal coordinates in a body-fixed frame is a crucial parameter that largely determines the temperature dependence of the partition function irrespective of the kinematic coupling within various degrees of freedom. The kinetic energy was derived for the molecular pair of arbitrary complexity in the body-fixed frame. Rigorous expression was obtained for the partition function over a pre-selected domain in the phase space. A similar expression was applicable to perform statistical averaging of some observables. Taking a linear molecule–atom as an example, it was shown how the suggested general approach permits the calculation of the equilibrium constant for true bound dimer formation or zeroth spectral moment of a collision-induced absorption band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use computer simulation to study the layer-by-layer growth of particle structures in a lattice gas, taking the number of incorporated vacancies as a measure of the quality of the grown structure. A dynamic scaling relation describes the quality of structures in and out of equilibrium and reveals that the highest-quality structures are obtained, for fixed observation time, using strong interactions and far-from-equilibrium growth conditions. This result contrasts with the usual assumption that weak interactions and mild nonequilibrium conditions are the best way to minimize errors during assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

... (Science) cannot answer the question of I why i there should be a universe for the model to describe.[8] After discussing what Hawking refers to as "model dependent realism" (and its relation to standard "critical realism"), their chapter concludes by drilling down on the fact, unacknowledged by Hawking, that the God whose existence Hawking is debating is not the Biblical God. And while there have been brief discussions about God throughout the book, this chapter ends with Hutchings and Wilkinson's (HW) challenge to Hawking's atheistic conclusion about the universe and the existence of God. I God, Stephen Hawking and the Multiverse i is a fascinating, skillful, insightful, and playful tour of the lifelong accomplishments of Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) focused primarily on three major areas of his contributions to theoretical physics that widen into related issues in philosophy and the question of God. [Extracted from the article]

The abundance and biological role of potassium suggest that its unstable nuclide was present in all stages of terrestrial biogenesis. With its enhanced isotopic ratio in the Archean eon, 40 K may have contributed to the special, perhaps unique, biogenetic conditions that were present in the primitive Earth. Compared to the U and Th radionuclides, 40 K has a less disruptive radiochemical impact, which may drive a moderate, but persistent evolution of the structural and functional properties of proto-biological molecules. In the main β -decay route of 40 K, the radiation dose generated by an Archean solution with potassium ions can be larger than the present background radiation on Earth by one to two orders of magnitude. Estimates of the rates of organic molecules indirectly affected by β decays are provided for two schematic models of the propagation of secondary events in the solvent of prebiotic solutions. The left-handed β − particles emitted by 40 K are the best candidates to trigger an enantiomeric excess of L-type amino acids via weak nuclear forces in the primitive Earth. The concentration-dependent radiation dose of 40 K fits well in dry–wet scenarios of life's origins and should be considered in realistic simulations of prebiotic chemical pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up until late February, when Russia invaded its neighbor, the European Union (EU) had happily been sending close to €2 billion ($2.1 billion) a week to Russia to pay for imports of coal, gas and oil; costs totaled around €100 billion ($105 billion) a year and the various fuels generated a significant part of the EU's power. By the end of 2020, EU nations had installed 136 gigawatts of solar power, making up about 5 percent of the EU's total electricity generation. Most hydrogen produced today, however, is made from natural gas and thus called grey hydrogen; blue hydrogen uses the same steam-methane reforming technology but adds carbon capture technology, which can capture up to 90 percent of CO SB 2 sb emissions. In the end, at a total cost of $3.7 million, the electricity the bicycle road generated cost 173 times the average for electricity in the Netherlands. [Extracted from the article]

The article details how the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter detector, the largest and most sensitive of its kind, failed to detect weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) despite its advanced setup, but will continue operating until 2028 to improve data sensitivity.

The latest scientific news includes several interesting findings. The world's largest dark matter detector, the LUX-ZEPLIN, has conducted a sensitive search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) but found no evidence of them. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been found to display racist biases when analyzing text written in African American English (AAE), which could contribute to existing prejudices faced by Black people. Scientists have extracted viruses from an ice core dating back 41,000 years, providing insights into how climate change affects microbial abundance. MIT has reported a decline in the diversity of its incoming undergraduate students, particularly among underrepresented groups, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision banning race consideration in college admissions. The UK has approved the drug lecanemab to treat Alzheimer's disease, although its benefits are considered too small to be funded by the National Health Service. Scientists searching for signs of alien communications will now focus on distant galaxies using the Murchison Widefield Array in Western Australia. Columbia University's medical school has received a record-breaking $400 million gift for biomedical research. A survey of the human food supply has discovered 320 previously unknown species of bacteria and fungi, which could help researchers study the influence of microbes on food quality and safety. Scientists have also successfully extracted water from lunar soil, offering a potential water supply for future lunar bases. [Extracted from the article]

Physicists have once again used the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) detector to search for dark matter particles, specifically weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), but have found no evidence of their existence. The LZ experiment, which has five times better sensitivity than previous experiments, reported its findings at two conferences. While the absence of WIMPs does not rule out their existence, it suggests that the search for these particles may be entering its final stages. Physicists are now considering alternative explanations for dark matter, but it is still possible that WIMPs could be detected with more data. The LZ experiment has a significant advantage in sensitivity over other WIMP detectors and plans to continue collecting data until 2028. [Extracted from the article]

We present a summary of the rotating Lepton model (RLM) of composite particles which is a Bohr‐type model using gravity rather than electrostatic attraction as the centripetal force and examines the formation of hadrons via the rotational motion of three gravitating relativistic neutrinos. Model solution via the use of Special or General relativity and of the de Broglie wavelength equation shows that the three neutrinos can get confined in circular orbits of fm radii with velocities extremely close to the speed of light. The computed Lorentz factor γ(=(1−v2/c2)−1/2)$\gamma (=(1-\texttt {v}^2/\texttt {c}^2)^{-1/2})$ is ∼7.16·109$\sim 7.16\cdot 10^9$ which, via energy conversation, implies that the mass of the composite particle (e.g., of a neutron) is a factor of γ larger than the rest mass of the three rotating neutrinos (∼0.14 eV/c2), and equal (within 1%) with the experimental neutron mass value (∼ 939 MeV/c2). The computed rotational radius (0.63 fm) is also in quantitative agreement with the experimental value. The application of the RLM to compute the masses of heavier composite particles, such as hadrons, bosons and mesons is then briefly oulined, together with its use to compute the masses of neutrinos from hadron masses and to relate the Strong and Weak nuclear forces with relativistic gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrinos are perhaps the least understood of the known denizens of the subatomic world. They have nearly no mass, interact only via the weak nuclear force and gravity, and, perhaps most surprising, the three known species of neutrinos can transform from one variant into another. This transformation, called neutrino oscillation, has been demonstrated only relatively recently and has led to speculation that there might be another, even more mysterious, neutrino variant, called the sterile neutrino. While the sterile neutrino remains a hypothetical particle, it is an interesting one and searches for it are a key research focus of the world's neutrino scientist community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]