Unusual discoveries in the world. Incredible discoveries that baffled scientists. Largest known prime number
home
Specialists from the Netherlands managed to conduct an experiment on growing vegetables using analogues of extraterrestrial soil. The latter were created by NASA scientists, and real extraterrestrial soil was not involved in the study. English scientists some time ago came to the conclusion that it is enough a large number of
iodine oxide, a substance that is responsible for the destruction of most of the Earth's ozone layer, is located above the World Ocean, and the reason for this concentration has not previously been given the necessary attention. Studies have shown that the ocean releases hypohydrous acid into the atmosphere, although previously there was an opinion that this gas, like molecular iodine, is not produced by the ocean. In the 70s of the twentieth century, it was found that the World Ocean contains a considerable amount of methyl iodide, and most of the iodine is produced by the smallest marine plants - phytoplankton.
The history of slot machines
Every gambling person has succumbed to the temptation to play slot machines at least once in their life, and some of them have made fortunes from it! However, few of them thought about when the first “one-armed bandit” appeared and who the “evil genius” who invented this machine was. A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo has developed extremely thin and ultra-light electronic sheets that can be used to produce, for example, discreet medical sensors or solar panels
. This technological innovation can bend, wrinkle, stretch and take almost any shape, and is also incredibly light and adaptable. Can you imagine African elves? Just in case, let me clarify: not the dark ones that swarm in many online games, but African ones. However, even the wild imagination of the authors of modern fantasy did not reach the creation of Afro-elves. So, blame them (elves, not science fiction writers) for night dances at full moon unusual a natural phenomenon
- so-called “witch circles” will not work in Africa.
Photos from open sources
2017 has ended and it’s time to take stock. Scientists, doctors, politicians and others have achieved something this year, taken many actions, thanks to which something has changed in our world. What happened over the past year in the field of science, what achievements and discoveries are worth noting? The top 10 most incredible and interesting ones will help you figure this out. scientific discoveries.
1. Flooded Greenland
In 2017, a scientific group of 11 geologists put forward a theory that suggests Zealand meets all the necessary criteria to be considered a submerged continent. Most of Of this continent, approximately 93% is located under water Pacific Ocean. According to scientists, this hypothetical continent was flooded 23 million years ago. However, it is clear to say whether this piece of land was completely dry or not. this moment impossible. Scientists also believe that 60 million years have passed since Zealandia broke away from Australia.
2. Death is approaching
The approach of death can be felt very accurately, or rather not felt at all. As Swedish scientists have found, as death approaches, a person’s sense of smell becomes dulled and then completely disappears, and he ceases to distinguish odors. If you invite a person to smell and identify 13 odors, and he does not smell at least one of the proposed ones, then the person becomes 8% closer to his death.
3. Find in a Chinese landfill
Last year saw a Chinese landfill. A find was discovered on it, which caused a resonance in scientific world. Quite by accident, scientists found a unique mold that can recycle plastic objects. It was previously thought that plastics take between 300 and 500 years to degrade. But now scientists are seriously thinking about destroying plastic waste with the help of this mold.
4. Immortal jellyfish
The jellyfish Thuritopsis nutriculara is immortal. This statement was made marine biologists. In short, from an old being it can be reborn back into an embryo, prolonging itself from generation to generation.
5. Narwhal Tusks
Researchers for a long time assumed that narwhals need their tusks only when mating games and to attract females, But in May 2017, scientists from the polar research department managed to capture on video the hunt of this amazing mammal, during which he used his tusk as a "club" to stun prey.
6. The Moon takes oxygen from the Earth
The Moon spends most of its time in the solar wind in a stream of charged particles flowing from the sun. However, within 5 days of each lunar month The Moon is blocked from the solar wind by the Earth, and the satellite ends up in the tail of the Earth's magnetosphere filled with ions of Earth's oxygen. The Moon, passing through the tail of the Earth's magnetosphere, collects oxygen ions that are formed in ozone layer planets and thus accumulates terrestrial oxygen.
7. Harbingers of the disaster that occurred in 10899 BC
In April 2017, scientists from the UK found stone pillars with designs carved on them. According to researchers, they symbolize a global catastrophe that occurred in 10899 BC. The age of these finds coincides with the age of the traces left by strong climate change, identified during the analysis of ice samples in Greenland. Some drawings could symbolize the consequences of the cataclysm, because just at this time a period of sharp cooling began, caused by the fall of a meteorite.
8. Predicting the future
Last May, scientists experimentally proved that predicting the future is quite possible, and that not all predictors are charlatans. It turns out that the human brain, after some training, is able to complete a chain of events that have not yet happened and await us in the future. Moreover, in the imagination the future comes 2 times faster than in reality.
9. Plants can hear
The root system of plants determines by the sound of water in which direction it needs to grow, and tries to avoid some areas with unpleasant sounds. So it’s time to raise the question that plants are not at all as simple organisms as is commonly believed.
10. Editing a Person
Last year, scientists succeeded for the first time in correcting a defective gene in a human embryo. We were talking about the disease cardiomyopathy. This is a disease that results in a person having no apparent reason the heart may suddenly stop. This disease is characterized by the fact that 50% of the genes for this disease existing in the parents can be passed on to the child. Scientists have created a special technology called “genetic scissors,” which can be used to find a defective gene on a DNA helix and cut it out to correct it. As a result of the experiment, it was possible to increase the number of healthy cells from 50% to 72%. In the future, the possession of such medical devices will help to further preserve human health.
The past year has been rich in amazing finds
The smallest frog in the world
The smallest frog in the world reaches a size of no more than 7-8 millimeters. A representative of the species Paedophryne amauensis has set a unique record - it reaches a length of only 7.7 millimeters. Scientists announced the discovery of a new species of record size in January 2012, although the frog was discovered by researchers in tropical forests in southern Papua New Guinea a couple of years ago.
Scientists believe that the frog is so large in order to feed on tiny invertebrates, such as ticks, which are ignored by more large predators. Thus, she found her niche in food chain and feels great.
They have memory but no brain
Scientists are almost certain that these simple organisms, which do not have a brain, actually have memory. During experiments with slime molds of the species Physarum polycephalum, scientists from the University of Sydney noticed that these living organisms avoid returning to the same places where they have already been. Researchers began to suspect that these protozoa use special form spatial memory.
“Slime molds leave a trail of mucus behind them, which they can then detect and thus ‘recognize’ the places where they have already been,” said biologist Chris Reid. Scientists have also suggested that Physarum may recognize and respond to traces left by other species of slime mold.
Reid reported that primitive organisms could use their spatial memory to solve the same problems that our brains face today. This is the beginning of the evolution of memory. Previous research has shown that slime molds can also roam the maze and anticipate periodic events.
The Riddle of the Chimera Cat
In August 2012, a cat named Venus became a real hit of the season, surprising everyone with her unusual appearance. This three-year-old tortoiseshell cat has won millions of views on YouTube and even started her own Facebook page. One half of the cat's face is black, the other is red. Moreover, Venus also has different eyes - one is yellow, the other is blue. Scientists do not yet know why she got such a strange appearance, but there are suggestions that this cat is a chimera.
A chimera is an organism that receives the genes of its brother or sister in the womb during the embryonic stage of development. Two embryos merge into one, resulting in one animal being born, but with some genetic characteristics, for example, a strange coat color.
White killer whale
In April 2012, a strange albino killer whale was spotted off the coast of Russia, which puzzled scientists. The animal immediately received the nickname Iceberg. It reaches about 7 meters in length.
Previously, scientists had already seen a white killer whale off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska in 2000 and 2008, but albinos of this species are so rare that scientists concluded that then they saw the same animal, only in a more at a young age. After all, Iceberg, according to researchers, is already about 16 years old.
Animal with the most legs: record-breaking centipede
The owner of the most legs lives in California. This unique arthropod is a centipede that reaches a length of no more than 3 centimeters. Surprisingly, with her body size she has 750 legs! Scientists first discovered the centipede of the species Illacme plenipes back in 1928, but they were never able to study it thoroughly, since the animal, as scientists believed, had disappeared and was considered extinct for a long time.
The creature developed such a large number of legs due to life underground. It is convenient for the centipede to move its legs and move in the ground, as well as climb underground rocks.
Soft-bodied turtle with a unique urinary system
In October 2012, scientists reported that they had discovered a very strange property in the animal: a soft-bodied turtle of the species Pelodiscus sinensis can urinate... through its mouth. Scientists already knew that soft-bodied turtles have gill-like structures in their mouths. Researchers initially thought that they helped animals breathe underwater, but it turned out that this was not the case.
Scientists also discovered that turtles carry a special gene that helps produce a special protein responsible for urine production. This gene is associated with an organ such as the mouth, not the kidneys. These reptiles live in brackish water, so adapting to peeing through your mouth comes in handy. If the turtle were to urinate normally, it would need to drink more water to avoid dehydration.
Rare lioness with mane
Female lions, as you know, do not wear a mane, but among them there are very masculine representatives. For example, strange female lions with manes like males have recently been spotted in Africa.
These unusual trickster lionesses were spotted in the Mombo region of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. In this area, animals may have an unusual genetic feature that gives them such an unusual appearance for lionesses, scientists say.
As it turned out, females with a mane cannot give birth, but they adapt very well to wildlife. Due to the presence of a mane, they are perceived as males, and their appearance scares away hyenas and some aggressive males from the pride.
Strange fish with genitals on its head
The genitals, it turns out, can be located... on the head. By at least, one species of fish from Vietnam boasts precisely this arrangement of vital organs.
The fish of the species Phallostethus cuulong reaches a length of about 2.5 centimeters and has a transparent body that is quite standard for fish. It lives in the Mekong River basin in Vietnam. This habitat has changed greatly over the past couple of decades, but the fish have demonstrated amazing vitality and have adapted well to new conditions.
Fish of the family Phallostethidae are a group of fish whose males fertilize the eggs of females inside their bodies. Although, as is known, most female fish lay eggs, which are then fertilized by males during external environment. Many male fish of the family Phallostethidae have physical features, which allow them to fertilize eggs inside the body of females, which is why the species Phallostethus cuulong has genitals on the head - for maximum convenience during mating.
Giant Mysterious Eye: Mysterious Find on a Florida Beach
The most unexpected discovery of 2012 was a huge eye that washed up on the Florida coast in October. The Internet community immediately began to lively discuss who this mysterious eye belonged to.
However, a few days later the Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that the eye belonged to a swordfish.
Scientific discoveries are made all the time. Published throughout the year great amount reports and articles dedicated to various topics, and thousands of patents are issued for new inventions. Among all this, some truly incredible achievements can be found. This article presents ten of the most interesting scientific discoveries that were made in the first half of 2016.
1. A small genetic mutation that occurred 800 million years ago led to the emergence of multicellular life forms
According to research, an ancient molecule, GK-PID, is responsible for single-celled organisms began to evolve into multicellular organisms approximately 800 million years ago. It was found that the GK-PID molecule acted as a “molecular carbine”: it brought chromosomes together and secured them to the inner wall of the cell membrane when division occurred. This allowed the cells to multiply properly and not become cancerous.
An exciting discovery indicates that the ancient version of GK-PID behaved differently in the past than it does now. The reason why she turned into a "genetic carbine" is due to a small genetic mutation that reproduced itself. It turns out that the emergence of multicellular life forms is the result of a single identifiable mutation.
2. Discovery of a new prime number
In January 2016, mathematicians discovered a new prime number as part of the "Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search", a large-scale volunteer computing project to search for Mersenne prime numbers. This is 2^74,207,281 - 1.
You would probably like to clarify why the "Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search" project was created. Modern cryptography uses Mersenne prime numbers (a total of 49 such numbers are known), as well as complex numbers, to decipher encoded information. "2^74,207,281 - 1" is currently the longest prime number in existence (it is almost 5 million digits longer than its predecessor). The total number of digits that make up the new prime number is about 24,000,000, so "2^74,207,281 - 1" is the only practical way to write it down on paper.
3. A ninth planet was discovered in the solar system
Even before the discovery of Pluto in the 20th century, scientists had hypothesized that there was a ninth planet, Planet X, beyond Neptune's orbit. This assumption was due to gravitational clustering, which could only be caused by a massive object. In 2016, researchers from the California Institute of Technology presented evidence that a ninth planet - with an orbital period of 15,000 years - actually exists.
According to the astronomers who made the discovery, there is "only a 0.007% chance (1 in 15,000) that the clustering is a coincidence." At the moment, the existence of the ninth planet remains hypothetical, but astronomers have calculated that its orbit is huge. If Planet X really exists, then it would be approximately 2-15 times the mass more than Earth and is located at a distance of 600-1200 astronomical units from the Sun. An astronomical unit is equal to 150,000,000 kilometers; this means that the ninth planet is 240,000,000,000 kilometers away from the Sun.
4. An almost eternal way to store data has been discovered
Sooner or later, everything becomes outdated, and at the moment there is no way that would allow you to store data on one device for a truly long period of time. Or does it exist? Recently, scientists from the University of Southampton made an amazing discovery. They used nano-structured glass to successfully create a data recording and retrieval process. The storage device is a small glass disk about the size of a 25-cent coin that can store 360 terabytes of data and is not affected by high temperatures(up to 1000 degrees Celsius). Its average shelf life at room temperature is approximately 13.8 billion years (about the same time our Universe has existed).
Data is written to the device using an ultra-fast laser using short, intense pulses of light. Each file consists of three layers of nanostructured dots, which are located at a distance of only 5 micrometers from each other. Data reading is performed in five dimensions thanks to the three-dimensional arrangement of nanostructured points, as well as their size and directionality.
5. Blind-eyed fish that can “walk on walls” show similarities to four-legged vertebrates
Over the past 170 years, science has discovered that vertebrates that live on land descended from fish that swam the seas ancient earth. However, researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology have discovered that Taiwanese blindeye fish, which are capable of “walking on walls,” have the same anatomical features like amphibians or reptiles.
This is very important discovery from an evolutionary adaptation perspective, as it may help scientists better understand how prehistoric fish evolved into land-dwelling tetrapods. The difference between blind-eyed fish and other species of fish that are able to move on land lies in their gait, which provides “pelvic girdle support” when rising.
6. The private company SpaceX successfully landed a rocket vertically.
In comics and cartoons, you usually see rockets landing on planets and the moon in a vertical manner, but in reality this is extremely difficult to do. Government agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency are developing rockets that either fall into the ocean, where they are later retrieved (expensive), or deliberately burn up in the atmosphere. Being able to land a rocket vertically would save an incredible amount of money.
April 8, 2016 private company SpaceX successfully lands rocket vertically; she managed to do this on an autonomous unmanned spaceport drone ship. This incredible achievement will save money as well as time between launches.
For general director SpaceX company, Elon Musk, this goal has remained a priority for many years. Although the achievement belongs to private enterprise, vertical landing technology will also be available to government agencies like NASA so that they can advance further in space exploration.
7. A cybernetic implant helped a paralyzed man move his fingers.
A man who was paralyzed for six years was able to move his fingers thanks to a small chip implanted in his brain.
This is thanks to researchers from Ohio State University. They were able to create a device that is a small implant connected to an electronic sleeve that is worn on the patient's arm. This sleeve uses wires to stimulate specific muscles to cause real-time movement of the fingers. Thanks to the chip, a paralyzed man was even able to play musical game"Guitar Hero", to the great surprise of the doctors and scientists who took part in the project.
8. Stem cells implanted in the brains of stroke patients allow them to walk again
In a clinical trial, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine implanted modified human stem cells directly into the brains of eighteen stroke patients. The procedures were successful, without any negative consequences, with the exception of a mild headache observed in some patients after anesthesia. In all patients, the recovery period after the stroke was quite quick and successful. Moreover, patients who previously only used wheelchairs were able to walk freely again.
9. Carbon dioxide pumped into the ground can turn into hard stone
Carbon capture is an important part of keeping the planet's CO2 emissions in balance. When the fuel burns, it is released carbon dioxide in atmosphere. This is one of the reasons for global climate change. Icelandic scientists may have discovered a way to keep carbon out of the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
They pumped CO2 into volcanic rocks, speeding up the natural process of turning basalt into carbonates, which then become limestone. This process usually takes hundreds of thousands of years, but Icelandic scientists managed to reduce it to two years. Carbon injected into the soil can be stored underground or used as a building material.
10. Earth has a second Moon
NASA scientists have discovered an asteroid that is in Earth's orbit and is therefore a second permanent Earth satellite. There are many objects in the orbit of our planet ( space stations, artificial satellites, etc.), but we can only see one Moon. However, in 2016, NASA confirmed the existence of 2016 HO3.
The asteroid is far from Earth and is more under the gravitational influence of the Sun than our planet, but it does orbit its orbit. 2016 HO3 significantly smaller than the moon: Its diameter is only 40-100 meters.
According to Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, 2016 HO3, which has been a quasi-satellite of Earth for more than a century, will leave our planet's orbit in a few centuries.
The development of science is currently extremely dynamic, and these incredible discoveries in 2016 are proof of this.
15. Largest known prime number
On January 7, 2016, the largest known prime number was discovered, which is 274,207,281 − 1 and contains 22,338,618 decimal digits. The discovery was made by Curtis Cooper as part of the GIMPS project.14. The ninth planet of the solar system
Researchers from the California Institute of Technology have presented evidence that the ninth planet solar system really exists. Calculations have shown that the planet revolves around the Sun at a distance of 20 orbits of Neptune, its mass is 10 times greater than the mass of the Earth. And 1 year on this planet is equal to 17,000 years on Earth!
13. Eternal keeper of information
In February of this year, scientists from the University of Southampton presented the world with an amazing invention. They created an eternal data keeper from nanostructured glass. The device is capable of storing 360 terabytes of data and is not affected by high temperatures (up to 1000 degrees Celsius), and its shelf life is several billion years.
12. Fish that can move on land and climb trees
A fish capable of moving on land, climbing trees and hunting birds has been discovered in Papua New Guinea. This species, despite its innocent appearance, is very aggressive and poses a serious threat to animals on the islands of Boigu and Saibai, Australia. The fish reportedly has a respiratory organ and moves along the ground using its pectoral fins.
11. A brain implant that allows a paralyzed person to control his arm
The implant sends signals directly to the muscles via wires, bypassing the spinal cord. A man can now lift a glass of water and even play a video game. The ingenious invention belongs to scientists from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York.
10. Successful landing of the first stage of the rocket in the ocean
On April 8, 2016, SpaceX for the first time managed to land the first stage of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle on a platform in the ocean. Now the first stage can be used repeatedly, which will reduce costs.
9. Turning carbon dioxide into stone
At the Hellisheidi plant in Iceland, scientists pumped CO2 into volcanic rocks, speeding up the natural process of turning basalt into carbonates, which then become limestone. This method will help not to aggravate the problem of the greenhouse effect.
8. The scientific name for the pleasant tingling sensation in the back of the head
The phenomenon of perception, characterized by a pleasant tingling sensation in the back of the head, spreading in the form of goosebumps along the skin of the neck and back to the limbs, in 2016 acquired a scientific name - Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). ASMR sensations are triggered by audio, visual, tactile or cognitive stimuli.
7. Second Moon
2016 HO3 is an asteroid discovered by the Hawaiian Automatic Telescope on April 27, 2016, which is the best and most stable example of a permanent Earth quasi-satellite to date. Became the “second Moon” of the Earth about 100 years ago.
6. Eyeless Wonder Worm
This year, scientists discovered that Caenorhabditis elegans (a free-living nematode) has the ability to see light. As shown by careful experiments on the excitation of individual neurons, the worm can respond to photons of different wavelengths, but the greatest effect is achieved when using an ultraviolet light source. Now C. elegans can become a model object for studying human blindness.
5. Mathematical algorithm of our intelligence
“Our complex computations in the brain are based on relatively simple mathematical logic,” says Dr. Joe Tsien, a neuroscientist at medical college Georgia. Tsien's theory is based on the n=2i-1 algorithm, which determines the number of groups (or “cliques”, as the scientist calls them) needed to recognize and solve situations. In other words, the more clicks, the more complex the thought. N is the number of neural groups connected in all possible ways; 2 - means that neurons in this group receive or do not receive input data; i is the information they receive; -1 is the math part to allow you to account for all possibilities.
4. Farting fish
Scientists from the UK and Canada have concluded that herring farts! For these fish, farting is a way of communication and a way to maintain the integrity of the school at night.
3. Scientific explanation for entering the astral plane
Many people who have survived comas talk about their astral travels. Scientists from the University of Ottawa became interested in this phenomenon and invited a girl for research who claimed that she could initiate the separation of the soul from the body at will. During the experiment, the researchers used an MRI machine to observe her brain during " astral travel" Parts of the brain involved in sensing physical location and visualizing movement have been found to be activated during such experiences. But this does not mean that the soul leaves the body. This is a type of hallucination triggered by a specific neurological mechanism.
2. Stem cells that can restore damaged spinal cord
A team of scientists led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego, was able to use human neural stem cells to successfully repair a damaged spinal cord. Studies conducted on rats have shown that grafted stem cells stimulate neuronal regeneration and partially replace the function of lost neurons.
1. The gene mutation that gave birth to us all
The ACE2 gene is the possible progenitor of all who live on planet Earth. Biologists from Atlanta, Georgia, came to the conclusion that one gene was capable of turning single-celled organisms into multicellular ones. And in the past, it was gene mutation that led to the emergence of complex life forms. Small changes in the DNA sequence have strong influence on a certain protein and, instead of its main role as an enzyme, it became necessary for the organization of multicellular structures.