Thursday, September 27, 2007

Physics

I am worried about the Higgs Boson.
It seems that it's the subatomic particle capable of creating matter from nothing.
Furthermore, physicists claim that in the Standard Model, the Higgs Mechanism can happen in the Universe independently of whether the Higgs Boson exists or not (or whether they will ever find one).
It reminds me of Blas Cabrera's detection of a magnetic Monopole back in 1982. Something that has not been reproduced to this day.
The way I see it, the idea is that a background charge is needed. Since the Universe already possesses such charge (Vacuum Expectation Value, or VEV = 246GeV), then, when the Higgs Boson traverses the field, at the end of its journey, it would have given rise to mass.
How is this different from Spontaneous Generation? Didn't Louis Pasteur disprove that already?
Let's have a look at some ideas.
Einstein's equations predicted that if an object is accelerated to near the speed of light its mass would increase to the point of being 'near-infinite.' This is what prevents objects from traveling faster than the speed of light, because the force necessary to accelerate near-infinite mass would in turn have to be near-infinite as well.
So, all we have to do to 'give rise' to mass, is to accelerate an object, or particle, to near the speed of light. As its mass is expanding, that could only be the work of Higgs Bosons working overtime giving rise to mass. As matter is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed, it seems that the application of acceleration to a particle to reach near-light speed, transforms energy into mass. And this mass would be provided by whom? By the background field that is constant in the entire universe?
Well, now you see why I am worried about the Higgs Boson.
Isn't it strange to worry about a particle that, so far, has not yet proven to be part of the physical universe?

Monday, September 24, 2007

Cosmology and Geology

It seems that life in the planet has nearly been extinguished twice.
First, 250 million years ago, via massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia, and 65 million years ago, due to an asteroid impact in the peninsula of Yucatan, causing the worldwide high levels of Iridium in the K-T boundary (Cretaceus-Terciary).

Medicine

Poor sleeping habits (too little or too much) related to double risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (in humans). Recommended: 7 hours per night.
Shorter sleeping hours are related to Obesity, High Blood Pressure, and a higher risk of Type II Diabetes. Additionally, fatigue, tiredness and daylight sleepiness.
This study also found out that extending the sleeping hours to 8 hours a night also doubled the mortality in that group.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7009927.stm

A previous study (in animals) had found that lack of sleep caused the brain to stop producing new cells in the Hippocampus, via high levels of Corticosterone. When sleep was normalized in a week, brain cell production took two weeks to be restored, and it appears that the brain tried to boost neurogenesis in order to counteract the shortage.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6347043.stm

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Medicine

Patients with Diabetes (Type I and II), expelled Thiamine (Vitamin B1), 16 times faster than normal, in a study of 94 subjects.
Thiamine is known to protect cells from damage caused by high glucose levels.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6935482.stm

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Cosmology

I wonder why Robert Dicke, James E. Peebles, David Todd Wilkinson, and Peter G. Roll weren't included in the shared Nobel Price in Physics (1978), awarded to Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson. After all, Penzias and Wilson didn't seem to be aware of what they stumbled upon when they first detected the remnants of the background radiation of the Big Bang (cosmic microwave background radiation, CMB).

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Bienvenue!

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Merci.