Category Archives: Singularity

Could there be as yet unknown supermassive objects lurking at the hearts of galaxies other than black holes? An object so strange that it has managed to avoid gravitational collapse to form a singularity, the smallest object in the universe in an infinitely Planck-scale space? Where density and gravity become infinite and space-time curves infinitely, and where the laws of physics as we know them cease to operate?

in 2017, astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University put the basic principle of black holescosmic entities of such great gravity that nothing can escape their grip, are surrounded by a so-called event horizon to the test, showing that matter completely vanishes when pulled in. Their results constitute another successful test for Albert Einsteins General Theory of Relativity.

Though widely accepted, the existence of event horizons, where the escape velocity for an object would have to exceed the speed of light, has not been proved.

Do Event Horizons Exist?

Our whole point here is to turn this idea of an event horizon into an experimental science, and find out if event horizons really do exist or not, said Pawan Kumar, a professor of astrophysics at The University of Texas at Austin. The event horizon, it is a horizon beyond which we cannot see, hides the singularity at the center of the black hole theknown laws of physics break down. The cosmic censorship conjecture states that all singularities are hidden by an event horizon and this failure of the laws of physics is not observable.

While a singularity has no surface area, the team suggests, the noncollapsed object would have a hard surface. So material being pulled closera star, for instancewould not actually fall into a black hole, but hit this hard surface and be destroyed.

Kumar, Wenbin Lu a theorectical astrophysicist currently at Caltech, and Ramesh Narayan, a theorist from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, developed a test to determine which idea is valied. Our motive is not so much to establish that there is a hard surface, Kumar said, but to push the boundary of knowledge and find concrete evidence that really, there is an event horizon around black holes.

The team figured out what a telescope would see when a star hit the hard surface of a supermassive object at the center of a nearby galaxy: The stars gas would envelope the object, shining for months, perhaps even years.

The Search for the Hard Surfaced Objects

We estimated the rate of stars falling onto supermassive black holes, Lu said. Nearly every galaxy has one. We only considered the most massive ones, which weigh about 100 million solar masses or more. There are about a million of them within a few billion light-years of Earth.

They then searched a recent archive of telescope observations. Pan-STARRS, a 1.8-meter telescope in Hawaii, recently completed a project to survey half of the northern hemisphere sky. The telescope scanned the area repeatedly during a period of 3.5 years, looking for transientsthings that glow for a while and then fade. Their goal was to find transients with the expected light signature of a star falling toward a supermassive object and hitting a hard surface.

Given the rate of stars falling onto black holes and the number density of black holes in the nearby universe, we calculated how many such transients Pan-STARRS should have detected over a period of operation of 3.5 years. It turns out it should have detected more than 10 of them, if the hard-surface theory is true, Lu said.

But not one hard-surfaced object has as yet been detected.

Event Horizons Validated (so far)

Our work implies that some, and perhaps all, black holes have event horizons and that material really does disappear from the observable universe when pulled into these exotic objects, as weve expected for decades, Narayan said. General Relativity has passed another critical test.

Now the team is proposing to improve the test with an even larger telescope: the 8.4-meter Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST, now under construction in Chile). Like Pan-STARRS, LSST will make repeated surveys of the sky over time, revealing transientsbut with much greater sensitivity.

This research was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The Daily Galaxy via University of Texas at Austin

Image credit: With thanks to Pixabay

Read the original here:

Strange, Undetected Supermassive Objects May Exist At the Heart of Galaxies - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

It certainly wasnt big, and probably didnt bang and the surprises in the conventional story of the universe's origins dont end there

By Daniel Cossins

WHATEVER you do, dont ask where it happened. The most common misconception is that the big bang was an explosion in a particular place, says William Kinney, a cosmologist at the University at Buffalo in New York. Thats just completely wrong.

The best evidence for the big bang is all around us in the cosmic microwave background, the radiation released once the universe had cooled sufficiently for atoms to form, when it was about 380,000 years old. And that is the point: everywhere in todays universe was where the big bang was. Its not something that happened somewhere, but something that happened everywhere, including the space you happen to be occupying now, says Dan Hooper at Fermilab in Illinois.

When cosmologists talk about the big bang, they are talking about an extremely dense, hot state that existed around 13.8 billion years ago and which has since expanded and cooled to make the universe we know today. Extremely dense and hot but not infinitely so.

Advertisement

The idea that the universe was created from an infinitesimal speck, known as the big bang singularity, comes from winding the showreel of an expanding, cooling universe backwards and not stopping until we get to a beginning. But, unfortunately, our current theories of physics cant deal with space and time on such unfathomably small scales. So we can say nothing sensible about the moment when the universe was a single point, if indeed it ever happened. We may just have to come to terms with that, says Kinney.

The big bang didnt happen somewhere,

See the original post:

Big bang retold: The weird twists in the story of the universes birth - New Scientist

An inside look at Bar Primis tiramisu. Photo: Melissa Hom

Even in these confused times, there are a few truths no one can dispute. Seltzer is the only true embodiment of the current human condition. The New York Knicks will always find a way to be terrible. And, when it is made correctly, tiramisu is a perfect dessert. Tiramisu is not everything, but it is the correct number of things.

The flavors coffee, cocoa, mascarpone cheese, maybe some booze make it seem like a dessert that would be dense, but the best versions are light, and smooth, and almost cloudlike. A great tiramisu, as Bar Primi chef Sal Lamboglia puts it, has a gentleness that comes along with it. Its best when the dusting of cocoa is graceful, and the mascarpone is fluffy, the whipped eggs are buttery, and the ladyfingers dipped in espresso are soft but not soggy. It is the Alfa Romeo to icebox cakesFord. It has style, but it is, at its core, still humble. As New York critic and noted tiramisu connoisseur Adam Platt recently put it to me, tiramisu is ounce for ounce, quite possibly the most lethally delicious dessert in the entire culinary cosmos.

You also have to love a dessert with drama. Tiramisu delivers. When it was added to Friuli-Venezias official list of dishes, Ventos governor responded, No one can swindle us out of tiramisu, the best dessert in the world. (For the record, no one can swindle Grub out of tiramisu either dont you dare try.)

I guess I think its perfect,says Superiority Burger chef and former Del Posto pastry chef Brooks Headley, who admits to having instantly fallen in love with the dessert and compiling a set of nonnegotiable rules for making it, which include, but are not limited to: No perfect squares! A mess is good! Almost no chocolate! No egg-white fluffiness.

Leontis tiramisu. Photo: Melissa Hom

Tiramisu showed up on the New York culinary scene in the 80s, and, as has been reported, became a sugary obsession seemingly overnight. Even though it is now ubiquitous in the citys Italian-leaning restaurant world, it it still a pleasant surprise when a truly great version shows up. (This is perhaps due, at least in part, to the number of substandard, prefab renditions served around town; these are merely failsons, though, given all the privilege in the world, but failing to live up to their potential )

Its a staple at I Sodi, which New York has called timeless and is a must-have tiramisu; Caf Altro Paradiso, where the ace version is thick and topped with whipped cream that pools over the sides, and at Bar Primi. At the last restaurant, its made exclusively by Lamboglias dad, Tony, from a recipe thats been in their family for more than three decades. They make the dessert four mornings a week, ideally letting it sit for a day. Dusted heavily with cocoa, it coalesces into one beautiful mass, a sugary singularity of flavors.

The dessert can be found at newer spots, too, like Leonti, where Platt says its generous, boozy; Fiaschetteria Pistoia; and Williamsburgs Leo, where the team takes its cue from the Roman restaurant Flavio, serving it in a rocks glass with a dusting of cocoa and broken pieces of dark chocolate on top. You may find yourself spooning the sides of your cup, thinking about grabbing one of the to-go versions inside the takeout fridge. There are also more unconventional interpretations of it, such as the version served at Portale. There, tiramisu is more the inspiration than the form, as executive pastry chef Kaity Mitchell makes it with a milk-chocolate mascarpone mousse and coffee-soaked circles of dough made from ladyfinger batter, and candied cocoa-nib. There are so many bakeries in the city that have been making it for generations, and its beautiful and its perfect, and I dont want to compete with that perfection. So I decided to make it my own, Mitchell says.

Portales unconventional tiramisu. Photo: Melissa Hom

A friend told me he only thinks of tiramisu as fine, before admitting hes never had a good one. I dont know if I realized how good it could be and what Id been missing until a few years ago, when I had some tiramisu (I cant quite remember where) that changed everything. That was all it took: Once you open your eyes to how transcendent the dessert can be, there is no going back and you cannot get enough. Tiramisu never feels tired like, say, chocolate molten lava cake or yet another selection of seasonal sorbets. This is because you do not get tired of great tiramisu, and great tiramisu will not get tired of you.

More here:

Tiramisu Is Just the Right Number of Things - Grub Street

Jul 29, 2018

Robots were supposed to make our lives easier, and at first, they did. Despite all the progress humanity made, it wasn't good enough for Elias Van Dorne (John Cusack), who decided robots were the way to salvation. Van Dorne promised his latest program, Kronos, would save the planet, but how? By wiping out all human life, because we are ultimately what is killing Earth. Fast Forward ninty-seven years as Andrew Davis (Julian Schaffner) wakes up in a world he doesn't know. Attempting to find his way, he meets a young girl, who tells him of a place that is free from Kronos, only question is, can they make it there in one piece? On paper this seems like a great story, and for a b-movie, the special effects are pretty remarkable, but that was the only notable thing about this film. The whole plot really doesn't make much sense, I mean why would Van Dorne want to destroy humanity and live alone forever as part of a computer program? The cast is lead by newcomer, Julian Schaffner, who shows a lot of inexperience but also a lot of potential. I think it's a good thing for a young actor to start out in a film like this, because he can gain his experience in something relatively small and unknown, before moving on to bigger and better things. As for John Cusack, I usual enjoy his films, but in this case he was just terrible. Elias Van Dorne is a character without feeling or purpose, just an evil button pusher, who loves the sound of his own voice, a complete waste of Cusack's talent. The bottom line, Singularity has it moments, but there are too many slow points and too much inexperience seeping through for it to be something I would ever watch again or recommend over hundreds of better choices.

Follow this link:

Singularity (2017) - Rotten Tomatoes

Team Singularity has announced the signing of ex-Swole Patrol member Jordan Zellsis Montemurro.

The 21-year old American rifler will occupy the roster slot left by Collin wrath McSweegan, who had parted ways with Singularity in late-October. Zellsis wont join Singularity as a complete stranger, though; the Danish organization had fielded him in several online matches including the Mustache Masters.

Singularity Team Manager Jeremy Daniel Gray spoke to the new recruit in a statement:

I am excited to welcome Zellsis to the squad and believe he will be the perfect piece we need to help us continue growing and making progression, as I have worked with him in the past and know what kind of teammate he is and what he has to offer in the server.

With Swole Patrol attending the ESL Pro League Season 10 Americas group stage, Singularity was unable to utilize Zellsis at the time. Singularity were invited into the second round after Complexity withdrew but unfortunately bowed out in Group A against ATK. On the upside, their performance will guarantee them a league slot next season with Zellsis.

Regarding his latest signing, Zellsis said:

Im very excited to be joining Singularity! After playing with the team in Winners League and other things, I am glad to be able to work with this group of guys for the future. I have known these players for a long time and being able to be on the same side of the server all together will be a great experience.

As for Swole Patrol, the team has been undergoing some serious renovations. Both Yassine Subroza Taoufik and Jaccob yay Whiteaker would announce their departure alongside Zellsis following a mediocre campaign at EPL.

Per Dust2.us, Singularity was supposedly slated to compete at Fragadelphia 14 next month but will opt out in favor of the IEM Katowice 2020 qualifiers.

With the addition of Zellsis, Singularity is now:

Sebastian seb Bucki

Skyler Relyks Weaver

Will dazzLe Loafman

Michael dapr Gulino

Jordan Zellsis Montemurro

Ian Immi Harding (coach)

Link:

Singularity Recruits Zellsis To Replace Wrath - Hotspawn

Yesterday, we got our E. Chapter 2 continues a bit of Fortnite seasonal structure that dates all the way back to season 4, where players are able to grab a mystery skin towards the end of the season, serving as a kind of capstone challenge. And our first mystery skin of Chapter 2 is Sorana, a kind of secret agent-looking character unlocked by collecting the letters F-O-R-T-N-I-T-E in the loading screens weve been unlocking throughout the season. If you look closely, youll see that the letters, when placed in sequence, spell the name of the game Fortnite.

Thats not all, however: weve got to have something to do once we unlock the challenge skin, after all. Scattered around the map are the final two pieces of the puzzle: a back bling and a pickaxe. Its a similar sort of challenge that we saw with Singularity, who had to find helmets scattered around the map to unlock different color schemes. Both locations are telegraphed by the Chaos Rising loading screen. For where to find the back bling, click here. Lets check out the screen for the pickaxe:

Fortnite

You can see the pickaxe in the lower right there. Like the back bling, its indicated by map coordinates, in this case G1/G2-H1/H2. Heres where those say you should go:

Fortnite

So youre going to the Southeastern corner of that larger mountain down there in the southern reaches of the map. You must have the Sorana Skin equipped to unlock it, which is why Im not quite there yet: its been a busy moment here. Heres a quick Youtube video to show the exact location:

Look for the red flag and the oxygen tank to complete the look: theyre pretty standard pickaxes, at the end of the day, but were here to get as many cosmetic items as we can, and we are not going to let a challenge skin lay uncompleted. Im still waiting for the team to do something quite as involved as the Prisoners journey and transformation back with Season 7, but until then Im glad, for the developers sake, that they seem to be paring things back a little bit.

Link:

Fortnite Sorana Skin Secret Styles: Where To Find The Pickaxe Hidden In The Chaos Rising Loading Screen - Forbes

When you think of venomous animals, spiders and snakes probably spring to mind. There is however a small subsection of mammals that also have this toxic ability. One of these is the bizarre-looking Hispaniolan solenodon.

In a new paper published in PNAS, an international team of researchers, including those from from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and Zoological Society of London (ZSL), have analysed the genetic makeup of this mammal and identified the proteins that make up its venom.

In a surprising finding, they also discovered that these same proteins are shared by another group of venomous mammals, the venomous shrews.

Although they may look similar these two groups are not very closely related at all, having diverged from one another over 70 million years ago, when the dinosaurs still stalked the earth. This means that the same venom has evolved independently in both groups.

The researchers obtained venom from wild solenodons and genetic material from a captive animal. Lucy Emery

These proteins consist of multiple kallikrein-1 serine proteases enzymes that act to break down other proteins into their smaller components. The researchers have discovered that in solenodons they are likely used to lower the blood pressure of their vertebrate prey, immobilising them.

The fact that solenodons share this venom system with the distantly related shrews is very interesting for evolutionary biologists, as it suggests that the same specific prey-immobilisation method developed independently along multiple different evolutionary lineages as the animals were subjected to similar selection pressures.

Some species of shrew are venomous, such as this Eurasian water shrew. Venomous shews use the same toxins as solenodons, ahving evolved it independently. Mike Lane/Getty

This is a phenomenon known as convergent evolution, which results in different groups having structures that are similar in form or function, but which were not present in the last common ancestor of these groups. An example of this is the independent evolution of wings for flight in bats and birds.

These particular proteins are present in the salivary glands of many mammals, says lead author Professor Nick Casewell from LSTMs Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions.

Through our research we are able to demonstrate that they have been independently co-opted for a toxic role in the oral venom systems of both solenodons and shrews. These findings represent a fascinating example of how evolution can funnel novel adaptations down repeatable pathways.

Apart from solenodons and shrews there are also venomous hedgehogs and moles. These 4 groups are all members of the Eulipotyphla order. The research here demonstrates that venom has at least 4 origins in this order, presenting an elegant example of convergent evolution.

Aside from their venom, which is administered through toxic saliva and injected into prey through unique grooved incisors, the Hispaniolan solenodon has a few other curious characteristics. It has large strong claws for digging, a long tail, tiny beadlike eyes, and perhaps strangest of all a snout that his highly mobile thanks to a ball and socket joint.

The venom delivering tooth of the Hispaniolan solenodon. Nicholas Casewell

It is also considered one of the most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammals by ZSLs EDGE of Existence programme, due to its singularity and the fact that it is found only in one place on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Today they are threatened by habitat loss and predation by introduced cats and dogs. These findings represent a great advance in our knowledge of this rare and unusual animal.

Professor Samuel Turvey, from ZSLs Institute of Zoology says This study highlights how little we know about one of the worlds most fascinating animals. Unravelling details of the solenodons previously unstudied venom system helps us to understand the mechanisms behind convergent evolution and demonstrates the importance of conserving the worlds remarkable EDGE species.

Read the full paper in PNAS.

Main image: A wild Hispaniolan solenodon. Rosalind Kennerley

Read more here:

Solenodon genome reveals mysteries of mammal venom evolution - BBC Discover Wildlife

With all the buzz about millennials over the past several years, brands are quickly shifting their focus to the emerging generation of influencers: Gen Z. If not already the largest living generation, by 2020 Gen Z will account for 40% of all consumers worldwide a staggering number, not just in sheer size, but also, importantly, in influence. The first digitally native generation, Gen Z (those born between 1997 and roughly the early to mid-2010s) grew up with technology at their fingertips, with the introduction of the iPhone considered to be the defining moment of their evolution.

Parents of millennials are, for the most part, baby boomers, who themselves grew up in an age of relative financial prosperity and security, and whose goal then became to provide an easier life for their children, resulting in what many perceive as a sense of entitlement among millennials. The parents of Gen Z are predominantly Gen X, who value teaching their kids to be self-sufficient and conscious of spending, as well as naturally being competitive and self-motivated. Gen X was widely affected by the Great Recession and, in turn, passed along the notion of fiduciary responsibility and self-reliance to their offspring. The difference in parenting styles is evident in the way Gen Z considers their travel decisions and spending of their own discretionary income, though that isnt the only way Gen Z is impacting the luxury travel market.

The combination of those two factors parenting and digital innovation has rendered Gen Z hugely influential in the decision making process of those bankrolling luxury travel.

Parents, who are largely responsible for providing an income for the familys livelihood and for their recreational travel, dont necessarily have the time to do all of the research for trip planning. Being so technologically intuitive, Gen Z has their fingers on the pulse of trending destinations and experiences through information seen in highly visual, bite-sized servings on social media. They are the generation most likely to travel internationally, preferring off-the-beaten-path destinations to tried-and-true ones, and authentic local experiences to the sightseeing and group excursions their grandparents may have preferred. They value living like a local.

Parents increasingly consult their kids on family travel planning decisions. Gen Z is likely to embrace active experiences, and is more open to considering alternative accommodations and the sharing economy, impacting the way travel providers are approaching their business models and planning for the future. Pursuing highly visual destinations and exotic, unique activities, Gen Z is looking to differentiate themselves in a homogenized world of social media, finding innovative content in order to stand out. That entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in a wealth of opportunities for DMCs and service providers the industry over.

New businesses are emerging to cater to the complex and diverse needs of this new consumer base, even if the ones funding the costs are boomers or Gen X; after all, grandparents often favor the opinions of their grandchildren over their own adult kids. If a multigenerational trip is about engaging the entire family, its prudent to cater to the desires of those most easily distracted or dissatisfied.

Additionally, new destinations like are increasingly finding fast footing, at the risk of developing more quickly than infrastructure (or culture) allows. Gen Zs open-minded, unusual choices veer away from traditional destinations in a search for singularity. They are savvy about where they want to go, eschewing Paris for Marrakech, the Caribbean for the Galapagos.

In order to reach the luxury travel spender, brands need to sell the experience and meet Gen Z where they live, on social media channels like Instagram and SnapChat (Facebook is already pass for those under 25). Paramount is a focus on peer inclusion; Gen Z digests information almost exclusively from their peer group, not adult or perceived authoritarian sources. Including imagery with people that look like them is crucial to success for travel companies. Some agents and providers either have or will soon start enlisting Gen Z influencers themselves to create awareness among the peer group, one that is budget-conscious but willing to spend where it increases the aesthetic or the experience something best sold through social media. For a self-aware generation, theres still a healthy dose of FOMO to which brands, destinations, hotels and service providers can appeal.

Read more from the original source:

Lessons In Luxury Travel: Gen Z's Influence On The Economy - Forbes

A North Carolina man has come up with a novel way to increase his chances while using online dating apps.

31-year-old Aaron Smith from Greensboro has created a dating app with a unique selling point for womenhe is the only man on it.

Known as "Singularity," the parody app allows users to swipe through several different pictures of Smith.

"The biggest problem with the other apps is that my face is not featured prominently," he told WFMY-TV.

"If life gives you lemons, you should first make lemonade," he said. "Then make sure no other companies can produce or distribute their own soft drinks. So the only game in town is lemonade."

The app is designed for use only on smartphones. There is a website, however, which features the strap-line: "Singularity is designed for use on mobile devices while in a state of existential despair."

Smith has even created an advert to promote the app.

"Online dating is terrible, and getting more nonsensical each passing year," the narrator in the YouTube ad says. "Sure you could meet people the old-fashioned way by going outside but that feels like a lot of work. So instead you navigate this bleak dystopian hellscape sifting through the dregs of humanity through your smartphone while each day brings you closer to the cold hard hands of death."

The person featured in the advert then remarks to the camera that there must be "a better way." To which the narrator responds: "Well there isn't, but let's pretend. Introducing... Singularity."

"By utilising the latest in personality analysis machine-learning technology, Singularity saves you countless hours of swiping by just matching you with me," Smith says in the advert.

Singularity contains features which will be familiar to many users of dating apps. You can swipe right to like a profile and swipe left to skip it. But it also contains some more unique additions. For example you can hit the "black hole button" to emit a "blood-curdling scream when you realize what life has become."

"And don't worry if you accidentally swipe past your future husband's profile, they're pretty much all the same," Smith said. "So what are you waiting for? Go find the Aaron Smith of your dreams."

Smith created Singularity with his best friend and software engineer Scott McDowell.

"All of us who have done online dating in some sorta way can all relate to the fact that it really does sometimes suck," McDowell said.

Originally posted here:

North Carolina Man Creates Dating App in Which Women Can Only Match With Him - Newsweek

They say that if there is a will, there is a way. A man from North Carolina tried to remove his competition in other dating apps by creating his own. The twist: he is the only man featured as the womens potential match.

Aaron Smith created Singularity, a dating app for women, designed to open only in their smartphones. In the app, no matter how many times the user swipes left or right, it will only show different versions of Smiths face, as per WFMY-TV, last Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Aaron Smith. Image: Singularity dating website

The biggest problem with the other apps is that my face is not featured prominently, Smith was quoted saying.

Singularity was created with the help of Scott McDowell, Smiths best friend who also happens to be a software engineer.

If life gives you lemons, you should first make lemonade, Smith said in the report. Then make sure no other companies can produce or distribute their own soft drinks. So the only game in town is lemonade.

In case people are still in disbelief of Smiths product, Singularity released a promotional video uploaded on Smiths personal YouTube account on Sept. 18.

Like other dating apps interface, Singularity also has swipe right and swipe left features, dedicated to indicate whether or not the user likes or dislikes a profile, respectively.

The app also has a yellow rubber ducky button or swipe up for super like. Then, there is the apps unique feature, the blackhole button, which the users can press to emit a blood-curdling scream, when you realize what life has become.

No, but seriously, this exists, Smith assured in the video.

People can go look at the app by visiting singularitydating.com on their mobile devices. JB

RELATED STORIES:

Safety tips to make Facebook Dating experience worth your while

Online dating, where love may or may not log in

Read Next

LATEST STORIES

MOST READ

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

Go here to see the original:

Man creates dating app where he's the only match - INQUIRER.net