A new model suggests dark matter may be more complex than a single substance, potentially reshaping how scientists interpret hidden structures across the universe.
Category: physics
Space launches are changing the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere, studies warn. Here’s what can be done
Look up on a clear night and you’ll see the streaks of our new space age. What you don’t see is the growing fallout for the atmosphere that keeps us alive.
A wave of satellite launches and reentries is changing the chemistry and physics of the middle and upper atmosphere.
Studies warn of ozone depletion, stratospheric heating and new metal aerosols from burning spacecraft. The pace is accelerating fast and unless we redesign how we use and retire satellites, we risk swapping one environmental problem (congestion in Earth orbit from too many spacecraft) for another (an atmosphere seeded with rocket soot and satellite ash).
Reduce Energy Consumption In Unity Games With This Plug-In
Over the past few months, we’ve covered plug-ins for both Unreal Engine and Godot that optimize power use, making games more energy-efficient and helping players get more out of their battery life. They work by detecting when a player goes idle, then lowering the frame rate and rendering resolution, and during longer periods of inactivity, even pausing rendering entirely.
Now, thanks to Oliver Stock, who felt like somebody should step up and do the same for Unity, there’s a similar plug-in available for developers. It’s free and open-source, and you can get it by clicking here. It monitors player input, and when nothing’s happening, it automatically switches between different energy profiles. These profiles control which settings are adjusted, like frame rate, resolution, or physics updates. You can easily tweak or create your own profiles to suit your project’s needs.
Oliver recommends using Unity 2022.3.62f2 or newer. The plug-in currently only works with Unity’s URP or HDRP.
How a One-in-a-Billion Mistake Made the Universe Possible
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• Why Norway’s Osmosis Power Plant Failed.
At one-one-thousandth of a second after the Big Bang, the great annihilation event should have wiped out all matter, leaving a universe of only radiation. Why still don’t know why any matter survived. Well, a new finding from the LHC brings us one step closer to understanding why there’s something rather than nothing.
Dr. Caplan Paper for Review:
https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.
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Unusual signal may prove existence of primordial black holes
It may well take years to prove, but a pair of University of Miami astrophysicists could be on the verge of a cosmic breakthrough that will confirm the existence of primordial black holes and the role they play in one of cosmology’s greatest mysteries.
Believed to have formed within the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang, primordial black holes are purely theoretical. But if confirmed, these hypothetical cosmic phenomena, which could range from asteroid-sized to massive, could explain a lot, including the nature of dark matter—the invisible substance that constitutes about 85% of all matter in the universe, acting as “gravitational glue” that holds galaxies together.
“We believe our study will aid in confirming that they actually do exist,” Nico Cappelluti, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics, said of the research he and Ph.D. student Alberto Magaraggia have conducted.
Chandra resolves why black holes hit the brakes on growth
Astronomers have an answer for a long-running mystery in astrophysics: why is the growth of supermassive black holes so much lower today than in the past? A study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other X-ray telescopes found that supermassive black holes are unable to consume material as rapidly as they did in the distant past. The results appeared in the December 2025 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
Ten billion years ago, there was a period that astronomers call “cosmic noon,” when the growth of supermassive black holes (those with millions to billions of times the mass of the sun) was at its peak across the entire history of the universe. Between cosmic noon and now, however, astronomers have seen a major slowdown in how rapidly black holes are growing.
“A longstanding mystery has been the cause of this big slowdown,” said Zhibo Yu of Penn State University, lead author of the new study. “With these X-ray data and supporting observations at other wavelengths, we can test different ideas and narrow down the answer.”
A Bright Star Hid a Massive Secret for 50 Years: Mystery of Gamma Cassiopeiae Finally Solved
A naked-eye star’s 50-year mystery is solved—its bizarre X-rays come from a hidden, feeding white dwarf.
Easily visible in the night sky within the constellation Cassiopeia, the star γ Cas has puzzled astronomers for more than 50 years. It produces X-rays with energies and temperatures far beyond what is expected from a typical massive star. New observations using the Resolve instrument aboard Japan’s XRISM space telescope have now traced this unusual emission to a white dwarf orbiting the star. This finding also confirms a long-theorized class of binary systems that had never been clearly identified. The study, led by researchers at the University of Liège, was published today (March 24) in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
What makes be stars like gamma cassiopeiae unique.
Why Time Flows Differently Between Galaxies
Thanks to Radiacode for sponsoring this video. Use the promo code “PBS” to get an exclusive 10% discount at: https://103.radiacode.com/PBS The universe is expanding and that expansion is accelerating under the power of dark energy and eventually all matter and energy will be dispersed over such unthinkable distances that nothing can stop space from blowing up infinitely. Unless of course cosmologists blundered and dark energy doesn’t even exist. Then it’s back to the drawing board. Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! / pbsspacetime Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/space… the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O’Dowd Written by Matt O’Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2024 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg:
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The Universe: New Evidence of Parallel Worlds (S3, E2) | Full Episode | History
Some of the world’s leading physicists believe they have found startling new evidence showing the existence of universes other than our own. See more in Season 3, Episode 2, \.