Transcript

1.8.26 · Science Show KY

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Speaker 1: Hello, this is Kelly Taylor. I'll be your host for
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Radio Wizzed Diary of Science and Nature. We have some
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articles on the topics of science and nature. But first
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a reminder that RADIOI is a reading service intended for
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people who are blind or have other disabilities that make
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it difficult to reprinted material. First up, today we have
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an article from The Atlantic. The headline reads the truth
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Physics can no longer ignore and this is written by
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Adam Frank, dated December fifteenth, twenty twenty five. On October eighth,
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twenty twenty four, the field of physics was plunged into controversy.
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That day, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for
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discoveries not involving black holes, cosmology, or strange new subatomic particles,
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but about ai. How could the discipline's highest award go
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to research about machines designed to mimic human brains? Where
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was the physics in that For most of the twentieth century,
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physicists largely ignored living systems. They understood living things as machines,
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albeit ones made of guy parts. A subfield called biophysics
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uncovered specific physical mechanisms behind those molecular machines. Organisms as
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a whole, however, were not a major concern. But today
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many of my colleagues in physics no longer agree with
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such dismissals. Instead, we have come to believe that a
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mystery is unfolding in every microbe, animal, and human, one
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that challenges basic assumptions physicists have held for centuries and
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could answer essential questions about AI. It may even help
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redefine the field for the next generation. The central hubris
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of physics has long been the idea that it is
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the most fundamental of all sciences. Physics students learn about
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the basic stuff of reality, space and time, energy and matter,
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and are told that all other scientific disciplines must reduce
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back down to the fundamental particles and laws that physics
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has generated. This philosophy, called reductionism, worked pretty well from
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Newton's Laws through much of the twentieth century, as physicists
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discovered electrons, quarks, the theory of relativity, and so on.
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But over the past few decades, progress in the most
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reductionist branches of physics has slowed. For example, long promised
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theories of everything, such as string theory, have not borne
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significant fruit. There are, however, ways other than reductionism to
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think about what's fundamental in the universe. Beginning in the
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nineteen eighties, physicists, along with researchers in other fields, began
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developing new mathematical tools to study what's called complexity systems,
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in which the whole is far more than the sum
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of its parts. The end goal of reductionism was to
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explain everything in the universe as the result of particles
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and their interactions. Complexity, by contrast, recognizes that once lots
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of particles come together to produce macroscopic things such as organisms,
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knowing everything about particles isn't enough to understand reality. An
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early pioneer of this approach was the physicist Philip W. Anderson,
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who succinctly framed the nascent anti reductionist perspective with the
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phrase more is different. Complex systems science has grown rapidly
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in the twenty first century, and researchers in the field
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won the Nobel Prize for Physics in twenty twenty one.
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From a physicist's perspective, no complex system is weirder or
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more challenging than life. For one thing, the organization of
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living matter deface physicists' usual expectations about the universe. Your
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body is made of matter, just like everything else, but
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the atoms you're built from today won't be the atoms
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you're built from in a year. That means you and
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every other living thing aren't an inert object like a rock,
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but a dynamic pattern playing out over time. The real
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challenge for physics, however, is that the patterns that make
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up life are self organized. Living systems both create and
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maintain themselves in a strange kind of loop that no
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existing machine can replicate. Think about the cell membrane, which
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enables the cell to stay alive by letting some chemicals
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in while keeping others out. The cell creates and continually
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maintains the membrane, but the membrane is also itself, a
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process that makes the cell that chicken and egg. Problem
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challenges the dream of the old physics that once the
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universe is fundamental, particles were cataloged everything else to be
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explicitly described and predicted. Give me a young star, and
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I can use the reductionist laws of physics to predict
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that star's future. It will live a million years rather
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than a billion years. It will die as a black
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hole rather than as a white dwarf. But the components
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of a living organism yield something new and unexpected, a
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phenomenon called emergence. Give me a simple cell from the
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early days of Earth's history, and I could never predict
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that some four billions years later, it would evolve into
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a giant rabbit that can punch you in the face. Kangaroos,
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like humans, are an unpredictable emergent consequence of life's evolution.
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The fundamental laws that govern matter and energy cannot predict
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another fundamental property of life. It is the only system
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in the universe that uses information for its own purposes.
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Plants grow toward light, Microbes swim toward rich food sources,
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Animals hide from predators. Humans send giant metal contraptions into
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outer space. Although one can say program a robot to
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search for a wall plug when its battery gets low,
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a living thing, a human programmer, for example, must hard
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code that need into the machine. Life, by contrast, is
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both a genital, a gentile, and autonomous. From microbes to
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crabs to people, all living things have their own inch
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itches to scratch the truly. To truly understand living systems
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as self organized autonomous agents, physicists need to abandon their
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just the particles ma'am mentality, one of physicists great talents.
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Starting with the laws of simple parts such as atoms
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and working up to a complex whole cannot fully account
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for cells, animals, or people. Luckily, the field has another
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elemental skill that can help a particular way of asking
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questions and building models to make predictions. Physicists have always
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been good at capturing the essential aspects of a system
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and casting those essentials in the language of mathematics. How
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much useful energy flows through a cell membrane, which arrangement
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of neurons maximizes the information in a flatworm's nervous system.
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Now those skills must be brought to bear on an
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age old question that is only just getting its proper due.
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What is life? Using these skills, physicists, working together with
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representatives of all the other disciplines that make up complexity science,
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may crack open the question of how life formed on
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Earth billions of years ago, and how it might have
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formed on the distant alien worlds we now explore with
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cutting edge telescopes. Just as important, understand why life as
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an organized system is different at a fundamental level from
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all the other stuff in the universe may help astronomers
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design new strategies for finding it in places bearing little
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resemblance to Earth. Analyzing life, no matter how alien, as
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a self organizing, information driven system, may provide the key
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to detecting biosignatures on planets hundreds of light years away
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closer to home. Studying the nature of life is likely
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essential to fully understanding intelligence and building artificial versions. Throughout
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the current AI boom, researchers and philosophers have debated whether
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and when large language models might achieve general intelligence or
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even become conscious, or whether, in fact some already have.
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The only way to properly assess such claims is to study,
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by any means possible, the soul agreed upon source of
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general intelligence. Life. Bringing the new physics of life to
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problems of AI may not only help researchers predict what
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software engineers can build. It may also reveal the limits
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of trying to capture life's essential character in silicon. As
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the twenty first century continues to unfold, my fellow physicists
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will undoubtedly continue to advance the study of black holes,
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quantum mechanics, and other traditional domains. The study of life, however,
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will take us to places we've never imagined, opening a
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path for the future of our field that for once
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unfolds on a level playing field with biologists, psychologists, neuroscientists,
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and sociologists. At its best, the pursuit of fundamental answers
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about the nature living things might lead physicists not only
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to new scientific marbles, but also to an entirely new
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way of doing science. Now turning to national geographic what
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is perihelian? Here's what happens when Earth is nearest the Sun.
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This is by Stephanie Waldeck from December thirty one, twenty
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twenty five. At the start of the year, Earth will
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quietly reach a milestone in its orbit around the Sun,
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known as perihelian. This is the moment when our planet
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is closer to the Sun than at any other point
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in the year. In twenty twenty six, Earth's perihelian occurs
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on January third, at twelve fifteen pm. This astronomical event
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occurs about two weeks after the December solstice. The exact
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timing shifts slightly from year to year because the Gregorian
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calendar doesn't perfectly line up with Earth's orbit. However, leap
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years account for some of that discrepancy. It might sound
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counterintuitive to some that Earth is closest to the Sun
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right now, After all, January is winter across much of
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the Northern Hemisphere. But Earth's axial ti built is actually
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the dominant driver of seasons, not Earth's distance from the Sun.
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Perihelian does influence the Earth, from how fast our planet
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moves through space to how long each season lasts. However,
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it doesn't mean that the Sun will appear substantially larger
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in the sky. Here's everything you need to know about
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this annual astronomical event. What is perihelian. Well, you might
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expect Earth's path around the Sun to be a perfect circle.
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It's actually an ellipse with the Sun positioned just slightly
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off center. As a result, the distance between Earth and
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the Sun changes continuously over the course of a year. Quote.
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At its simplest, perihelion is the point in the orbit
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of a planet, comet, or other astronomical body where it
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is closest to the Sun, says SETH McGowan, president of
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the Adirondack Sky Center in Upstate, New York. Its counterpart
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is apohelian, or a celestial body's farthest distance from Dad
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the Sun. The change in Earth's distance from the Sun
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is fairly minimal, however, and Perihelian isn't something you'd notice
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with the naked eye. At Perihelian, Earth is about ninety
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one point four million miles from the Sun compared to
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roughly ninety four point five million miles at Apohelian in July. Quote.
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The Earth's orbit is also constantly changing from interactions with
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the other planets in the Solar System, especially the Moon
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and Jupiter, so the time of Perihelium can shift by
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a few hours, says Jason Stephen, assistant professor of physics
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at the University of Ada, Las Vegas. While Earth's changing
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distance from the Sun does affect our climate, perihelion does
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not have a drastic impact on our seasons. Quote. Earth's
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twenty three point five degree axial tilt is a primary
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driver of our weather and temperature shifts, says McGowan. As
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Earth orbits the Sun, it's tilted axis causes each hemisphere
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to alternately lean toward or away from the Sun. When
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a hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, days grow longer and
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sunlight strikes the surface more directly. When it tilts away,
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days shortened, and sunlight arrives at a shallow angle. Together,
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these effects change the amount of solar energy reaching Earth's
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surface by roughly fifty percent in the mid latitudes and
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by much more at higher latitudes. By comparison, perihelian increases
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the intensity of sunlight reaching Earth by about seven percent
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compared to apohelium. Since perihelian happens in January, that extra
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energy primarily affects the Southern Hemisphere, which is tilted toward
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the Sun at the time. While that means Southern Hemisphere
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summers are slightly more intense than Northern Hemisphere summers, the
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impact on temperature remains modest. Quote. The Southern hemisphere is
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mostly water, which doesn't have the large temperature swings as
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the land, says Stephan. Although perihelium doesn't cause the seasons,
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it does influence their length. One of the most important
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effects of Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun is orbital speed.
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As Earth approaches the Sun, it accelerates, a consequence of
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gravity described by Kepler's second law planetary motion. Quote. Earth
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travels about two thousand miles per hour faster at perihelium
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than it does at Apohelian, says McGowan. Because Earth moves
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faster in early January, the seasons that occurred during that
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time pass more quickly. Quote. It makes the summer in
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the southern hemisphere slightly longer than the winter, and the
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winter in the northern hemisphere slightly shorter than the summer,
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but only by a few days, says Stephan. Over much
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longer timescales, Perihelium even plays a role in Earth's climate trends.
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According to NASA, the eccentricity of Earth's elliptical orbit changes
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slightly in a one hundred thousand year cycle. Currently it's
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slightly decreasing. Serbian scientists Milutin Milankovich theorized that this shift,
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in combination with cyclical changes in the Earth's axial till,
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is what has triggered glaciation periods throughout Earth's history, proven
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by ice core samples from Greenland and Antarctica. These orbital
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cycles are now known as Malankovich cycles. Although Perihelian and
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Apohelian don't cause heat waves or blizzards, scientists still track
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Earth's orbit closely. Quote, it is useful to know where
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the Earth is located in its orbit stephens is. There
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are a variety of reasons, the most dramatic being that
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when we discover asteroids that cross the Earth's orbit, we
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want to know if they are going to hit us.
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Agawan points to additional implications or applications. Space agencies like
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NASA must account for Earth's changing volacy and position for
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satellite positioning and deep space mission trajectories. He says perihelium
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might pass without spectacle, but it's a fascinating reminder that
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the choreography of the Solar System and its effect on
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our lives is more complicated than you might think. Okay,
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we're going to go to BBC Wildlife. They have an
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article headlined death can result very quickly. Discover the world's
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ten most venomous animals and this is by Leoma Williams
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from January fifth, twenty twenty six. In the Battleground of Nature.
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Many animals have evolved mechanisms to both eat and avoid
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being eaten. This includes the production of chemical toxins, which
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may be used to incapacitate prey and make it easier
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to catch and eat, or to defend themselves from would
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be predators. There is an important distinction between animals who
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or poisonous in those who are venomous. Poisonous creatures merely
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secrete these toxins, whereas venomous animals deliver their venom directly
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using specialized body parts. This may be through a bite, sting, or,
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as in one case on our list, via specialized ankle spurs.
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Here is our expert guide to the ten most venomous animals,
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including how dangerous they are and even what potential good
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uses their toxins might be. Put to the box jellyfish,
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Some consider box jellyfish to be among the most deadly
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of animals. Box jellyfish have been attributed to many mysterious
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deaths of swimmers in many parts of the world. This
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is because some species produce incredibly strong and overpowering toxins
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that strike at the heart, nervous system, and even skin cells.
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Death can result very quickly, with some swimmers going into
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show and drowning or dying of heart failure before they
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can reach the shore. We name the box jellyfish of
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the most dangerous animals in the sea, the HeLa monster.
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From the deadliest to perhaps the most painful. The bite
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of the HeLa monster, a venomous lizard native to the
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USA in Mexico is considered to be the most excruciating
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of any vertebrate. One unfortunate journalist who got too close
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described it as quote like hot lava coursing through your veins. However,
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despite the pain, no bite has been known to result
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in a human death. The venom of fairly mild neurotoxin
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is produced in the lizard's salivary glands. Fascinatingly, scientists have
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found a hormone in this toxic saliva that can be
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used to treat type two diabetes in humans. The Sydney
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funnel web spider, the heel a monster, is not the
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only animal whose venom has medicinal potential in humans. The
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funnel web spider, one of the world's deadliest spiders, produces
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a potent venom that is extremely toxic to humans and
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other primates, but interestingly harmless to many other animals. This
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is because these animals produce antibodies that bind to and
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neutralize the toxins that, unfortunately primates cannot. This often deadly
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venom could, however, be life saving too. Scientists have discovered
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that one particular molecule found in the venom could be
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used as a time buying heart attack treatment, blocking the
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cell death message, and preventing further damage the cone snail.
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Looking at sea snail shells washed up on the beach,
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you wouldn't think a marine snail could be deadly, But
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cone snails do more than just slither over rocks. One
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of the most dangerous animals in the sea, they live
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on the seabed and hunt fish by sending out a
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hollow venom filled harpoon, thus immobilizing any curious passers by.
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The snail then opens up its mouth and sucks its
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helpless quarry inside. Alive and paralyzed, you would feel it
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if one stuck you stung you. In fact, marine cone
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snail venom is so potent it can cause respiratory failure,
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muscle paralysis, vision impairment, and even death. Most commonly, cone
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snail stings come from divers handling them. However, cone snails
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are another creature whose venom has potential benefits for medicine.
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Scientists have isolated a particular toxin from one species of
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cone snail and from it derived a non opioid painkiller
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that is many times stronger than morphine. The uses of
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other components the venom are currently being investigated for the
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treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's and epilepsy, as well
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as pain relievers for cancer and HIV patients. Not much
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comfort to the fish, of course. The stone fish, like
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the cone snail, stonefish are another animal that an unsuspecting
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swimmer might fall foul of. With their modeled camouflage and
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habit of lingering on muddy or rocky bottoms of marine environments,
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they are easy to step on contact triggers a sting
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from one of their needle like defensive dorsal fin spines.
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This sting is incredibly painful and can even be lethal.
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The fish does, however, have a secondary use, not as
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a pharmaceutical, but as a food. Stonefish are edible once
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their venomous spines have been carefully removed, and are even
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considered a delicacy in parts of Asia. The inland pipe
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pan couldn't talk about venomous animals without mentioning snakes. Although
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much most snakes you're likely to meet are perfectly harmless,
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only about one in five snake species are venomous, some
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count among the world's deadliest animals. The human toll from
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snake bites is considerable. Many times higher than bites from
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the off feared shark, accounting for an estimated two hundred
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thousand deaths a year. The most venomous snake in the
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world is considered to be the inland Taipan, endemic to
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central eastern Australia. It has by far the highest medium
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lethal dose of venom for any snake and indeed probably
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any animal, making it the most toxic. It is, however,
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quite shy and rarely encounters humans, so it is not
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actually the most dangerous in terms of mortality. That record
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may go to the small but aggressive saw scaled viper,
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the platypus. Venomous mammals, yes, really, and one of these
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is the will platypus. This already extraordinary mammal, one of
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the very few to lay eggs, also has the remarkable
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ability to defend itself with venom, delivering ankle spurs. Although
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not fatal to humans, a venomous kick from a platypus
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is said to be excruciating and is powerful enough to
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paralyze and kill smaller animals, including dogs, perhaps one reason
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why Winston Churchill was so fascinated by them. The slow
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loris deceptibly cute. The slow Loris is the only venomous
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primate that we've discovered so far, and therefore one of
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the weirdest primates in the world. Fascinatingly, its venom is
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activated by combining an oil secreted by the brachial gland
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on the upper arm with its saliva. It licks the
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gland and then either rubs the activated venom into its
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fur as a chemical defense, or deploys it in a bite.
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Scientists believe its primary function is to ward off parasites
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that would otherwise want to make a home in its fur,
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but that it may also be used to protect against
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predators and even as a weapon in fights against other
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lorises in the breeding season. Sadly, the slow lorises toxicity
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leads to particular ill treatment in the illegal pet trade,
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as animal dealers will often pull out the animal's front
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teeth to hide the fact that it has a painful,
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venomous bite. The shrew that's right, Lovely fluffy shrews are
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another mammal with a nasty, toxic bite. They use theirs
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to paralyze and subdue their prey, and the venom is
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not delivered by fangs as in snakes, but rather flows
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from a specialized deduct at the base of their incisors
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and along grooves in their teeth. Interestingly, the venom of
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the northern short tailed shrie is very similar to that
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of the Mexican beaded lizard, a close relative the HeLa monster,
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and is similarly medically useful, with one component being studied
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for use in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Continuing the
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theme of small, cute and toxic mammals, we present the
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humble European mole. Yes, this elusive creature, best known for
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leaving unsightly piles of soil on your lawn, is also venomous.
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Like shrews, moles use a toxic saliva to paralyze and
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subdue their prey earthworms. For the most part, this enables
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them to store their food fresh and alive for later consumption. Now,
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one more story from BBC Wildlife, How and Why Kangaroos
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hop is by Ben Phillips from November twenty fifth of
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twenty twenty five. The story begins about thirty million years
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ago when the ancestor of the kangaroo, a creature a
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lot like a small possum, climb down from the tree
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tops to move around on the forest floor. It's deep,
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and ankles previously suited to climbing stiffened up to handle
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its new terrain. As this ancient kangaroo's foot was very long,
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the animal couldn't walk or run properly. However, hopping was easy,
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as it is for modern day ruse. The large, stretchy
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tendons in a kangaroo's hind legs act like giant springs.
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As these tendons strain and contract, they generate most of
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the energy needed for each hop. This is very different
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as the way to the way that humans jump, which
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uses a lot of muscular effort. The tail is also important,
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acting both as a balancing aid and a counterweight, propelling
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the animal into each leap. And there's the added bonus
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that while hopping, kangaroos barely need to waste effort on breathing.
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The jumping motion drives their gut up and down, which
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inflates and deflates their lungs for them. Kangaroos usually hop
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at about twenty five kilometers per hour, though they can
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reach seventy kilometers per hour over short distances, covering as
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much as nine meters in a single hop. This energy
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efficient way of traveling means they can cover vast distances
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in search of food and water, allowing them to thrive
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in the harsh climate of the Australian Outback. Well, that
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will be all for today's Diary of Science and Nature.
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Your reader was Kelly Taylor. Thanks for listening and now
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please stay tuned for further programming on Radio Y