Teen Donates $1.3M in School Supplies

Daily Upsider on August 14, 2024

An 18-year-old from Oklahoma organized his ninth annual Back-to-School Book Bag, distributing 6,000 backpacks filled with school supplies.

Over the past nine years, the event has provided more than 33,000 backpacks and $1.3 million worth of supplies to students and families in Reed Marcum’s hometown and neighboring states including Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. The drive-thru event is part of Reed Marcum’s efforts to support the McAlester community in Pittsburg County.

“I want to help kids get their school year started right,” said Reed, a rising sophomore at Oklahoma State University. “We’ve been doing this for nine years, and it’s fulfilling to know we’re helping kids get excited about their education.”

Inspired by his involvement in 4-H, a youth organization focused on leadership, Reed’s giveaway is part of his annual 4-H service project. His work has earned him the 4-H Youth in Action Award and national recognition, including a $5,000 scholarship and opportunities to network with 4-H alumni. Since 2016, Reed has also hosted an annual 4-H Toy Giveaway. Last year’s event saw over three miles of cars lined up at the Southeast Expo Center in McAlester, where he distributed more than 10,000 toys.

“I’m grateful to 4-H for the support and opportunity to make a difference in my community.” Reed’s efforts are supported by the Sergeant Miles Tarron Foundation and Hudson Strong. To contribute, click here.

CERN Breakthrough

Daily Upsider on August 14, 2024

Scientists are well-versed in the properties of electrons, protons, neutrons, and other subatomic particles that make up matter. However, the particles that constitute antimatter, a rare but real counterpart of matter, still have many mysteries.

The primary distinction between matter and antimatter lies in their electric charges. While matter is composed of particles like protons and electrons, antimatter consists of antiparticles such as antiprotons (negatively charged) and positrons (positively charged), which have opposite charges compared to their matter counterparts.

Studying antimatter could unveil new energy sources and shed light on unknown aspects of the universe. A groundbreaking study by researchers at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) introduces a revolutionary device capable of cooling antiprotons in just eight minutes, a significant improvement from the previous 15-hour process.

“This considerable improvement makes it possible to measure antiprotons’ properties with unparalleled precision,” the study authors note.

Why Cool Antiprotons?
To study antimatter, scientists create and collide particles like antiprotons and positrons in particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Cooling these particles is essential because cooler antiprotons move more slowly, allowing for precise control and measurement without interference from rapid, random movements. This precision is critical for accurate experiments and measurements.

For example, to determine the magnetic moment of an antiproton, scientists must measure the frequency of spin quantum transitions, known as spin flips. An antiproton’s spin alternates between ½ and -½ in a magnetic field, and measuring the spin-flip frequency requires the particle to be slow.

“To get a clear measurement of an antiproton’s spin transitions, we need to cool the particle to less than 200 millikelvins (-459.3°F or -272.95°C),” explains Barbara Latacz, lead author and researcher in the BASE experiment at CERN.

The BASE (Baryon Antibaryon Symmetry Experiment) team studies the magnetic moments of protons and antiprotons to identify any differences between matter and antimatter. Previously, their setup required about 15 hours to cool antiprotons. To get the data they needed, they would have to conduct 1000 measurement cycles, which would take 3 years which was prohibitively long.

The new breakthrough reduces the cooling time over 99% to just eight minutes, enabling the BASE team to conduct 1000 measurement cycles and obtain precise results within a month. The drastic improvement in cooling efficiency is attributed to a combination of factors, enhancing the study of antimatter and potentially unlocking new insights into the universe.

11-Mile-Thick Diamond Layer in Mercury

Daily Upsider on August 13, 2024

A bi-disciplinary scientific study has identified a likely 11-mile-thick layer of diamonds at the boundary between Mercury’s core and mantle.

This finding is significant given that Mercury, despite being one of the closest planets to Earth, remains the least understood in our solar system.

Diamonds, which are pure carbon, are abundant throughout the solar system under the right conditions of pressure and temperature. Mercury’s surface, observed by the MESSENGER spacecraft from 2011 to 2015, appears grey due to its high graphite content. Graphite, another form of pure carbon, suggested to researchers that diamonds could be present below the surface.

“We know there’s a lot of carbon in the form of graphite on the surface of Mercury, but there are very few studies about the inside of the planet,” said Yanhao Lin, a staff scientist at the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research in Beijing and co-author of the study published in June in Nature Communications.

The researchers used a special pressure chamber to simulate conditions similar to those at Mercury’s core-mantle boundary—70,000 times Earth’s sea level pressure and 2,000°C (3,630°F). They mixed graphite with elements believed to be present in Mercury’s mantle, including silicon, titanium, magnesium, and aluminum. Under these conditions, the graphite transformed into diamond crystals.

By analyzing data from the MESSENGER mission on Mercury’s mineral composition and depth, the authors estimate the diamond layer is about 11 miles thick. However, mining these diamonds is not feasible due to their depth, similar to why Earth’s mantle cannot be mined.

“However, some lavas at the surface of Mercury have been formed by melting of the very deep mantle. It is reasonable to consider that this process is able to bring some diamonds to the surface, by analogy with what happens on Earth,” said Bernard Charlier, head of the department of geology at the University of Liège in Belgium and a coauthor of the study. While mining equipment would need to endure temperatures above 500°F, past asteroid mining achievements and plans from companies like Trans Astra suggest future possibilities.

Long Distance Surgery

Daily Upsider on August 13, 2024

Dr. Luo Qingquan has pioneered a groundbreaking approach in telesurgery by using a control center to operate robotic tools and remove a lung tumor from a patient located 3,000 miles away. Dr. Luo, stationed at Shanghai Chest Hospital on China’s Pacific Coast, guided the surgery for a patient at a hospital in Kashgar, Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

This innovative procedure was made possible by the Chinese-made 5G Medbot, which enabled Dr. Luo to apply his precision and decades of experience across three time zones in real-time. This advancement marks a new era in telesurgery, potentially transforming healthcare access in rural areas where the shortage of expert medical professionals previously meant limited or no treatment options.

Shanghai Chest Hospital, renowned as the first facility in China to offer robot-assisted surgeries and the leader in such procedures nationwide, demonstrates the potential of this technology.

Globally, the scarcity of specialist surgeons significantly hampers medical progress, especially in low- and middle-income countries. With only about 1.1 million surgeons worldwide and half as many anesthesiologists, even high-income nations face shortages. According to a Lancet review, low- and middle-income countries have only 0.7 specialist surgeons per 100,000 people, compared to 5.5 in high-income countries. Consequently, 48% of the global population relies on just 20% of the world’s surgical workforce.

Most Efficient Solar Panels Ever Found

Daily Upsider on August 12, 2024

In the shallow tropical reefs off Palau are enormous clams of the genus Tridacna. While very beautiful, they might seem otherwise unremarkable. However, a closer look at the shimmering blue flesh within their four-foot-long shells reveals an astonishing discovery: these clams host the most efficient solar panels ever found, according to new research.

“The fact that nobody could explain why a clam was iridescent really just stuck with me,” says Alison Sweeney, a Yale University biophysicist and co-author of the study.

In previous research, Sweeney and her colleagues found that despite their impressive iridescence, the clams’ fleshy mantles reflect only about 5 percent of the bright sunlight that hits them. The rest of the light is absorbed and directed to photosynthetic algae within the clam’s body, serving as a food source. This absorption rate is remarkably efficient for photosynthesis; by comparison, terrestrial forests like the Amazon reflect much more light, reducing their photosynthetic efficiency. Specialized cells called iridocytes line the mantle’s surface, containing transparent, protein-rich platelets that diffuse light inward.

In new research published in PRX Energy, Sweeney’s team examined the arrangement of the clams’ symbiotic algae, which are neatly organized in modified tubes extending from the digestive system. Unlike the random distribution of photosynthetic machinery in leaves, the clam’s algae form orderly columns stretching from the iridocyte layer into the flesh. “The clam basically plants them as if it were an agricultural field,” Sweeney explains. (The algae also travel between clams in pellets of feces.)

Modeling this system, the team calculated that its theoretical efficiency at the first step of photosynthesis, where chlorophyll absorbs a photon, is 43 percent—more than twice the efficiency of most current solar panels and three times that of a tropical leaf. Previous measurements in the wild suggested an even higher efficiency of over 60 percent. The new study resolved this discrepancy by considering that clams might inflate and deflate their mantles throughout the day to optimize sunlight exposure, bringing the modeled efficiency to 67 percent.

Sweeney hopes this work can inspire the design of algae-stocked bioreactors, demonstrating how biological solutions can address technological challenges.

Here is a video that shows some of these amazing clams. The best footage starts at 8:32.