Browse Titles - 52 results
Can General Relativity Explain the Properties of Gravity on Very Large Scales?
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking), 8 mins
Gravity is the decisive force driving the formation and evolution of cosmic structures. BJÖRN MALTE SCHÄFER is interested in the properties of gravity on very large scales as well as in very specific questions concerning structure formation, such as how galaxies acquire their angular momentum, how they start rot...
Open Access
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking), 8 mins
Description
Gravity is the decisive force driving the formation and evolution of cosmic structures. BJÖRN MALTE SCHÄFER is interested in the properties of gravity on very large scales as well as in very specific questions concerning structure formation, such as how galaxies acquire their angular momentum, how they start rotating, and how galaxies interact with surrounding structures. Currently, the understanding of gravity is based on general relativity. A...
Gravity is the decisive force driving the formation and evolution of cosmic structures. BJÖRN MALTE SCHÄFER is interested in the properties of gravity on very large scales as well as in very specific questions concerning structure formation, such as how galaxies acquire their angular momentum, how they start rotating, and how galaxies interact with surrounding structures. Currently, the understanding of gravity is based on general relativity. As is explained in this video, the research group tried to investigate the properties of gravity by making observations on very large scales, i.e. they look at the formation and evolution of structures in the universe, namely galaxies. Applying this method, they have found good evidence to further support the idea of general relativity as the theory of gravity on large scales. This allows to make specific predictions for future surveys and future experiments.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Solar system, Astronomy, Cosmology
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
Can the Perovskite Semiconductor Provide Sufficient Sustainable Energy in the Near Future?
presented by Michael Saliba, 1983- (Latest Thinking), 9 mins
One hour of sunlight is enough to power the entire planet for over a year. MICHAEL SALIBA is a leading scientist who investigates how we can tap into this abundant energy source in order to produce sustainable electricity in the future. As he explains in this video, the perovskite semiconductor – a new material...
Open Access
presented by Michael Saliba, 1983- (Latest Thinking), 9 mins
Description
One hour of sunlight is enough to power the entire planet for over a year. MICHAEL SALIBA is a leading scientist who investigates how we can tap into this abundant energy source in order to produce sustainable electricity in the future. As he explains in this video, the perovskite semiconductor – a new material that was discovered about five years ago – has great potential to advance the use of solar energy. The material also poses problems,...
One hour of sunlight is enough to power the entire planet for over a year. MICHAEL SALIBA is a leading scientist who investigates how we can tap into this abundant energy source in order to produce sustainable electricity in the future. As he explains in this video, the perovskite semiconductor – a new material that was discovered about five years ago – has great potential to advance the use of solar energy. The material also poses problems, however, as it is sensitive to humidity, heat, and light. His research team has found a way to tackle these challenges by creating a new composition that proves more stable and by adding a polymeric protective layer.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Michael Saliba, 1983-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Electricity
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
ORCID
0000-0002-6818-9781
×
Do New Genes Stem from the Non-Coding Part of the Genome During Fast Adaptation Processes?
presented by Diethard Tautz, 1957- (Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 11 mins
It is often thought that evolution is a slow process. During ecological changes in the environment, however, evolution can happen very fast. One of the reasons for this could be the role of new genes that are recruited during that adaptation. DIETHARD TAUTZ pursues the theory that these new genes come out of the s...
Open Access
presented by Diethard Tautz, 1957- (Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 11 mins
Description
It is often thought that evolution is a slow process. During ecological changes in the environment, however, evolution can happen very fast. One of the reasons for this could be the role of new genes that are recruited during that adaptation. DIETHARD TAUTZ pursues the theory that these new genes come out of the so-called non-coding part of the genome. He is interested in studying the fraction of bioactive molecules that come out of random sequen...
It is often thought that evolution is a slow process. During ecological changes in the environment, however, evolution can happen very fast. One of the reasons for this could be the role of new genes that are recruited during that adaptation. DIETHARD TAUTZ pursues the theory that these new genes come out of the so-called non-coding part of the genome. He is interested in studying the fraction of bioactive molecules that come out of random sequences. So far, this explanation has been thought unlikely but, as he explains in this video, synthesizing random sequences and using bacteria as a test system his research group found bioactive molecules in them. This suggests that during fast adaptation processes new genes are recruited from this background of genes in the non-coding part of the genome. This has important implications for our understanding of how adaptation works and offers great potential for the use of these bioactive molecules for medical and pharmaceutical purposes.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Diethard Tautz, 1957-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Evolution, Genetics
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
Do Weak Topological Insulators Exist Outside Theoretical Mathematical Concepts?
presented by Markus Morgenstern, fl. 1994 (Latest Thinking), 10 mins
Recent research has shown that solid materials can be classified based on their electronic band structure using the abstract mathematical concept of topology. In this video MARKUS MORGENSTERN explains how interdisciplinary research found the first material of a topological type called “weak topological insulator...
Open Access
presented by Markus Morgenstern, fl. 1994 (Latest Thinking), 10 mins
Description
Recent research has shown that solid materials can be classified based on their electronic band structure using the abstract mathematical concept of topology. In this video MARKUS MORGENSTERN explains how interdisciplinary research found the first material of a topological type called “weak topological insulators” and how this might solve problems in the field of quantum computation.
Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Markus Morgenstern, fl. 1994
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Physics
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
ORCID
0000-0002-3993-6880
×
How Are Different Transcripts in Our Genome Translated Into Proteins?
presented by Uwe Ohler, fl. 2008 (Latest Thinking), 10 mins
Our genes only make up about one or two percent of the human genome; the rest of the genome contains other functions including how the genes get activated. In current understanding, this regulation of the genes contains the key to the complexity of human development. Many parts of the human genome, not only the ge...
Open Access
presented by Uwe Ohler, fl. 2008 (Latest Thinking), 10 mins
Description
Our genes only make up about one or two percent of the human genome; the rest of the genome contains other functions including how the genes get activated. In current understanding, this regulation of the genes contains the key to the complexity of human development. Many parts of the human genome, not only the genes, get transcribed and the function of these thousands of transcripts is not yet understood. This is a question UWE OHLER is interest...
Our genes only make up about one or two percent of the human genome; the rest of the genome contains other functions including how the genes get activated. In current understanding, this regulation of the genes contains the key to the complexity of human development. Many parts of the human genome, not only the genes, get transcribed and the function of these thousands of transcripts is not yet understood. This is a question UWE OHLER is interested in. In this video, he specifically addresses the question of how many of these different transcripts actually get translated into proteins. Using new sequencing technologies the researchers around Ohler have obtained large genomics data sets with lots of noisy data. Responding to this challenge they successfully developed computational approaches to make sense of them. They thus found new insights into the gene regulation process and answers to the puzzle of non-coding transcripts.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Uwe Ohler, fl. 2008
Date Published / Released
2018
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Biology, Genetics
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2018 Latest Thinking
ORCID
0000-0002-0881-3116
×
How Are High-Energy Particles Accelerated and What Is Their Impact?
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
Galaxies are filled with particles traveling very close to the speed of light; these are so-called ultra-relativistic particles. Until recently, it was very difficult to investigate these particles because of a lack of good observational data and they have been rather neglected in the study of astrophysics. As JIM...
Open Access
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
Description
Galaxies are filled with particles traveling very close to the speed of light; these are so-called ultra-relativistic particles. Until recently, it was very difficult to investigate these particles because of a lack of good observational data and they have been rather neglected in the study of astrophysics. As JIM HINTON explains in this video, his research group is interested in understanding how these particles influence astrophysical processes...
Galaxies are filled with particles traveling very close to the speed of light; these are so-called ultra-relativistic particles. Until recently, it was very difficult to investigate these particles because of a lack of good observational data and they have been rather neglected in the study of astrophysics. As JIM HINTON explains in this video, his research group is interested in understanding how these particles influence astrophysical processes. For this, they need to find out how and where these particles are accelerated and what their impact is. Focusing on high-energy gamma rays and exploring the morphology and spectrum of the gamma ray emission from their sources, they found – in contrast to what was previously assumed – that the acceleration of particles to such high energies is rather common in nature. The impact of these non-thermal relativistic particles on astrophysical processes cannot be ignored anymore. Thus, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (https://www.cta-observatory.org/) has been initiated; this multinational project will be the world's largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma ray observatory.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Contributor
Jim Hinton, fl. 1998
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Universe, Astronomy
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Can a 3D-Map of Dust Help Measure Distances in our Milky Way?
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 11 mins
The dust in our Milky Way is the constituent of the cosmic life cycle. It is the substance from which new stars are generated and it is what stars become once they die. Unfortunately, as HANS-WALTER RIX explains in this video, the dust turns distance measurements of stars in the Milky Way into a difficult endeavor...
Open Access
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 11 mins
Description
The dust in our Milky Way is the constituent of the cosmic life cycle. It is the substance from which new stars are generated and it is what stars become once they die. Unfortunately, as HANS-WALTER RIX explains in this video, the dust turns distance measurements of stars in the Milky Way into a difficult endeavor, because it dims objects and blocks light from the material behind it. In his project two common methods of distance measurement are t...
The dust in our Milky Way is the constituent of the cosmic life cycle. It is the substance from which new stars are generated and it is what stars become once they die. Unfortunately, as HANS-WALTER RIX explains in this video, the dust turns distance measurements of stars in the Milky Way into a difficult endeavor, because it dims objects and blocks light from the material behind it. In his project two common methods of distance measurement are therefore used in combination to sketch a 3D map of Milky Way dust: first the parallax, which uses the orbit character of the earth in order to check on the stars’ respective positions, and second, the calculated brightness of stars which allows for an estimate concerning the amount of dust in front of each star. The so created 3D map helps to limit errors in distance calculations due to a feasible dust exclusion, made possible by the localization of dust. The conversion of observed quantities into physical quantities thus becomes possible.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Space
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Can New States of Matter Be Generated on a Theoretical Level?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 12 mins
The theory of materials science investigates the electronic and structural properties of advanced materials, nano-structures and bio-molecules. In the study explained in this video, the researchers present a novel theoretical method to describe, design and control how molecules and materials in combination with ph...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 12 mins
Description
The theory of materials science investigates the electronic and structural properties of advanced materials, nano-structures and bio-molecules. In the study explained in this video, the researchers present a novel theoretical method to describe, design and control how molecules and materials in combination with photons may lead to new states of matter with novel emerging properties. The research aims to theoretically find and define new states of...
The theory of materials science investigates the electronic and structural properties of advanced materials, nano-structures and bio-molecules. In the study explained in this video, the researchers present a novel theoretical method to describe, design and control how molecules and materials in combination with photons may lead to new states of matter with novel emerging properties. The research aims to theoretically find and define new states of matter and potential uses for this new phenomenon, in which atoms, electrons and photons are all entangled. ANGEL RUBIO elucidates why this phenomenon is special for chemistry, for materials science and for the more general concept of finding new quasi particles. The research on new states of matter might be relevant not only for practical applications but also for opening new fundamental research in materials science. A practical application in (bio)chemistry would be to target specific cell-reactions; in materials science, one long term perspective would be to develop more energy efficient devices.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Angel Rubio, 1965-
Person Discussed
Angel Rubio, 1965-
Topic / Theme
Physics, Chemistry, Physicists
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Can Plasma and Proton Beams Be Used in Building Next Generation Particle Accelerators?
presented by Allen Caldwell, 1959- (Latest Thinking, 2017), 15 mins
The greatest developments in particle physics have been achieved with the help of particle accelerators. To answer open questions on particles, even stronger accelerators are needed but conventional technology encounters limits. The new "plasma-wakefield acceleration" technology is designed to build high performan...
Open Access
presented by Allen Caldwell, 1959- (Latest Thinking, 2017), 15 mins
Description
The greatest developments in particle physics have been achieved with the help of particle accelerators. To answer open questions on particles, even stronger accelerators are needed but conventional technology encounters limits. The new "plasma-wakefield acceleration" technology is designed to build high performance accelerators that are more compact. As ALLEN CALDWELL explains, the basic idea is to generate a plasma wave that pushes the particle...
The greatest developments in particle physics have been achieved with the help of particle accelerators. To answer open questions on particles, even stronger accelerators are needed but conventional technology encounters limits. The new "plasma-wakefield acceleration" technology is designed to build high performance accelerators that are more compact. As ALLEN CALDWELL explains, the basic idea is to generate a plasma wave that pushes the particles forward. As is shown in this video, energizing the plasma with a proton beam instead of a laser pulse allows to create an electric field of much longer distance.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Allen Caldwell, 1959-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Scientific research, Physics
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
ORCID
0000-0003-0244-5129
×
How Can Programming Technology Best Respond to Radical Changes in Computing?
(Latest Thinking), 11 mins
In the modern world, computer applications operate in an environment of increasing complexity. Ubiquitously connected, they rely on continuously changing interfaces with the external world to drive computations based on patterns in big data. In this video, MIRA MEZINI considers how programming technology can optim...
Open Access
(Latest Thinking), 11 mins
Description
In the modern world, computer applications operate in an environment of increasing complexity. Ubiquitously connected, they rely on continuously changing interfaces with the external world to drive computations based on patterns in big data. In this video, MIRA MEZINI considers how programming technology can optimally respond to this radically changed operating environment. Arguing that accidental complexity can be overcome by the invention of ne...
In the modern world, computer applications operate in an environment of increasing complexity. Ubiquitously connected, they rely on continuously changing interfaces with the external world to drive computations based on patterns in big data. In this video, MIRA MEZINI considers how programming technology can optimally respond to this radically changed operating environment. Arguing that accidental complexity can be overcome by the invention of new programming abstractions that directly express notions in the world, Mezini employs mathematical modeling and empirical benchmarking to validate her hypotheses. Making computer systems easier and cheaper to evolve and maintain by reducing their complexity, the solutions proposed here are also key enablers for the next generation of data-driven applications (e.g. software for self-driving cars and environmental modeling).
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Field of Study
Engineering
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2019 Latest Thinking
×