Scientists have discovered a whole new way to measure time

 Marking the passage of time in a world of ticking clocks and swinging pendulums is a simple case of counting down the seconds between then and now. However, on the quantum scale of buzzing electrons, "later" isn't always predictable. Worse, "now" is often blurred in a haze of uncertainty. In some situations, a stopwatch is simply not suitable. According to researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden, a potential solution can be found in the form of the quantum fog itself.

Their experiments with the undulating nature of what is called the Rydberg state revealed a new way of measuring the time that does not require a precise reference point. Rydberg atoms are inflated balloons in the realm of particles. Inflated with lasers instead of air, these atoms contain electrons in extremely high energy states circulating away from the nucleus.

Of course, not every pumping of the laser should inflate the atom to cartoonish proportions. In fact, lasers are regularly used to introduce electrons to higher energy states for a variety of purposes. In some applications, a second laser can be used to monitor changes in electron position, including over time. Such "probe pump" methods can be used, for example, to measure the speed of some ultra-fast electronic devices.

Putting atoms into a Rydberg state is a convenient trick for engineers, especially when designing new components for quantum computers. Needless to say, physicists have accumulated a considerable amount of information about how electrons move after entering the Rydberg state.

The mathematical rule book of this wild game is called the Rydberg Wave Packet. Like waves in a pond, having more than one Rydberg wave packet in space causes interference, resulting in unique ripple patterns. Throw enough Rydberg wavepacks into the same atomic pond, and each of these unique patterns will represent the specific time it takes for the wavepacks to evolve in unison with each other.

It was these "fingerprints" of time that the physicists behind the latest series of experiments set out to see if they were sufficiently consistent and reliable to serve as a form of quantum time record. Their study involved measuring the results of laser excitation of helium atoms and comparing the results with theoretical predictions to show how their signatures can represent the length of time.

"If you're using a counter, you need to define zero. At some point you start counting,” physicist Martha Berholts of Uppsala University in Sweden, who led the team, told New Scientist. "The advantage of this method is that you don't have to wind up the clock - you just look at the interference pattern and say 'OK, it's been 4 nanoseconds.'"

The Rydberg Wavepackage Elaboration Handbook can be used in conjunction with other forms of pump probe spectroscopy that measure small-scale events where this is less distinct from time to time or simply too inconvenient to measure. It is important to note that none of the printouts require "then" and "now" as start and end points. It would be like measuring the run of an unknown sprinter with several runners running at a certain speed.

By searching for a signature of perturbing Rydberg states in a sample of atoms with a pump probe, the researchers were able to observe a timestamp of events occurring in as little as 1.7 trillionths of a second. Future quantum clock experiments could replace helium with other atoms and even use laser pulses of different energies to extend the timestamp guide for a wider range of conditions.

This study was published in the journal Physical Review Research.

Scientists from China have created a system of "human breeding"

 Chinese scientists have developed an AI-based technology designed to care for human embryos developing in artificial wombs. The creators of this system believe that thanks to artificial "breeding of people" women will no longer have to give birth to children.

The team from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology in Suzhou ensures that the system is efficient and will increase the safety of embryo development. The technology has so far been tested only on animal embryos, but scientists are preparing the first experiments involving human embryos.

The system based on artificial intelligence would regulate access to nutrients, carbon dioxide and other substances, as well as ensure constant supervision of development. According to Chinese scientists, their technology would also allow us to better understand the physiology of human embryonic development, and in the future even treat birth defects and other diseases related to reproduction.

Foreign media note that the system of artificial "breeding people" is the answer to the demographic crisis. After many years, China eliminated the one-child policy from life, and now the authorities even encourage citizens to have children. Despite this, fewer people are born in China and the population is aging at a rapid pace.

China confirms the presence of water on the moon

 Chang'e-5 is the fifth lunar exploration mission of China's Lunar Exploration Program, launched on November 23, 2020. The rover landed on the Moon on December 1, 2020 on northern Oceanus Procellarum near the huge Mons Rümker volcanic complex. Now it turned out that the Chinese device has collected evidence of the presence of water on the moon, which significantly brings the possibility of building a permanent base on the surface of the silver globe.

Oceanus Procellarum, which means "Ocean of Storms" in Latin, is a vast lunar basaltic plain that was created by volcanic activity caused by the collision of ancient asteroids on the far side of the Moon. At the Oceanus Procellarum landing site, Chang'e 5 took more than 60 lunar samples from a core about a meter deep. The Chang'e-5 lander left the Moon on December 3, and the orbiter returned the samples to Earth on December 16, 2020. Scientists have been studying them ever since.

In 2020, China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe confirmed for the first time the presence of a water signal in basalt rocks and soil using on-board real-time spectral analysis. The results of the research were confirmed by laboratory analysis of samples returned by the device in 2021. Now Chang'e-5's team has determined where the water comes from. The scientists published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Chang'e-5 did not observe lunar rivers or springs, rather it determined an average of 30 hydroxyls per million in rocks and soil on the lunar surface. These molecules, composed of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, are the main constituent of water, and also the most common reaction result chemical interaction of water molecules with other substances. The samples were taken during the hottest part of the lunar day, near 93°C, when the surface would be the driest. This time also coincides with the weak solar winds, which can favor hydration if their power is high enough.

Chinese scientists plan to further explore the moon with the successors Chang'e-5, Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-7.

Heracleum sosnowskyi will help in the fight against radioactive waste

 Russian scientists have discovered that the plant biomass of Heracleum sosnowskyi can be successfully used to create sorbents that purify water from radionuclides. The research results, supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), have been published in the journal Carbon Resources Conversion.

The nuclear industry is one of the most reliable and efficient ways to generate energy. However, radionuclides, i.e. radioactive elements formed in the process of nuclear reactions, leak into the environment and lead to its pollution. This can occur as a result of human activity (fertilization of agricultural land, heavy industry, development of natural resources, storage of radioactive waste, radiation emissions from nuclear power plants) or natural causes, i.e. radioactive radiation from elements of the earth's crust, gamma radiation from space.

Thus, uranium, one of the most common long-lived radionuclides, gets into the soil, accumulates in it, contaminates ground and surface waters and, dissolving in them, spreads through lakes, rivers and seas. In addition, radionuclides can enter living organisms, including humans, which can cause damage to vital organs and cancer. Therefore, experts are looking for an effective method of purifying water from radionuclides.

Scientists from the Federal Research Center "Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences" (Syktyvkar), the Scientific Research Institute of Synthetic Rubber named after Academician S. Lebedev (St. Petersburg) and the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after A. M. Lomonosov (Arkhangelsk) created nanocarbon adsorbents capable of absorbing radioactive elements from liquid media and retaining them.

As raw materials, the researchers used Heracleum sosnowskyi biomass, natural lignin, a polymer compound contained in the cells of land plants, and technical lignin, which is a by-product of deep chemical wood processing.

Initially, borscht was brought to Central Europe for livestock feed, but the plant filled all the free spaces along roads and forests, destroying the local flora. Moreover, it turned out to be dangerous for humans. Hogweed stems and pollen contain poisonous compounds, i.e. furanocoumarins, which cause burns, blindness and damage to the respiratory system. The use of this plant as a raw material for nanomaterials will help to partially reduce its distribution.

The authors obtained a porous sorption material from a mixture of starting powders of plant biopolymers with the addition of an oxidizing agent, using the latest technology of self-expanding high-temperature synthesis, i.e. they synthesized a filter material, which was given a porous structure by treatment with nitrogen compounds and cooling.

Experiments have shown that the new nanocarbon adsorbent retains uranium well. Thus, about 70% of these radionuclides are not washed out either by water or other solvents. The researchers also discovered that such a material is able to adsorb mycotoxin T-2, a waste product of mold fungi that can accumulate in cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts and cause serious diseases.

"The results of our research confirm that nanocarbon materials obtained from hogweed stems can be used as preparations adsorbing harmful elements, which will help maintain human health in conditions of chronic exposure to radiation, e.g. at orbital stations and radioactively contaminated areas. We plan to continue the study of lignins obtained from plant biomass in order to create drugs that improve the quality of human life,” says the project leader, supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, Lyudmila Kocheva, doctor of chemistry, leading scientist at the Federal Research Center “Science Center of the Komi Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”.

Minimum wage in practice - the first fully automated McDonald's opened

 McDonald's has opened its first automated restaurant where machines do everything from taking orders to delivering food.

Currently, residents of the city of Fort Worth, Texas, where the automated restaurant opened, will be able to order food in the app and then pick up their order from the conveyor belt in a special window of the restaurant.

The innovations of "McDonald's" immediately caused a strong reaction in social networks. People were obviously divided into two opposing camps. Some believe that automation will lead to faster and more accurate order fulfillment, while others argue that robots will take away the jobs of millions of people. Of course, both sides are right.

Snow has fallen in the desert of Egypt

 Snow fell overnight in parts of Sharqia province in northeastern Egypt. The anomaly is reported by the local Egyptian media.

Roads and rooftops in settlements in Sharqia were reported to have been covered with a thin layer of wet snow for some time. Newspapers publish photos of the city's inhabitants. Almost all the streets and squares were covered with snow for a while, and the highways were covered with ice.

Cairo authorities imposed a state of emergency on the roads and public services of the city after recent heavy rains. By order of Governor Khaled Abdel Al Al, all employees of the housing and communal services system are at their places of work around the clock, constant coordination with the meteorological department has been established, and emergency teams are on duty. Many streets in Cairo are blocked due to the accumulation of water, tunnels are temporarily closed, and traffic on the Nile bridges is limited.

These actions were taken after a sharp drop in air temperature in the central and northern parts of Egypt and after the arrival of a powerful storm front from the Mediterranean coast. The temperature at night drops by at least 10 degrees, which is especially worrying in the absence of central heating in the vast majority of residential buildings both in Cairo and in cities in the Egyptian provinces. According to weather forecasts, the cool and rainy weather in the country will continue for a few more days.

The creepy ghost was filmed in a haunted park in the UK

 A couple of passers-by claim to have captured footage of a "demon" crawling along the path. Admittedly, the footage shows a strange white mist that quickly materializes into a figure-like form.

Hannah and Dave Rowett were walking their Labradors through a supposedly haunted forest in Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, at around 6.30am this morning. At one point, she felt someone's presence. The 52-year-old quickly took out her phone and captured a white silhouette crossing the path in front of her.

While she initially suspected the anomaly was a dog spirit, Hannah now believes it was humanoid and even demonic in nature. It's hard not to deny that the whole observation looks interesting.

The smoke actually moved like a humanoid figure, although this could also be the result of computer animation superimposed on the camera image. In the 21st century, it's hard to tell if what we're seeing is modified in any way.

11 students fainted at school after playing with a Ouija board

 Last November, a group of children in Colombia passed out at school after using a Ouija board. Teachers said at least 11 children between the ages of 13 and 17 were found unconscious in the hallway and five students were sent to the hospital.

According to Colombian media, the teenagers suffered from severe vomiting, abdominal pain and muscle cramps when they were rushed to Manuel Beltran Hospital. The school administration has provided the authorities with details of the incident pending a decision on the matter.

The children lost consciousness; when they were found they had shortness of breath and thick saliva flowed from their mouths. It's possible the Ouija board was to blame, and that's part of the investigation." Others suggest that all the suddenly sick people drank water from some container, or that they came from a swimming pool and were given something to eat.

Authorities stress that no psychological changes have been found in the children, given that it was said to be due to playing the Ouija board. The medical report says it was due to food poisoning.

Wendigo, a monstrous cannibal from Indian legends

 The Wendigo is a fearsome creature from Algonquian Native American legends that describe it as a monster that devours human flesh to survive the winter. Is this creature just part of Native American mythology?

The Algonquians are one of the largest and most numerous groups of Native Americans. They once inhabited the entire Atlantic coast and the Great Lakes region. Wendigo-like creatures are also found in the legends of other Native American tribes, including their Iroquois neighbors. Roughly translated, the word Wendigo (also spelled Windigo and Windego) means "an evil spirit that devours humanity". Another translation, by a German explorer around 1860, identifies the word Wendigo with "cannibal". The Wendigo's main trait is its insatiable hunger for human flesh.

According to the most popular version of the legend, the Wendigo arises when a person resorts to cannibalism. Even if it's for survival! It is believed that when a person eats another human's flesh, he is defeated by evil spirits and turned into a Wendigo. In another version of the story, the first Wendigo is said to have been a warrior who made a pact with the devil.

Some believe that a human person still lives inside the Wendigo. However, this person is overpowered and is the beast's weak point. The only way to kill a Wendigo is to kill the human inside it. With a few exceptions, in most cases death is the only way to rid a person of the Wendigo. The Wendigo are believed to roam the forests where the Algonquians lived. It was said that forest dwellers who disappeared over the years were eaten by these monsters. Over time, many Wendigo sightings have been recorded, not only by Native Americans, but also by white settlers.

It is impossible to assess to what extent it was caused by the real activity of this mythical creature, and to what extent by fear of a purely demonic entity that lurked for human flesh. Back in the early 20th century, 87-year-old Cree resident Jack Fiddler was tried for the murder of a Cree woman. Admitting to the crime, he defended himself by saying that the woman was close to turning into a Wendigo.

Christopher Case - victim of fear or insidious disease?

 Late in the evening of April 17, 1991, Sammye Souder listened to a disturbing recording that her friend Chris had left on his answering machine. The man, in a resigned voice, said: This is probably the end. They almost got me last night. They will do anything to kill me. Whatever I did, it didn't work. I don't know what's next, but the coming night will be the worst. Sammye, this is serious, really very serious. This is about my life. The terrified woman called the police to intervene.

Christopher Case was born in 1956 in the United States. He spent his childhood and youth in Richmond, Virginia. He loved music since he was little. For some time he worked as a DJ at a local radio station. To further his career, he moved to Seattle and worked for Muzak Holdings. Thanks to determination and effort, he soon took the position of program director.

The corporation (existing since 1987) is known to this day for the production and distribution of soft, melodious music for shops, hotels, and shopping centers. It is designed to persuade customers to stay longer in a given facility. According to the data provided on the corporation's website, songs composed by it reach 80 million American pairs of ears a day.

Christopher dealt with negotiating contracts worth thousands of dollars with recipients of Muzak products on a daily basis. He was constantly traveling around the country, which meant meeting many new people. The man loved his job and achieved very good results in it, but on a daily basis, he was tired of the constant hustle and bustle.

He was an introvert at heart. In his free time, he jogged, exercised at the gym, read books, and composed music. Most of these things he did alone, immersed in the intimate world of his imagination. He didn't have a girlfriend or even a pet. He attached great importance to a healthy lifestyle. He took care of his body not only from the outside but also from the inside, taking various types of supplements for athletes every day.

On April 11, 1991, Chris flew to San Francisco with several associates to negotiate a new, lucrative contract. There, he met with business partners, among whom was a woman 20 years older. She watched him carefully the whole time. During the lunch break, she approached Case and started talking to him. It soon turned out that they both had a lot in common. The most important of these were ancient music.

Such an original hobby does not happen often, which is why Chris willingly agreed to spend the upcoming evening with the woman in one of the exclusive restaurants. The man was firmly convinced that he would talk about music and business with his companion. However, he was quickly disappointed - the woman almost from the threshold gave him to understand that she was planning an intimate relationship. Chris weaved, trying to ignore the unwanted advances. He was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He dreamed of returning to the hotel as soon as possible.

Finally, the woman revealed all her cards to her companion and invited him to her house. Christopher politely but firmly refused. He argued that he couldn't stay any longer because he needed to sleep before returning to Seattle. The rejection must have hurt the interviewer deeply. In a raised voice, she began to insult her companion. Case tried to smooth things over but in vain. Finally, strange words in a foreign language reached his ears. I'm a witch and I just cursed you! the woman hissed. "You'll be dead in a week!"

Christopher was a rationalist and down to earth. The announcement of the curse did not impress him much, although he told his longtime friend - Sammye Souder about it. They both decided that the alleged "witch" must have suffered from mental disorders since she could not bear a tactful refusal with dignity. The next day, the man returned to Seattle and his daily duties as planned.

On April 14, Case called Souder again, this time in a much worse mood. The obviously nervous man told his friend in broken sentences that the night before he had not closed his eyes for a moment because of strange whispers, the source of which he was unable to locate. In the evening, as was his habit, he went for a run, then took a shower and went to bed. It was then that he heard muffled voices coming from behind the wall.

At first, he thought the neighbors next door were being too loud, so he decided to ignore the whole thing. But the whispers didn't stop. Irritated, he got up and went outside. however, he found no one there. When he got back inside, the strange sounds attacked him again. They were just as intense in the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and other rooms. Confused, Chris couldn't tell which direction they were coming from.

Angry and confused, the man went back to bed and turned on the TV. As he lay there trying to calm down, he saw the shadow of a human form out of the corner of his eye. Convinced that someone had broken into the apartment, he jumped out of bed and shouted: Who's there? I'm calling the police! At that moment, the silhouette disappeared.

The thirty-five-year-old tried not to lose his cool. He thought he might have been poisoned, so he checked the gas stove for leaks. Just in case, he opened all the windows to ventilate the room properly. When he didn't find any leaks, he said that perhaps the food he had eaten that day had harmed him. In the morning he called Sammye. The woman - down to earth herself - suggested that her friend had suffered a panic attack.

The interlocutor agreed with her. He announced that he would rest and recuperate. The woman was convinced that soon everything would be back to normal. she was wrong. On April 16, the young musician called her again, this time really panicked. He said that last night when he came home from the gym and went to bed, something grabbed him by the throat, lifted him into the air, and then slammed him onto the bed.

For those few terrifying moments, Case struggled desperately to breathe. When he regained his composure, he saw blood stains on the sheets. His fingertips were cut. Terrified, he ran to the bathroom, where he locked himself up until the morning. This time he was firmly convinced that the strange phenomenon he had experienced had something to do with the curse. He was convinced that his days were numbered. He had similar conversations with several other friends. He told each of them that he had to fight for his life.

Early in the morning, Christopher went to the local bookstore and devotional store - Evangel Inc. His strange behavior caught the attention of the store manager. The man bought several dozen church crosses and candles. He also inquired about books on demon possession. The salesman recommended several items to him. He also suggested seeing the pastor, but Case declined. He paid for his purchases and left. On the same day, he returned to the facility several more times, confessing that he was being pursued by paranormal forces that wanted to harm him.

By evening, the young musician had turned his home into a bizarre temple. Along the walls of the building, as well as in the corners, he sprinkled kosher salt to protect against evil spells. He placed a cross and some candles in each room. He covered the floor in the apartment with sheets of paper on which he wrote various ideas for fighting evil spirits.

During those few days in April, the ambitious program director changed beyond recognition. All that remained of the fit, well-fed, smiling man was a shadow: tired, sweaty, with sickly red eyes and a face drawn in a grimace of horror. The man did not sleep, did not eat and did not show up for work. Neighbors have seen him like this several times. They also noticed strange noises coming from his house but did nothing to help.

On the evening of April 16, the terrified, sweaty and confused musician appeared at the reception of a nearby hotel. An employee of the facility noticed its strange appearance but handed him the key without any problems. The strange visitor paid for the service in advance and then went to bed. Early in the morning, he disappeared as if he had never been there. He did not know that during the night his house was visited by a police patrol, summoned to the spot by a concerned Sammye, who could not reach her friend. However, the officers did nothing.

Souder felt overwhelming helplessness because she lived on the other side of the country. Throughout the day on April 17, she tried to reach Christopher by phone, but the man did not pick up the phone. He was busy. First, he had a conversation with a Catholic priest, then he visited Evangel Inc again. This time the salesman noticed that his client looked completely exhausted - he was sweating and panting, and his cheeks were red.

Late in the evening, when Sammye came home from work, she heard a particularly disturbing message from a friend. His voice this time was calm and resigned: This is probably the end. They almost got me last night. They will do anything to kill me. Whatever I did, it didn't work. I don't know what's next, but the coming night will be the worst. This is a serious matter, really very serious. This is about my life. The terrified woman again asked the police to intervene.

On the morning of April 18, 1998, two officers arrived on the scene. They knocked on the door, but no one opened it. So one of the policemen looked through the window. A disturbing sight met his eyes. The officers decided to enter by force. The apartment looked like a cheap horror movie set: dozens of candles were burning everywhere. The sounds of a classic Latin mass came from the stereo speakers. The whole picture was completed with crucifixes, salt, and notes with notes about demons.

The officers weren't sure what they were dealing with. The answer to the mystery was waiting in the bathroom, and it was Chris' body. The clothed man was kneeling in the tub with his head resting against the wall. He wasn't moving or breathing. At first glance, he looked like he was praying. But his skin was cold and his limbs stiff. He had been dead for at least a few hours.

No signs of a break-in or the presence of a third party were found in the young musician's home. So did the curse kill him? None of these things. An autopsy showed that Case's cause of death was myocarditis - an insidious disease that often affects fit, well-groomed, very active, diet-conscious people in their prime.

The forensic pathologist determined that the inflammation had started before the victim's visit to San Francisco. Its cause was too high a dose of supplements taken and gigantic work-related stress. The straw that broke the goblet was a disturbing encounter with a witch. All the "phenomena" that the thirty-five-year-old experienced in the week before his death - auditory hallucinations, facial flushing, shortness of breath - were classic symptoms of the aforementioned condition. Perhaps if anyone who had contact with the man at the time had sent him to the hospital in time, his life could have been saved. Sammye still can't forgive himself for that. The woman who "cast a spell" on her friend has never been found.

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCxIBDbpEwk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY67MMLmWUU
• https://drhpod.medium.com/the-man-who-scared-himself-to-death-c290ce718a8
• https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2020/01/the-mysterious-paranormal-death-of-christopher-case/
• https://conspiracytheories.in/the-witch-the-death-of-christopher-case/