☕️ New Theory Reveals the Shape of a Single Photon.

Good morning. I was reading a terrible article earlier that stated the art market this week might indicate how the wealthy are feeling about Trump. Never mind that sour thought, the piece caught my eye because of the artwork attached to it:

To my surprise, I learnt in that article that this infamous piece of art—that I had the immense privilege of seeing in person—was actually hugely famous.

I remember walking through the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) in Victoria, Australia recently and stumbling upon this piece. Life changing to say the least. No, no. I of course let out a laugh. Just imagine walking through an art gallery and then suddenly THIS.

THIS, is Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" which hanged on display during an auction preview at Sotheby's in New York on November 11 (It was in NGV in Melbourne up until recently).

It sold for $120,000 in 2019. Yes, a banana duct-taped to a wall. It could fetch up to $1.5 million this week during the Sotheby’s auction.

If anyone has a spare $1.5 million, I’d love to buy this and just pull it off the wall and eat it full ape style, right in front of all those rich snobs.

—Dylan J. Dance

SCIENCE

🌀 New Theory Reveals the Shape of a Single Photon. Researchers from the University of Birmingham have unveiled the precise shape of a photon for the first time, thanks to a new quantum theory that defines light-matter interactions in great detail. This groundbreaking work, published in Physical Review Letters, opens new avenues in nanophotonic technologies that may enable secure communication, pathogen detection, and molecular-level chemical control. According to lead author Dr. Benjamin Yuen, their model enables computation of previously unsolvable problems and provides a visualization of a photon that had never before been achieved in physics.

🐙 Calculating the Energy Costs of Color Changing in Ruby Octopuses. A study from Walla Walla University reveals the substantial metabolic cost that ruby octopuses face when changing color. Researchers Sofie Sonner and Kirt Onthank found that octopuses use up to 219 micromoles of oxygen per hour during color change—similar to their entire resting metabolic rate. This may explain why octopuses spend so much of their time in hiding, as the cost of changing colors for camouflage is considerable.

🧪 Fluids Thicken at the Speed of Light: A New Theory Extends Einstein's Relativity to Real Fluids. Alessio Zaccone has introduced a new theory extending special relativity to the viscosity of fluids. The theory, published in Physical Review E, explains that viscosity increases proportionally with the speed of the fluid, in analogy with relativistic effects like length contraction. This insight, termed "fluid thickening," might have significant implications for our understanding of high-energy physics, such as the behavior of quark-gluon plasma in astrophysics.

🧬 Algorithm Predicts DNA Methylation in Ancient Specimens, Providing Insight into Human Evolution. Research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has introduced a novel method for predicting DNA methylation patterns in ancient specimens, providing new insights into human evolution. This work, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, allows scientists to explore changes in gene activity in tissues such as the brain that are typically absent from the fossil record, offering a deeper understanding of human complex traits.

🐈 Long-Lived Schrödinger's-Cat State Achieves Heisenberg-Limited Sensitivity. A team led by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China has realized a Schrödinger-cat state with minute-scale lifetime using optically trapped cold atoms, enhancing quantum metrology sensitivity. Published in Nature Photonics, this new state offers significant advantages in atomic magnetometry and quantum computations, paving a new way to explore physics beyond the Standard Model.

🔍 Novel AI Algorithm Captures Photons in Motion. Computer scientists from the University of Toronto have built an advanced AI algorithm that can visualize light in motion from any perspective, effectively allowing viewers to observe light as it propagates through different media. This technology could unlock new capabilities, such as non-line-of-sight imaging and enhanced 3D reconstruction, with potential applications in autonomous vehicles and filmmaking.

TECH

🧠 Whether AI Is Already Conscious Could Tear Society Apart. A new article raises concerns about a looming societal rift over the consciousness of AI. Jonathan Birch, a philosophy professor at the London School of Economics, predicts that disputes over AI's potential sentience will create societal divisions, with one side accusing the other of exploiting AI and the opposing camp labeling the belief in AI consciousness as delusional. The debate has already begun, with AI chatbots forming intense emotional connections with users.

📱 Instagram Will Soon Let You Reset Your Recommendation Algorithm. Instagram is rolling out a feature that allows users to completely reset their recommendation algorithm—a "fresh start" for their Explore page, home feed, and Reels. This could be useful for those whose preferences have shifted, making their current recommendations less relevant. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, warns that resetting will make the app initially uninteresting, as the algorithm re-learns user preferences.

🔬 Microsoft and Atom Computing Leap Ahead on the Quantum Frontier with Logical Qubits. Microsoft and Atom Computing have announced a breakthrough in creating fault-tolerant quantum computers with logical qubits. Utilizing Atom’s neutral ytterbium atoms, the team achieved 24 entangled logical qubits, the largest number recorded to date, significantly enhancing quantum computing reliability. This milestone advances efforts to harness quantum capabilities for complex computations via Microsoft's Azure Quantum.

HEALTH

🧠 Large-Scale Genetic Study Identifies 14 Genes Linked to Neuroticism. Researchers at Fudan University in China have conducted a large-scale genetic study identifying 14 genes linked to neuroticism, a personality trait associated with emotional instability. Their findings, published in Nature Human Behavior, help deepen our understanding of the genetic architecture of neuroticism and could inform future research into neuropsychiatric disorders.

🩸 Scientists Transform Blood into Regenerative Materials, Paving the Way for Personalized, 3D-Printed Implants. Scientists at the University of Nottingham have developed a new 'biocooperative' material based on blood, which has been used to repair bones in animal models. This innovation, published in Advanced Materials, could pave the way for personalized regenerative implants made from a patient's own blood, providing a significant step forward in personalized medicine.

🩺 Scientists Develop Blood-Based Regenerative Material for Personalized Implants. Researchers at the University of Nottingham have successfully transformed blood into a regenerative material capable of repairing bone tissue. Published in Advanced Materials, this material could lead to personalized, 3D-printed implants, offering a revolutionary approach to treating injuries and diseases using the patient's own cells.e

SPACE

🍌 Starship Shoots Into Orbit with Single Banana in Cargo Hold. In a quirky move, SpaceX’s Starship recently launched into orbit with a solitary banana as its payload. This lone fruit served as a "zero gravity indicator," following a tradition of sending small, whimsical items into space. Though the booster failed to be caught by its tower and instead splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, the mission marks another milestone for SpaceX.

🌌 New DESI Data Shed Light on Gravity's Pull in the Universe. Data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has traced how cosmic structure grew over the past 11 billion years, providing the most precise test of gravity at very large scales to date. DESI researchers found that gravity behaves as predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, supporting the leading model of the universe and offering new insights into the mysterious nature of dark energy.

CLIMATE

🌍 Discover How NASA’s EMIT Is Revolutionizing Climate Science from Space. NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission, launched aboard the International Space Station, has evolved beyond its original focus on desert mineral mapping. It now helps detect greenhouse gas emissions, measure snowpack melting rates, and assess the climate impact of dust, contributing significantly to climate science and environmental research.

WORLD

💀 Ancient Aztec 'Skull Whistles' Found to Instill Fear in Modern People. Cognitive neuroscientists at the University of Zurich have found that ancient Aztec skull whistles produce sounds capable of instilling fear in modern listeners. These whistles, dating from 1250 to 1521 AD, produce a scream-like noise that activates parts of the brain associated with high alert, suggesting they were used in ceremonies to evoke fear, potentially as a ritualistic element of the Aztec culture.

🏡 Ollolai: Italian Village Offers $1 Homes to Americans Upset by the Election Result. In response to recent political events, the village of Ollolai in Sardinia is offering $1 homes to attract American expats. The village's mayor hopes to revive the dwindling population by drawing in disillusioned Americans, providing an opportunity to start anew in this picturesque, yet underpopulated region of Italy.

🐬 Lonely Dolphin in Baltic Sea Found to Be Talking to Himself. A team of marine biologists from the University of Southern Denmark has discovered a solitary male dolphin in the Baltic Sea who appears to be talking to himself. Researchers recorded over 10,000 vocalizations, suggesting that the dolphin may be engaging in self-directed communication, possibly as a coping mechanism for loneliness, akin to a human talking aloud when alone.

🐌 These Tiny Snails Are Breeding in the Wild for the First Time in 40 Years in French Polynesia. A conservation success story: The Partula tohiveana, a tiny snail native to French Polynesia, has been found breeding in the wild for the first time in 40 years. Conservationists, including teams from London Zoo, have worked tirelessly to reintroduce these snails, and their efforts have paid off. This milestone means the snails can now be downlisted from "Extinct in the Wild" to "Critically Endangered" on the IUCN Red List, marking a huge victory in biodiversity conservation.

Thanks for reading!