# gst: apropos of unexpected Hopfion tangles

<< a certain geometrical structure of knots, which scientists call a Hopfion, manifests itself in unexpected corners of the universe, ranging from particle physics, to biology, to cosmology. >>

<< In a recent theoretical study, (..) (AA) discovered the presence of the Hopfion structure in nano-sized particles of ferroelectrics. >>

<< The Hopfion is a very abstract mathematical concept, (..) but the structure shows up in hydrodynamics, electrodynamics and even in the packing of DNA and RNA molecules in biological systems and viruses. >> Valerii Vinokur

<< When we visualized the polarization, we saw the Hopfion structure emerge, (..) We thought, wow, there is a whole world inside of these nanoparticles. >> Igor Luk'yanchuck.

Savannah Mitchem. Novel insight reveals topological tangle in unexpected corner of the universe. Argonne National Laboratory. May 26, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-insight-reveals-topological-tangle-unexpected.html

Luk’yanchuk I., Tikhonov Y., et al. Hopfions emerge in ferroelectrics. 

 Nat Commun 11, 2433. doi: 10.1038/ s41467-020-16258-w. May 15, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16258-w

# math; a weird phenomenon, the Banach-Tarski paradox, how to create two balls by reassembling one in 3-D space.

<< A famous geometrical theorem called the Banach-Tarski paradox says that if you have a ball in 3-D space and split it into a few specific pieces, there is a way to reassemble the parts so that you create two balls. (..) When the two new balls are created, they will both be the same size as the first ball. >>  Thomas Britz. 

Sherry Landow. The mystique of mathematics: 5 beautiful math phenomena. University of New South Wales. May 20, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-mystique-mathematics-beautiful-math-phenomena.html    

Banach–Tarski paradox

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banach-Tarski_paradox

# life: how social media could act to dehumanize the 'dehumanizable' ...

<< Fundamentally, we wanted to examine how online platforms can normalize hatred and contribute to dehumanization, (..) We found that the language used in these Facebook interactions hewed very closely to three stages we see in Terrell Northrup's theory of intractable conflict (..) One stage is the threat (..) A second stage is distortion (..) A third stage is rigidification >> Jessica Jameson.

Matt Shipman. How social media platforms can contribute to dehumanizing people. North Carolina State University. May 20, 2020

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-social-media-platforms-contribute-dehumanizing.html     

Tal Orian Harel, Jessica Katz Jameson, Ifat Maoz. The Normalization of Hatred: Identity, Affective Polarization, and Dehumanization on Facebook in the Context of Intractable Political Conflict. Social Media + Society. doi: 10.1177/ 2056305120913983. May 12, 2020

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2056305120913983   

Also

keyword 'facebook' in FonT:

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=facebook

# gst: predict stability in a collapsing ring

<< it is possible to predict the stability of a collapsing ring by counting its kinks. (..) (AA) group describes experiments they conducted that involved placing an elastic ring over a soap film and recording what happens when the ring collapses. >>

Bob Yirka. Counting kinks in a collapsing ring to predict stability. May 20, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-kinks-collapsing-stability.html   

Finn Box, Ousmane Kodio, et al. Dynamic Buckling of an Elastic Ring in a Soap Film. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 198003. 13 May 13, 2020.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.198003   

https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.11009

# evol: apropos of a big mystery; Neanderthal may have been surrounded and terminated (killed) by Sapiens competition (and/or probably by Sapiens multitudes, their viruses, their chatter, ...)

<< Climate scientists from the IBS Center for Climate Physics discover that, contrary to previously held beliefs, Neanderthal extinction was neither caused by abrupt glacial climate shifts, nor by interbreeding with Homo sapiens. According to new supercomputer model simulations, only competition between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens can explain the rapid demise of Neanderthals around 43 to 38 thousand years ago. >>

Supercomputer model simulations reveal cause of Neanderthal extinction. Institute for Basic Science. May 20, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-supercomputer-simulations-reveal-neanderthal-extinction.html    

<< Anatomically Modern Humans are the sole survivor of a group of hominins that inhabited our planet during the last ice age and that included, among others, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo denisova, and Homo erectus. Whether previous hominin extinctions were triggered by external factors, such as abrupt climate change, volcanic eruptions or whether competition and interbreeding played major roles in their demise still remains unresolved. (..)  a realistic extinction of the Neanderthal population can only be simulated when Homo sapiens is chosen to be considerably more effective in exploiting scarce glacial food resources as compared to Neanderthals. >>

Axel Timmermann. Quantifying the potential causes of Neanderthal extinction: Abrupt climate change versus competition and interbreeding. Quaternary Science Reviews. 

Volume 238, 15 June 2020, 106331. May 15, 2020. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379120302936

Also

keyword 'Neanderthal' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=neanderthal

# pharma: drawing 'magic strings' for GPCRs

<< Psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms have proven highly effective in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorders, but medical use of these drugs is limited by the hallucinations they cause. >>

<< What if we could redesign drugs to keep their benefits while eliminating their unwanted side effects? >> Ron O.  Dror. 

<< Dror's team describes discoveries that could be used to minimize or eliminate side effects in a broad class of drugs that target G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs. GPCRs are proteins found in all human cells. LSD and other psychedelics are molecules that attach to GPCRs, as are about a third of all prescription drugs, including antihistamines, beta blockers and opioids. So important is this molecular mechanism that Stanford professor Brian Kobilka shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in discovering how GPCRs work. >>

Tom Abate. What if we could design powerful drugs without unwanted side effects? Stanford University.  May 19, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-powerful-drugs-unwanted-side-effects.html    

The << work could provide a framework for the rational design of drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects. >>

Carl-Mikael Suomivuori, Naomi R. Latorraca, et al. Molecular mechanism of biased signaling in a prototypical G protein–coupled receptor. Science. 

Vol. 367, Issue 6480, pp. 881-887

doi: 10.1126/ science.aaz0326. Feb 21, 2020.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6480/881   

Also

keyword 'magic' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=magic

keyword 'GPCR'  in Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_protein-coupled_receptor

# gst: as a Lorenz's butterfly, even small disturbances can trigger catastrophic storms

<< meteorologists still have questions about how hurricanes develop. Now, Florida State University researchers have found that even the smallest changes in atmospheric conditions could trigger a hurricane, >>

Researchers find even small disturbances can trigger catastrophic storms. Florida State University. May 13, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-small-disturbances-trigger-catastrophic-storms.html   

Jacob D. Carstens,  Allison A. Wing. Tropical Cyclogenesis From Self‐Aggregated Convection in Numerical Simulations of Rotating Radiative‐Convective Equilibrium. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. Vol 12, Issue 5. doi: 10.1029/ 2019MS002020. Apr 24, 2020.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019MS002020   

Also

Edward Lorenz. Deterministic nonperiodic flow. Journal of Atmospheric Sciences. Vol.20 130—141. 1963. in:  Lynn M. Resler. Edward N Lorenz’s 1963 paper, “Deterministic nonperiodic flow”, in Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol 20, pages 130–141: Its history and relevance to physical geography. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment. Vol 40 issue 1,  175-180. doi: 10.1177/ 0309133315623099. Jan 21, 2016. 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0309133315623099