# chem: extreme superconductive in random atomic-scale mixture

<< High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are a new class of materials that are composed of multiple transition-metal elements in equimolar or near-equimolar ratios >>

<< many HEAs have been found in disordered solid-solution phases with body-centered-cubic, hexagonal closest-packed, and face-centered-cubic crystal structures >>

<< In many respects, HEAs display novel properties, including ultrahigh fracture toughness at cryogenic temperatures, excellent specific strength, and superior mechanical performance at high temperatures. In addition to their promising mechanical properties, some HEAs also exhibit interesting electronic properties: [TaNb]1−x(ZrHfTi)x HEAs were found to display superconductivity, for example >>

AA << report high-pressure studies on the superconducting HEA (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33, [..] this alloy exhibits extraordinarily robust superconductivity - its zero-resistance superconducting state is still achieved even at a pressure of 190.6 GPa, or almost 2 megabars (1 Mbar = 1011 pascal), a pressure like that within the outer core of the earth. >>

Jing Guo, Honghong Wang, et al.  Robust zero resistance in a superconducting high-entropy alloy at pressures up to 190 GPa. PNAS 2017; 114 (50) 13144-7.  doi: 10.1073/pnas.1716981114.

http://www.pnas.org/content/114/50/13144

Laura Mgrdichian. A material that superconducts continuously up to extreme pressures.  Jan 17, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-material-superconducts-extreme-pressures.html

# acad: scientific community as a club

<< People think that the scientific community is agnostic, but as with any established institution, be it the boardroom, Wall Street, or Hollywood, it's a club, and it's up to us to change the rules of getting into that club. >> Emilio Bruna.

As science becomes more international, scientific editorial boards lag behind. Dec 12, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-12-science-international-scientific-editorial-boards.html

<< The scholars comprising journal editorial boards play a critical role in defining the trajectory of knowledge in their field. Nevertheless, studies of editorial board composition remain rare, especially those focusing on journals publishing research in the increasingly globalized fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). >>

Johanna Espin, Sebastian Palmas, et al. A persistent lack of international representation on editorial boards in environmental biology.  PLOS Biology 15(12): e2002760. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2002760. Dec 12, 2017.

http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2002760

# gst: semantic vs Shannon information

<< "Making Sense: Information as Meaning,” which proposes that meaning “be considered the output of the interpretive process of which information is the input.” David Haig.

<< Haig’s ideas may be the basis for getting us all the way from molecules to poets and scientists and philosophers while keeping the same definitions of information, interpretation, and meaning throughout >>  Dan Dennett.

Jenna Marshall. Reconciling two views of information. SFI. Jan 18, 2018.

https://santafe.edu/news-center/news/reconciling-two-views-information

also

1850 - attrattore semantico

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2004/12/1850-attrattore-semantico.html

# astro: unexpectedly large dust and gas inside

<< Despite having low star formation rates, the elliptical galaxies contain surprisingly large amounts of gas: 100 times more than was expected. This is surprising in two ways. It challenges our standard view of elliptical galaxies as “boring” gas-poor objects. But it also forces us to rethink the basic view of star formation processes – we have always assumed that the presence of cold gas must lead to star formation. Here, we find that elliptical galaxies form stars far less efficiently than disk galaxies at the same epoch. >>

Marie Martig. Study of distant galaxies challenges our understanding of how stars form. Jan 19, 2018.

https://theconversation.com/study-of-distant-galaxies-challenges-our-understanding-of-how-stars-form-90147  

Gobat R, Daddi E, et al.  The unexpectedly large dust and gas content of quiescent galaxies at z > 1.4. Nature Astronomy. doi: 10.1038/s41550-017-0352-5. Jan 15, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-017-0352-5 

# gst: the generation of waves by random point sets

<< amorphous Chern insulators can be readily constructed from arbitrary underlying structures, including hyperuniform, jammed, quasi-crystalline and uniformly random point sets >>

Noah P. Mitchell, Lisa M. Nash, et al.  Amorphous topological insulators constructed from random point sets.
Nature Physics (2018)
doi: 10.1038/s41567-017-0024-5.
Jan 15, 2018

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-017-0024-5

<< You don't have to be perfectly organized to pull off a wave >>

Gyroscopes lead scientists to unusual state of matter in a disorganized structure. Jan 15, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-gyroscopes-scientists-unusual-state-disorganized.html  

# brain: auditory performance also oscillates

AA << demonstrate that, as with vision, both auditory sensitivity and criterion showed strong oscillations over time, at different frequencies: ∼6 Hz (theta range) for sensitivity and ∼8 Hz (low alpha range) for criterion, implying distinct underlying sampling mechanisms. The modulation in sensitivity in left and right ears was in antiphase, suggestive of attention-like mechanisms sampling alternatively from the two ears. >>

Hao Tam Ho, Johahn Leung, et al. Auditory Sensitivity and Decision Criteria Oscillate at Different Frequencies Separately for the Two Ears.  Current Biology. 2017;  27 (23): 3643 -9.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.10.017. Nov 16, 2017.

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31320-9

<< perception is cyclical. In a new study, researchers report that, much like visual perception, auditory perception and attention are rhythmic in nature >>

Researchers Discover the Brain is Strobing, Not Constant.

http://neurosciencenews.com/strobing-brain-7970/amp/

# astro: asteroids, about small NEO (Near Earth Objects)

<< One of the major problems that civilisation has is that while we are becoming incredibly efficient at spotting Near Earth Objects, we still cannot do anything about one that might be on a collision path with the Earth. NASA currently has a project, DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), to redirect a threatening asteroid at the preliminary design phase. >>

<< It is salutary to look at the number of detections of Near Earth Objects. The Minor Planet Center maintains a database of observations, keeping a running total which, by the end of December 2017, stood at over 17,500. A further 28 have already been spotted this month. >>

Monica Grady. A huge asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, but what danger do smaller ones pose? Jan 18, 2018.

https://theconversation.com/a-huge-asteroid-wiped-out-the-dinosaurs-but-what-danger-do-smaller-ones-pose-90133