Images from the Sun, Neuralink, and Academic Attitudes to UAPs

This Week's Science Bits from SWTG

New High Resolution Images from the Sun’s Surface

Closeup of sunspot with convection cells. Image: NSO, AURA, NSF

The world's most powerful ground-based solar telescope, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, has released eight new images of the Sun, showcasing its ability to capture unprecedented details of sunspots and quiet regions. The images were obtained by the Visible-Broadband Imager, one of the telescope's first-generation instruments, during the telescope's first year of operations. The images will help solar scientists better understand the Sun's magnetic field and the drivers behind solar storms that can affect Earth and our critical infrastructure. Press release and more images here.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink Wins FDA Approval for Human Trial

The Neuralink company, founded by Elon Musk, has announced (on twitter, of course) that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start its first human clinical trial of a brain implant device. The device aims to treat severe conditions such as paralysis and blindness by connecting the brain to a computer. The approval comes after the company faced several challenges and investigations regarding its animal testing and safety issues. Neuralink said it was not yet open for a clinical trial, but that the approval was an important first step for its technology.

Study on Academia’s Attitude to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

In a survey of academics at US universities, 19% of respondents reported having witnessed or knowing someone who has witnessed unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs). 21% found it most likely that the phenomena have a natural origin, 13% opted for an unknown origin, 39% just said they don’t know. The survey, conducted by researchers from the University of Louisville, also revealed that the discipline most involved in UAP research is physics, and that the majority of respondents, 64%, consider it important that academia is involved in evaluating the mysterious observations. 

Alas, the overall response rate of the survey was merely 3.9%, so chances are the people who didn’t think UPAs interesting didn’t fill in the questionnaire to begin with. But since it’s easier to study academics than shy flying objects, maybe the time has come for a study on unidentified academic phenomena. Paper here.

How Dangerous is the Bird Flu for Humans?

This winter we’ve seen a severe outbreak of the bird flu, or avian flu. How much should we worry about that? I’ve tried to figure out what’s going on, and, well, let me just say I’ve learned a lot of really scary things that I have summarized in this week’s video.