The North Star Has Spots

Image: Georgia State University / CHARA Array

I’m not much of an astronomer, but even I can name the North Star, A.K.A. Polaris. Far from simply a small dot in a big sky, Polaris is a big variable star. It pulsates every four days, during which it periodically gets larger and brighter and then smaller and dimmer again. New observations from the Mount Wilson Observatory in California have now revealed that Polaris’ surface has unexpectedly large temperature variations. Its mass is about five times that of our sun, but its diameter is more than 40 times as large.

This episode of Science News covers quantum entanglement. On the stock market, being just a few milliseconds faster than your competitors can make you lots of money. Can quantum physics help thrifty traders make more money? Well, some of them think so. You can take the quiz here.

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Personhood Credentials 1.0 – We Are Working On It

Forget reCAPTCHA, scientists have come up with a new idea to prove you are flesh and blood. Their ingenious idea? Move your body as physical proof to any official place able and willing to certify that you’re not a robot (or, if you are a robot, then at least you’re a humanoid one). The downside? Well, you have to move your physical body. Also, how do we know these official places are even real? Follow us for more reports on the impending unraveling of reality. Preprint here.

Why Science Sucks: A Scientific Explanation

Two computational biologists from the United States have developed an agent-based model to understand how scientists select research topics. In such models, agents are pieces of computer code that interact with each other following mathematical rules, usually with a random element. The authors found that the key metric for a scientist to maintain funding is to demonstrate effort. However, it is difficult to demonstrate effort if one takes on a risky research project that fails, for who is to say how hard one really tried? Hence, in this simulation, agents default on reliably productive low-risk research, foregoing high-risk research and its potential high payoff. Science is too important to be left to scientists. Paper here.

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