Here’s the true Lord of the Rings!

1SWASP J1407 b is an exoplanet or possibly a small star located in the constellation Centaurus, approximately 433.8 light-years from Earth.

Its ring system is not only the first discovered beyond our Solar System but also the largest ever observed. The radius of its largest ring is estimated at a staggering 90 million kilometers. For comparison, Saturn’s largest ring measures only about 480,000 kilometers in radius.

With a mass roughly 20 times that of Jupiter, scientists are still debating how to classify 1SWASP J1407 b. It might be an extremely large exoplanet or a small star—specifically, a brown dwarf.
#science #space

China has topped the global rankings in IQ testing, securing the first position. Russia claims the 6th spot, while the United States ranks 27th. Among European countries, Ukraine holds the lowest position at 78th place.

The Sun gazes sternly.
📷 Abdulmohsen Alreesh

#space #science

40 years ago, American Airlines introduced the “Golden Ticket”—a lifetime pass for unlimited first-class flights.

For $250,000, customers could purchase the AAirpass, granting them the privilege of flying first-class as often as they wanted, for life. For an additional $150,000, they could get the same pass for a companion.

In 1987, Steve Rothstein bought one of these “golden tickets.” Over the next 20 years, he took 10,000 flights, costing the airline $21 million. His travel record was extraordinary: 500 flights to England, 70 to Australia, and 120 to Japan. Sometimes, he booked tickets under fake names, such as “Bag Rothstein,” if he wasn’t sure who his companion would be. This behavior ultimately led to accusations of misuse, and in 2008, the airline revoked his pass.

By the time American Airlines discontinued the sale of these “golden tickets” in 2004, the price had risen to $3 million.

#science #history #aviation

A study conducted by the University of Central Florida has revealed that symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) manifest more prominently when watching videos that require the brain’s executive functions to engage actively.

Researchers observed college students with ADHD as they watched two types of videos. When viewing the high-action podracing scene from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the students displayed relatively minimal body movement. However, while watching an educational math video, the participants began to fidget noticeably—shifting in their chairs, tapping their feet, and squirming.

This research highlights how different types of content can influence physical restlessness in individuals with ADHD.

#science

These fascinating stones can be found on the ice of Lake Baikal near the Sarma Gorge.

During the day, the stones absorb sunlight and melt the ice beneath them. As night falls, the water refreezes, and the wind forms a thin pedestal of ice supporting the stone. This phenomenon is often referred to as ‘Baikal Zen.’

Third Neuralink Chip Successfully Implanted

A third person has received a brain chip from Neuralink. The first patient is now using the implant to communicate on social media through thought alone, while the second has managed to play Counter-Strike 2.

These devices are designed to help people with spinal cord injuries, enabling them to control computers or smartphones using their minds. According to Bloomberg, all the chips are reported to be “working well,” and Neuralink plans to implant another 20–30 brain chips in 2025.

The first person in the world to receive such an implant was 29-year-old Nolan Arbo, who is completely paralyzed. The device translates brain signals into computer commands, offering groundbreaking possibilities for those with severe disabilities.

@science

A neural network was tasked with generating the process of construction....


Great result :)))

Soviet-era giant telescopes already resemble remnants of a powerful ancient civilization in a post-apocalyptic world. In some cases, their real history aligns with this impression. The Kalyazin RT-64 radio telescope, for instance, was designed to support communication with robotic missions to Venus and Mars, as well as to prepare for potential manned expeditions to these planets. Remarkably, it is still operational today, contributing to deep space communication and astrophysical research. Located near the town of Kalyazin, about 200 km north of Moscow, this engineering marvel continues to play a vital role in exploring the cosmos.

#science #space

China is Designing a Flag That Can Wave on the Moon

In an innovative project, scientists in China are developing a flag that will appear to wave in the vacuum of the Moon. Surprisingly, the idea for this groundbreaking technology came from elementary school students.

Unlike Earth, the Moon lacks an atmosphere, making it impossible for fabric to flutter naturally in the wind. Inspired by students’ suggestions, researchers at the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) are working on a solution: integrating a closed circuit into the surface of the flag. This circuit would generate bidirectional electric currents, creating electromagnetic interactions that cause the fabric to move, simulating the effect of waving.

The waving flag is set to be a symbolic and inspiring addition to the upcoming Chang’e-7 lunar mission, scheduled for 2026. While the mission’s primary goal is to search for water or ice at the Moon’s south pole, the inclusion of the innovative flag underscores the creative collaboration between scientists and the next generation of problem-solvers.

Stay tuned for more updates on cutting-edge space exploration and technological ingenuity!

#science #space

Starlink Disrupts Africa’s Internet Market: Satellite Internet Cheaper Than Telecom in 5 out of 16 Countries

Starlink has shaken up Africa’s internet provider market, offering satellite internet that is already more affordable than traditional telecom services in 5 of the 16 countries it operates in.

In Kenya, Elon Musk’s company provides internet at just $10 per month for 50GB, delivering higher speeds and coverage even in remote areas. Demand has surged so dramatically that Starlink had to temporarily halt new connections due to network overload.

Local providers are scrambling to respond—slashing prices, boosting speeds, and rushing to develop their own satellite solutions. For example, Vodacom recently announced a partnership with AST SpaceMobile to compete in the evolving market.

On one hand, this competition is driving progress, pushing local companies to innovate. But on the other hand, internet access, much like water, gas, and electricity, is a critical infrastructure tied to sovereignty. Handing it over to an eccentric billionaire might not be the wisest strategy.

Nonetheless, this could be a catalyst for Africa’s technological leap forward. Let’s hope the continent seizes this opportunity to transform its digital landscape.

#science #starlink

Language shapes thought, and not just for humans.

Why does o1 sometimes think in Chinese?

After the release of o1, some users noticed an intriguing phenomenon: during reasoning, the model occasionally switches to… Chinese (example). The final answer is always provided in the user’s language, but the reasoning process remains a mystery.

Interestingly, o1 isn’t the only reasoning model with this quirk. QwQ also switches to Chinese mid-reasoning. However, QwQ’s behavior is more understandable—it originates from China, and its training data is predominantly in Chinese. But why would o1, developed by OpenAI, do the same?

OpenAI has not commented on this behavior, but experts and researchers have theories. For example, the CEO of Hugging Face suggests (and it’s the most straightforward explanation) that the model was trained on a massive amount of Chinese data. Many companies, possibly including OpenAI, use Chinese annotation services, which could explain this bias.

But this raises another question: why only Chinese? The training data surely included vast amounts of text in Hindi, Thai, or Spanish. Yet, the model never switches to these languages. Why?

Some speculate this might be an intentional OpenAI experiment. Chinese tokens carry more information per token compared to other languages, making reasoning in Chinese potentially shorter and cheaper. If we consider that the model performs a kind of solution space search, reasoning in certain languages may yield correct answers more efficiently (possibly due to data imbalance), leading the model to favor these “branches.”

For now, this behavior remains a mystery. Hopefully, OpenAI will eventually shed some light on it.
#AI