Portal:Science
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Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into two or three major branches: the natural sciences (e.g., physics, chemistry, and biology), which study the physical world; and the behavioural sciences (e.g., economics, psychology, and sociology), which study individuals and societies. The formal sciences (e.g., logic, mathematics, and theoretical computer science), which study formal systems governed by axioms and rules, are sometimes described as being sciences as well; however, they are often regarded as a separate field because they rely on deductive reasoning instead of the scientific method or empirical evidence as their main methodology. Applied sciences are disciplines that use scientific knowledge for practical purposes, such as engineering and medicine. (Full article...)
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Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from matter that does not. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, organisation, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. All life over time eventually reaches a state of death, and none is immortal. Many philosophical definitions of living systems have been proposed, such as self-organizing systems. Viruses in particular make definition difficult as they replicate only in host cells. Life exists all over the Earth in air, water, and soil, with many ecosystems forming the biosphere. Some of these are harsh environments occupied only by extremophiles. (Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that several science fiction critics praised "Rock Diver", the first short story by American writer Harry Harrison, for its compelling take on technology for passing through matter?
- ... that the calling patterns of the Japanese tree frog have been used in wireless network design, furthering an area of science known as swarm intelligence?
- ... that science fiction authors who want to avoid the paradoxes associated with time travel may instead write about time viewers?
- ... that after Ursula K. Le Guin published her collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters, a reviewer called her the "ideal science fiction writer for readers who ordinarily dislike science fiction"?
- ... that Science Park station was built despite the objections of the operating agency?
- ... that Australian Madeleine Steere played water polo professionally in Turkey after studying biomolecular science in the United States?
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Science News
- 5 November 2024 –
- Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan launch LignoSat, the world's first wooden satellite constructed without screws or glue, into space. It will orbit Earth for six months. (DW)
- 10 October 2024 –
- In its annual Living Planet report, the World Wildlife Fund estimates that wild populations of animal species have decreased over 70% since 1970, with some high-biodiversity areas seeing up to 95% declines. (DW)
- 10 October 2024 – Tomb of Christopher Columbus
- Researchers from the University of Granada confirm that bones lying in the Seville Cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, belonged to Christopher Columbus. (ABC Spain)
- 9 October 2024 – Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry is jointly awarded to British computer scientist Demis Hassabis and American chemist John M. Jumper for their work on protein structure prediction, and to American biochemist and computational biologist David Baker for his work on computational protein design. (The New York Times) (Nobel Prize)
- 8 October 2024 – Nobel Prize in Physics
- American physicist John Hopfield and British-Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton are awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physics "for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks". (The Guardian)
- 24 September 2024 –
- Scientists from the University of Waterloo announce that they have positively identified bones found on King William Island in Nunavut, Canada, as those of James Fitzjames, captain of HMS Erebus during Franklin's lost expedition. (CBC News)