麻豆传媒

Twisteddoodles: lab-level smarts and 鈥榬eal-world鈥� wisdom

This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles

Bottom view of the LEGEND-200 liquid argon cryostat and the enclosing water tank. The inner walls of the water tank and the outer wall of the cryostat are covered with a wavelength-shifting mirror film. The purpose is to shift and reflect the light produced by muons via the Cherenkov effect in the water. The photons are detected by photosensors. The purpose of this detector component is to detect and identify cosmic ray muons, some of which still reach the experiment despite being located deep underground the Gran Sasso mountain. (fyi: The muon flux is reduced by a factor 106 (one million) by the rock). If not identified, the muon induced events could mimic the searched signal events.

Technology

This gleaming experiment may solve the cosmic mystery of antimatter

Why can鈥檛 I judge the temperature of bathwater with my left hand?

The universe is expanding, but what exactly is it expanding into?

portrait of three cute birds Tits in the Park sitting on a branch among bright autumn foliage during a snowfall; Shutterstock ID 746387077; purchase_order: 15 Jan 2021 issue; job: 15Jan 2021 - Back pages; client: Photo; other:

This week鈥檚 new questions

Space

Help discover the origins of meteor showers by spotting shooting stars

Humans

Not so lightweight: Hamsters handle their drink better than elephants

Tom Gauld explores the increasingly bizarre signs of the times

Twisteddoodles: A tongue-in-cheek guide to chemical labelling

Male Leach's sea star (Leiaster leachi) broadcast spawning, releasing streams of sperm from its arms. Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

Life

Electrifying image shows starfish spawning

This Leach's sea star was photographed spawning in synchronisation with other nearby individuals off the coast of Japan by Tony Wu

Humans

Winter is purple sprouting broccoli’s time to shine

Do house spiders released outside survive, or navigate back?

If my brain atoms were replaced with identical ones, am I still me?

Do magnets have any effects on human cells? (part 2)