None of us is helpless. Our actions—as well as the actions we don’t take—make a real, tangible impact. So, ask yourself: in which direction will you push the world today?
Archiv: Wissenschaft / Wissenschaftler / science / scientists
Why the Price of Gas Is the Most Important Number in US Politics
Gasoline accounts for a shrinking share of household budgets, but its political power can still make or break a presidency.
Jeffrey Epstein Recruited NSA Codebreakers for Genome “Manhattan Project”
(February 10, 2026)
For the next decade, Epstein continued to recruit engineers from U.S. national security entities, including DARPA, to his genome hacking project. He asked Kathryn Ruemmler, the White House attorney who had handled the legal fallout from the Edward Snowden leaks, to help him source cryptographers from the National Security Agency. “Can you find a guy from nsa that can think about signal intelligence applied to DNA,” Epstein wrote . “I want to intercept communication between living cells in organisms.”
In late 2012, he had sent the same request to Boris Nikolic, Bill Gates’ top aide: “do you have any contacts at nsa so that we can use de encypriton (sic) in biological systems?” “Yes,” Nikolic replied, “There are no many places where I do not have someone ;)”
Epstein files: Nobel winner Axel quits Columbia U. brain institute over friendship with predator
Dr. Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said he is stepping down as co-director of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute on the heels of his association with notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein drawing public attention.
“My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret,” Axel said.
Axel won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2004 with Linda Buck “for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system,” the prize website notes.
Aschewolke auf Euer Haupt, Ihr Schwachköpfe
(May 25, 2011)
Es braucht eigentlich nur drei Sätze, um dieses ganze erbärmliche Debakel von Bananenrepublik zu umschreiben:
„Die Aschewolke aus Island hat Norddeutschland gar nicht erreicht. Das haben Messungen des Instituts für Physik der Atmosphäre beim Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt in Oberpfaffenhofen ergeben.“
Und:
„Sobald die Berechnungen des Vulkanaschezentrums in London sagten, dass die Grenzwerte überschritten seien, müsse dies als Wahrheit angenommen und eins zu eins umgesetzt werden.„
Mensch, macht doch einfach den Kopp zu, klappt die Republik hoch und legt Euch wieder hin.
DIE EU-AGENDA „SINGLE EUROPEAN SKY“ (III): Die Hintergründe des Flugverbots und wie es zustande kam
(April 19, 2010)
Es gibt weltweit neun „Volcanic Ash Advisory Center“ VAACs. Doch diese sind Teil der Wetterbehörden der Staaten, in welchen sie stationiert sind.
Das „Volcanic Ash Advisory Center“ VAAC in London ist Teil des „Meteorologischen Büros“ („Met Office“). Das „Met Office“ wiederum ist eines von nur zwei weltweit existierenden „World Area Forecast Centers“ (WAFC), auf welches die ICAO in ihrem Ausweichplan Bezug nimmt. Das gesamte Wetterbüro („Met Office“) wiederum gehört zum britischen Verteidigungsministerium.
Laut der offiziellen Zuteilung der von der ICAO eingerichteten neun existierenden „Beratungszentren für Vulkanasche“ („Volcanic Ash Advisory Center“) ist für unseren Luftraum nicht das VAAC in London, sondern das VAAC in Toulouse zuständig.
Trotzdem bleiben hier in Mitteleuropa derzeit Zehntausende Menschen am Boden, treten Milliardenschäden auf, müssen Regierungen mit dem Zug fahren und spielt sich ein surreales Schauspiel Orwell´schen Ausmaßes ab, nur wegen der Computersimulation einer Abteilung des britischen Verteidigungsministeriums: dem „Volcanic Ash Advisory Center“ in London.
Keine Regierungsbehörde, nirgendwo, nicht die Europäische Raumfahrtagentur ESA, nicht das „Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt“ (DLR), nicht der deutsche Wetterdienst, keine Wissenschaftler oder Akademiker, keine der vielen finanziell überfinanzierten „Institute“ oder gar Parlamentarier taten in den letzten Tagen irgendetwas. Niemand. Alle saßen sie nur rum und erzählten Dreck.
The Trial of Galileo: An Account
The trial by the Congregation moved to its conclusion. Several of the ten cardinals apparently pushed for Galileo‘s incarceration in prison, while those more supportive of Galileo argued that–with changes–the Dialogue ought to continue to be allowed to circulate. In the end, a majority of the cardinals–rejecting much of the Commissary‘s agreement with Galileo–demanded Galileo „even with the threat of torture…abjure in a plenary assembly of the Congregation of the Holy Office…[and] then be condemned to imprisonment at the pleasure of the Holy Congregation.“ Moreover, the cardinals declared, the Dialogue „is to be prohibited.“
The grand play ran its course, with the Pope insisting upon a formal sentence, a tough examination of Galileo, public abjuration, and „formal prison.“ Galileo was forced to appear once again for formal questioning about his true feelings concerning the Copernican system. Galileo obliged, so as not to risk being branded a heretic, testifying that „I held, as I still hold, as most true and indisputable, the opinion of Ptolemy, that is to say, the stability of the Earth and the motion of the Sun.“ Galileo‘s renunciation of Copernicanism ended with the words, „I affirm, therefore, on my conscience, that I do not now hold the condemned opinion and have not held it since the decision of authorities….I am here in your hands–do with me what you please.“
Magnetic effect on CO 2 solubility in seawater: A possible link between geomagnetic field variations and climate
(August 2008)
Correlations between geomagnetic-field and climate parameters have been suggested repeatedly, but possible links are controversially discussed. Here we test if weak (Earth-strength) magnetic fields can affect climatically relevant properties of seawater. We found the solubility of air in seawater to be by 15% lower under reduced magneticfield (20 mT) compared to normal field conditions (50 mT). The magnetic-field effect on CO2 solubility is twice as large, from which we surmise that geomagnetic field variations modulate the carbon exchange between atmosphere and ocean. A 1% reduction in magnetic dipole moment may release up to ten times more CO2 from the surface ocean than is emitted by subaerial volcanism.
(…)
The fact that the MF effect is similar among the molecular gases suggests that effects seen with air are not due to the paramagnetic susceptibility of O 2, which is too small to explain the observed magnetic-field effects in terms of magnetization effects.
Mysterious link between Earth’s magnetism and oxygen levels baffles scientists
(June 13, 2025)
The strength of Earth’s magnetic field seems to rise and fall in line with the abundance of oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere, a study of geological records spanning the past half a billion years has found.
Strong link between Earth’s oxygen level and geomagnetic dipole revealed since the last 540 million years
(June 13, 2025)
We search for possible observational evidence for such a relationship by examining evolutions of the virtual geomagnetic axial dipole moment and the atmospheric oxygen level over the past 540 million years. We find that both exhibit strong linearly increasing trends, coupled with a large surge in magnitude between 330 and 220 million years ago.
NASA Scientists Find Ties Between Earth’s Oxygen and Magnetic Field
(June 18, 2025)
Data for both Earth’s magnetic field and oxygen extend over comparable ranges in databases that myriad geophysicists and geochemists have compiled. Until now, the authors of the new study say, no scientists had made a detailed comparison of the records.
A long ‘journey’ for Nobel chemistry winner born to Palestinian refugees
(October 8, 2025)
U.S. chemist Omar Yaghi, who on Wednesday became the first Palestinian scientist to win a Nobel Prize, reached the pinnacle of his profession after “quite a journey,” he said in remarks posted to X from the official Nobel account, recorded just after he learned the news.
He was born into a family of refugees, he told the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded him the Nobel Prize in chemistry for groundbreaking work in molecular architecture, along with collaborators Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson. “My parents could barely read or write,” he said.
Reaktor Garching darf mit hochangereichertem Uran weiterlaufen
(Juni 21, 2024)
Im Garchinger Forschungsreaktor werden normalerweise wissenschaftliche Experimente – etwa im Bereich Quantentechnologie oder Archäologie – durchgeführt. Daneben produzieren Kunden aus der Industrie zum Beispiel Radioisotope und Radiopharmaka für die Krebsdiagnostik und -behandlung. Die TUM verweist aber etwa auch darauf, dass Forschende des späteren Corona-Impfstoffherstellers „Biontech“ in der Garchinger Neutronenquelle mRNA-Partikel untersucht hätten.
Forschungsreaktor darf mit hochangereichertem Uran weiterlaufen
(Juni 2024)
Der Forschungsreaktor war im Jahr 2004 als eine der wichtigsten
Neutronenquellen Europas für Forschung, Medizin und Industrie in
Betrieb gegangen. Der Betrieb mit bis zu 93 Prozent angereichertem
Uran war bis Ende 2010 genehmigt, dann sollte auf maximal 50 Prozent
umgestellt werden. Mangels dieses Brennstoffs wurde der Betrieb bis
jetzt aber von den Behörden weiter genehmigt.
«Es geht hier um extrem wichtige Forschungsinfrastruktur für Bayern,
Deutschland und Europa», betonte Minister Blume. Die in Garching
gewonnene kerntechnische Expertise sei beispielsweise entscheidend
für medizinischen Fortschritt.
Reaktor Garching darf mit hochangereichertem Uran weiterlaufen
(Juni 21, 2024)
Im Garchinger Forschungsreaktor werden normalerweise wissenschaftliche Experimente – etwa im Bereich Quantentechnologie oder Archäologie – durchgeführt. Daneben produzieren Kunden aus der Industrie zum Beispiel Radioisotope und Radiopharmaka für die Krebsdiagnostik und -behandlung. Die TUM verweist aber etwa auch darauf, dass Forschende des späteren Corona-Impfstoffherstellers „Biontech“ in der Garchinger Neutronenquelle mRNA-Partikel untersucht hätten.
Iran reaffirms commitment to peaceful nuclear development despite attacks
In a post on its official account on the social platform X, the AEOI declared: „Iran stands firm… Relying on the determination of our nuclear scientists, we will continue the path of developing peaceful nuclear technology with strength and resolve. The cowardly attacks by enemies are no match for the will of this nation.“
Iran urges emergency UN Security Council meeting, vows response to Israeli strikes
Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces; Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC); Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters; Dr. Fereydoun Abbasi, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization; and Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a leading nuclear physicist and academic, were all confirmed killed in the attack.
10 Questions and Answers About Israel’s Attack on Iran
10. Which parts of Iran were targeted?
Confirmed strikes hit Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Hamedan, Ahvaz, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, and Qasr-e Shirin.
How Research Reactors Help Make Medical Imaging Possible
(August 10, 2020)
From reactor to patients
Research reactors are reactors that, instead of generating electricity, are primarily used to produce neutrons for other applications. These neutrons can be used for various purposes, such as to produce 99Mo by irradiating uranium-235 targets.
Being a radioisotope, 99Mo is an unstable atom that undergoes decay. It takes 66 hours for half of any 99Mo produced to decay — this is known as its half-life. The decay product of 99Mo, also called its ‘daughter product’, is 99mTc.
To get 99mTc, the irradiated uranium-235 targets are moved to a processing installation, usually near a research reactor, to separate 99Mo from the other fission products and purify it. The purified 99Mo is then transported to a production facility for 99Mo/99mTc generators — devices used to safely hold, transport and chemically extract 99mTc from 99Mo directly on site at a hospital or other medical facility.
What Is Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99)?
Our fusion-based medical isotope production system produces high-specific-activity molybdenum-99 using a proprietary fusion-fission process, without the need for a conventional reactor and the use of inefficient highly enriched uranium. We believe that our production of Mo-99 in the United States will mitigate, if not prevent chronic shortages by producing the isotope in an efficient, clean, low-cost manner compatible with the existing radioisotope supply chain.
What is molybdenum-99 used for?
Molybdenum-99 is the parent isotope of technetium-99m, a gamma-emitting isotope used as a radioactive tracer in medical imaging procedures such as SPECT scans. Tech-99m is used in tens of millions of medical diagnostic procedures around the world every year. It is a critical medical tool for diagnosing heart disease, bone disease, and cancer.
Tech-99m has a very short half-life; of any given supply, nearly all of it will decay in under a day. Its short half-life makes it extremely useful as a tracer, but also makes it impossible to stockpile
Wanderers
„Wanderers“ is my short science fiction film envisioning our humanity‘s future expansion into the Solar System. Although admittedly speculative, the visuals in the film are all based on scientific ideas and concepts of what our future in space might look like, if it ever happens.
All the locations depicted in the film are digital recreations of actual places in the Solar System, built from real photos and map data where available.
FBI spied on Albert Einstein for 22 years until his death
The FBI started spying on renowned German-born scientist Albert Einstein when he moved to America in 1933, shortly before Adolf Hitler rose to power. Agents listened to the physicist‘s phone calls and searched his mail and trash, suspecting he was a Soviet spy. The surveillance, totalling 1,800 pages, ended with Einstein‘s death on April 18, 1955, with no supporting evidence.
The technology: A solar panel that produces hydrogen
Air contains moisture. The water molecules in the air are captured by the panel when the airstream enters the device.
Solhyd technology can be applied in many locations around the globe. Only the most arid places on Earth are expected to be too dry for hydrogen panels to work efficiently.
Explosions shake various areas in Syria, including scientific research centers
In turn, the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights reported over 250 Israeli airstrikes on Syria in 48 hours.
These strikes follow Sunday‘s attacks on strategic locations in Syria, where Israel targeted a major security complex and missile research center in Damascus‘s Kafr Sousa district, as well as military sites in southern Syria.
Successful production of hydrogen panels
(November 15, 2024)
Solhyd not only develops technology to produce hydrogen from air and sunlight. We also develop methods to produce that technology in a cost-effective and reliable manner. Efficient production, with cost reductions driven by scale benefits, will eventually lead to the lowest cost approach to make hydrogen from solar energy.
We took the first step in that process this year.
Green energy breakthrough thanks to KU Leuven scientists
(02 October 2019)
For over a decade, Professor Johan Martens and Drs. Tom Bosserez, Jan Rongé and Christos Trompoukis have been developing a ‘solar hydrogen panel’, i.e. a solar panel that can create hydrogen from the water vapour in the air. Using sunlight, moisture taken from the air – i.e. no liquid water – is split into hydrogen on the one hand, and oxygen molecules on the other.
The panel is able to directly convert no less than 15 per cent of sunlight into hydrogen gas, Which is a world record
War on Gaza: Israel‘s killing of Palestinian intellectual leaders is an incalculable
Indeed, the Israeli army’s killing of Palestinian scientists, intellectuals and artists appears to be part of a systematic attempt to destroy Palestinian cultural life. Such voices are essential for educating the next generation of Palestinians. Their loss is incalculable.