Jul 12, 2018 08:52 PM
(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2018 08:55 PM by C C.)
The Human Eye Could Help Test Quantum Mechanics
https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...mechanics/
EXCERPT: . . . Rather than simply sending single photons toward a volunteer’s eye through either the left or the right fiber, the idea is to send photons in a quantum superposition of effectively traversing both fibers at once. Will humans see any difference? According to standard quantum mechanics, they will not—but such a test has never been done. If Kwiat’s team produces conclusive results showing otherwise, it would question our current understanding of the quantum world, opening the door to alternative theories that argue for a dramatically different view of nature in which reality exists regardless of observations or observers, cutting against the grain of how quantum mechanics is interpreted today. “It could possibly be evidence that something’s going on beyond standard quantum mechanics,” says Rebecca Holmes, Kwiat’s former student who designed the equipment, and who is now a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The effort to determine whether humans can directly detect single photons has a storied history....
EXCERPT: https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...mechanics/
Emerging sex disease MG could become next resistant superbug
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44777938
EXCERPT: A little known sexually transmitted infection could become the next superbug unless people become more vigilant, experts are warning. Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) often has no symptoms but can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can leave some women infertile. MG can be missed - and if it is not treated correctly, it can develop resistance to antibiotics. The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV is launching new advice. Its draft guidelines detail how best to spot and treat MG....
MORE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44777938
https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...mechanics/
EXCERPT: . . . Rather than simply sending single photons toward a volunteer’s eye through either the left or the right fiber, the idea is to send photons in a quantum superposition of effectively traversing both fibers at once. Will humans see any difference? According to standard quantum mechanics, they will not—but such a test has never been done. If Kwiat’s team produces conclusive results showing otherwise, it would question our current understanding of the quantum world, opening the door to alternative theories that argue for a dramatically different view of nature in which reality exists regardless of observations or observers, cutting against the grain of how quantum mechanics is interpreted today. “It could possibly be evidence that something’s going on beyond standard quantum mechanics,” says Rebecca Holmes, Kwiat’s former student who designed the equipment, and who is now a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The effort to determine whether humans can directly detect single photons has a storied history....
EXCERPT: https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...mechanics/
Emerging sex disease MG could become next resistant superbug
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44777938
EXCERPT: A little known sexually transmitted infection could become the next superbug unless people become more vigilant, experts are warning. Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) often has no symptoms but can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can leave some women infertile. MG can be missed - and if it is not treated correctly, it can develop resistance to antibiotics. The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV is launching new advice. Its draft guidelines detail how best to spot and treat MG....
MORE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44777938