Plus: The end of the universe; Microbes that eat viruses; Real-life pathogens that cause zombie-like behavior

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser QUANTUM PHYSICS | ALL TOPICS   Physicists Use Quantum Mechanics to Pull Energy out of Nothing By CHARLIE WOOD The quantum energy teleportation protocol was proposed in 2008 and largely ignored. Now two independent experiments have shown that it works. Read the article THE JOY OF WHY   How Will the Universe End? Podcast hosted by STEVEN STROGATZ Big Freeze, Big Rip, Big Crunch, Bounce or vacuum decay? Steven Strogatz speaks with theoretical cosmologist Katie Mack about the five ways that scientists think the universe could come to an end. Listen to the podcast Read the transcript MICROBIOLOGY   With Nothing to Eat Except Viruses, Some Microbes Thrive By YASEMIN SAPLAKOGLU Microbiologists have found that "virovores" — organisms that survive and multiply by eating viruses — might influence the flow of energy through ecosystems. Read the blog QUANTIZED COLUMNS   Can a Fungus Really Take Over Our Brains? By TARA C. SMITH Several real-life pathogens can change a host's behavior against their will. Here's what we know about these zombie-like infections. Read the column Related:  How to Permanently End Diseases By Tara C. Smith (2019) Around the Web Good Vibes Our planet reverberates like a bell for days after a major earthquake. Researchers have now used these seismic waves to work out new details in the structure of Earth's inner core, reports Bianca Nogrady for Nature. Seismic measurements previously revealed that the structure of Earth's mantle is more complex than was thought. In 2020, Joshua Sokol wrote for Quanta about the discovery of two giant subterranean continents that are tied to volcanic activity and the evolution of the planet. Dodo Redo A biotech company wants to resurrect the dodo bird, reports Ewen Callaway for Nature. It plans to edit the genes of the bird's closest living relative, the iridescent-feathered Nicobar pigeon, to match that of the dodo. Even if this method succeeds, however, researchers will only have produced a hybrid rather than a truly resurrected dodo. Last year, Yasemin Saplakoglu explained for Quanta why de-extinction is impossible. Follow Quanta Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010 Unsubscribe | About Quanta Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2023 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of the Simons Foundation