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Thursday, November 3, 2022

The Proton - FAR from the basic, boring particle you've been taught

 Protons are incredibly complex quantum critters, it turns out! Most learn they are particles stuck in the nucleus. A few learn they are not fundamental particles, but instead made from quarks (2 ups, 1 down). And basically no one learns they are complex, changing bags of gluons and quarks, in a quantum world where just about anything goes! The theory of what happens in the nucleus and nucleons is quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which is a difficult mathematical theory, to say the least. 

Check out this article from Quanta Magazine (which I also highly recommend)!



UN Adaptation Report

 This U.N. report looks at adaptive strategies around the world for climate change that is already here and what's coming. Adaptation to climate change is one of two necessary pathways running in parallel - the second is direct mitigation efforts to reduce the effect of climate change. Projections for costs of each are staggering, and it's not clear whether much of either will be able to get done without the committed financial backing of developed nations.