When dealing with temperature, you can go hotter than hot, but not colder than absolute zero. Theoretically, you can't go below -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise known as 0 Kelvin. At that temperature, an entirely new form of matter is created called the Bose-Einstein condensate, a sort of quantum state that atoms collapse into when near absolute zero. Scientists have begun experimenting on this quantum matter and have come up with some interesting data. Details in the full article.

Albert Einstein's principle of equivalence states that objects of different mass still fall at the same speed when influenced by gravity. After being accepted for years, the physics community are now planning to subject this very principle to test.

The efforts are being led by Standford University and actual testing will begin in a couple of months. How exactly are they going to do it? Know the full details after the jump!

Physicists at the University of Michigan brought one of Einstein's experiments in quantum physics to new lengths. The scientists managed to change the state of one atom by manipulating another atom that's a considerable distance away. The findings could eventually lead to the construction of a quantum computer, or even a quantum internet.

The process where one atom affects another that's far away is called "entanglement" and is one of the many strange qualities of quantum physics. There's no known way of how these two particles interact with each other; scientists liken the process to flipping two coins, where the result of one affects the other.

The experiment had two atoms of ytterbium trapped in enclosures a meter apart. By entangling the two atoms, the state of one dictated the state of the other. This will still be the case even if one were taken "to Jupiter." A very mysterious quirk, and as Einstein once described it, very "spooky."

While current tech transmits data through the air or through cables, quantum tech (if developed the right way) could transmit data directly from one atom to another in no time at all, which could lead to a whole new era of quantum computers and a quantum internet.

A principle element of Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity is that the speed of light cannot be broken. Until today that it. Two German physicists have allegedly been able force light to break its own speed threshold (186,000 mi/sec) in one of their experiments.

The experiments centered on the movement of highly charged packets of light called microwave photons. These photons were moved through two prisms which were eventually separated.

While most of the photons bounced off the first prism they hit, a few were able to get through because of quantum tunneling, an event where particles are charged to the point that it can penetrate an obstacle or barrier.

These rogue packets of light had to travel farther than those that were bounced of the prism to get to the machine collecting the data. Theoretically, one should arrive before the other; however, all the packets arrived at the same time. This indicates a discrepancy in speed between both the reflected and tunneling packets, thus leading the scientists to believe that the latter was actually moving faster than the speed of light.

If this experiment can be reproduced and confirmed, then it could change the laws of Physics as we know it considering a lot of the theories have been based on the assumption that the light speed "barrier" cannot be surpassed.

While mathematicians are known to act more like lone wolves when working out a tough mathematical problem, it took the combined minds of 18 mathematicians from America and Europe working for four years to finally detail a vast and exceedingly complex numerical "structure" called E8.

According to the Telegraph, the team used a mixture of theoretical mathematics and intricate computer programming to successfully map E8, which is an example of a Lie (pronounced "Lee") group. Lie groups were invented by the 19th century Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie to study symmetry.

This breakthrough could have unforeseen implications in the fields of mathematics and physics in the years to come. Prof Jeffrey Adams, Project Leader, at the University of Maryland, said that this achievement is "significant both as an advance in basic knowledge, as well as a major advance in the use of large scale computing to solve complicated mathematical problems."

"While mathematicians have known for a long time about the beauty and the uniqueness of E8, we physicists have come to appreciate its exceptional role only more recently," said Hermann Nicolai, Director of the Albert Einstein Institute in Potsdam, Germany. "Yet, in our attempts to unify gravity with the other fundamental forces into a consistent theory of quantum gravity, we now encounter it at almost every corner."

The Telegraph reports that the result of the E8 calculation is 60 gigabytes in size, enough to store 45 days of continuous music in MP3 format. According to calculations made by the E8 team, if all the numbers were written out in small type, they would cover an area the size of Manhattan.

This just goes to show how much we do not know about our universe and how things really behave and move about over the years even with the advancement of the human mind and technology. Prepare for a long read because recently, scientists have been busy debunking and questioning nature's fundamental laws and they have found discreprancies that will show that the value of certain fundamental parameters, such as the speed of light or the invisible glue that holds nuclei together, may have been different in the past. So constants, seems to not be real constants.

The said differences are small, a few ppms, but even the smallest of changes would mean that the laws of physics would have to be revised--if not completely rewritten. Plus aside from the three spatial dimensions that we have grown accustomed to (length, width, and height), it seems that we might need to make room for six more spatial dimensions.

The evidence for varying constants that scientists rely on comes primarily from quasar studies. A quasar is an astronomical source of electromagnetic energy, including light, that dwarfs the energy output of the brightest stars. This one is bright and usually powered by black holes. It may readily release energy in levels equal to the output of hundreds of average galaxies combined.

Astronomer Michael Murphy heads the team that has been studying the spectra of this ancient light to determine if the early universe was different than now. Specifically, they look at absorption lines, which are due to gas clouds between us and the quasars. These lines are like fingerprints and DNA, it reveals what's in the clouds. All seems well until in 1999, the team found out that these fingerprints and DNA change in time.

How? By using the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, they detected a frequency difference between billion-year-old quasar lines and the corresponding lines measured on Earth. Also they  recently performed careful lab experiments to confirm that there is indeed a shift in the quasar spectra, since some of those Earth-bound lines are not well characterized.

So, what does this mean? Because of the difference between quasars of today and those of billion years ago, this was interpreted as indicating that light was faster in the past, or that the electron had a weaker charge. Thus grilling the Fundamental Law of the Speed of Light and that electrons had a weaker charge.

Another finding from the team of Patrick Petitjean in the Astrophysical Institute of Paris revealed that a change in the proton to electron mass ratio from molecular absorption lines in quasar spectra. Which coincides with the observed electrron charge change in the Murphy study.

And talk about rewriting the Laws of Physics. If this is proven to be accurate and true, this would be a deviance in Albert Einstein's Theories-- the Equivalence Theory which basically says that  any experiment testing nuclear or electromagnetic forces should give the same result no matter where or when it is performed; and the Gravitational Theory or general relativity.

Between the Third Dimension, which is where we are right now, and the Fifth Dimension, which was a popular group back in the 70s, lies the Fourth Dimension. And the existence of this fourth spatial dimension could be proven using a satellite scheduled to be launched next year. Although still in they-think-it-exists stage, the 4th dimension could give rise to thousands of mini-black holes within our own solar system. 

Black holes of various masses are thought to have been generated by the Big Bang as elementary particles. If Einstein's theory of general relativity is correct, the smallest of "primordial" black holes should have dissipated by now through a quantum process called Hawking radiation.

Alternative theories say these small black holes could still exist because of the existence of the 4th dimension which is lacking in theory of general relativity. "That [extra spatial dimension] changes the rate at which black holes radiate, so you can slow down the evaporation quite substantially," says Charles Keeton, a physicist at Rutgers University.

The full article awaits after the jump!

...but with far more benefits to humanity. The quote in this entry's title is from an Arthur C. Clarke novel, "Rendezvous With Rama." In the beginning of this novel, Clarke describes the horrific destruction that takes place when part of Southern Europe is struck by an asteroid. After this event, humanity begins turning its energies from war and conflict to the exploration of space.

There is little doubt to any rational person that, while highly dangerous, the potential economic and social benefits of space exploration are huge. Now, there is a free e-book available in which leading scientists from around the world respond to the statement: "I believe that space activities are impacting society through......"

When weapons are created, purchased and used, resources, lives and property are destroyed. Albert Einstein stated that every bomb manufactured represented theft from hungry children.

On the other hand, when the same resources and energies are turned to exploration and knowledge, the benefits have been enormous. Unfortunately, in the past, these benefits have been confined to rulers and corporations at the expense of indigenous peoples and local environments.

I believe if we can learn from the mistakes of the past, acknowledge that we are all connected and that the wealth of the universe is the birthright of all, turning investment away from weapons of destruction to instruments of exploration can help us to realize the future the late Gene Roddenberry once envisioned.

The e-book, "The Impact of Space Activities Upon Society," is available at the Space and Society website, downloadable in .pdf format.