Dark Matter, Ozone, Proton Therapy, and Web3 (Patreon)

Physicists Look for Dark Matter with Atomic Clocks (And Don’t Find It)

Theoretical physicists from the University of Sussex and the U.K.’s National Physical Laboratory have proposed a method of using atomic clocks to look for certain types of dark matter particles (ultralight particles that include axions). According to the idea, if we pass through clouds of dark matter particles, the frequencies of atomic clocks might subtly shift. The proposal itself is not new, but in the new paper, the authors have put forward a more sophisticated analysis for atomic clock data that allows them to look for a broader class of particles. Their data analysis didn’t reveal the presence of any dark matter particles. Press release here, paper here.

New Chinese Satellite Delivers Ozone Data With Unprecedented Accuracy

Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China used a spectrometer onboard the Gaofen-5 satellite to measure the ozone layer, and they have been able to resolve it in remarkable detail. Using a combination of ultraviolet measurements and clever algorithms, they could infer the vertical distribution of ozone and could even see recent stratospheric intrusion events, which happen when air from the stratosphere pushes down where it normally doesn’t belong.

Ozone (O3) in the stratosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet UV-B radiation. As climate change affects global wind patterns, ozone might redistribute, so we need to keep an eye on that. It won’t help us solve any problems, but at least we will know how badly we’ve messed up. Press release here, paper here.

Proton Beam Therapy Works Well to Treat Breast Cancer

Proton beam treatment apparatus. Image: Llorenzi/Wikimedia Commons

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center have recently completed a randomised trial comparing a condensed 15-day course of proton beam therapy for breast cancer with a traditional 25- to 30-day course of the same treatment. They found that both conventional and condensed proton therapy regimens resulted in excellent control of the cancer, but the condensed course of therapy was associated with lower risk of skin side effects.

Proton beams deposit energy into tissue in very narrowly-focused regions, and can therefore be applied very precisely, reducing unwanted damage to the surrounding tissue. This type of therapy is currently very rare because it requires a proton accelerator, which is a big and quite expensive machine. Press release here, full paper here.