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Strange Theories that Defy Logic but Have Scientific Backing

(A Twitter thread)

5. Negative Mass
Negative mass is a hypothetical type of exotic matter whose mass is of opposite sign to the mass of normal matter. For example, if a normal object has a mass of 5 kg, a negative-mass object would have a mass of -5 kg. Unlike normal matter, negative mass would exhibit strange properties such as the oppositely oriented acceleration for an applied force orientation. This means that if you push an object with negative mass, it accelerates towards you instead of away from you.

In 2017, physicists at Washington State University created a fluid with negative mass in laboratory conditions. They cooled rubidium atoms to just above absolute zero, creating a Bose-Einstein condensate. By using lasers to change the way the atoms spin, they created conditions where the rubidium behaved as if it had negative mass.

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VisionaryVoid

Law experts chime in on first criminal conviction of a president in U.S. history

When news broke Thursday that the first president in U.S. history was convicted of a crime, animated responses rang out from politicians and legal experts all across Washington state.

University of Washington Law Professor Jessica West said in an interview, “It’s a good and strong system. They had a chance to present their testimony. Mr. Trump could have testified if he wanted to. There were lots of protections in place.”

Cornell Clayton, professor of political science and director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University, agreed with West in saying he was not shocked by the jury’s verdict in the trial.

“It wasn’t surprising for those who had followed the trial, given how the evidence came in,” Clayton said, adding that the defense “didn’t provide any sort of alternative narrative to rebut the prosecutors’ case.”

Clayton said the verdict may have more of an impact on the institution of the presidency in the long run than it does on the 2024 election.

“I think, historically, it’s extremely important that for the first time we have a president who’s been convicted, criminally convicted, and that will change the way we think about the presidency,” he said, comparing the trial’s outcome to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

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The Spokesman-Review
Yahoo! News

Federal Law Makes Weed Research Complicated

Scientists want to understand how commercially available cannabis products affect users. They have to get creative to research it legally.

Dr. Carrie Cuttler, an associate professor at Washington State University and the director of its Health and Cognition Lab, has watched research participants use cannabis over Zoom for some of her studies. Her lab has investigated links between cannabis and creativity, as well as the drug’s effects on cognition, mental health, and stress. She developed her research methods with Washington State authorities, and created a procedure where she watches participants use cannabis remotely. “I just observe a legal act,” she says.

Cuttler says the Zoom method lets her avoid illegal entanglement with a Schedule I drug, but a drawback is she’s unable to take the physiological measurements, like blood draws or heart rate, that the mobile laboratory enables.

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ScienceFriday

Christians Supplied Medieval Pagans With Horses for Sacrifice

Pagans in northern Europe’s Baltic region imported horses from neighboring Christian countries during the late medieval period to sacrifice in funeral rituals, a study has revealed.

The research, published in the journal Science Advances, analysed the teeth of horses buried in the cemeteries of these communities and discovered that the pagans sourced at least some of the animals from newly Christianized Scandinavia across the Baltic Sea.

This challenges the traditional archaeological consensus that pagan Baltic tribes exclusively sacrificed horses from local breeds, while also casting light on the complex relationship these groups had with Christian communities.

“Our results prove that horses were crossing the Baltic Sea on ships, a level of mobility not previously recognized archaeologically,” the study authors wrote.

“Given the unexpected prevalence of mares, we believe the prestige of the animal, coming from afar was a more important factor in why they were chosen for this rite,” study lead author Katherine French—formerly of Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion, now based at Washington State University—said in a press release.

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Newsweek
Archaeo Histories

Candidate wants to use the national guard to solve homelessness

Republican candidate for governor Semi Bird wants to use the Washington National Guard to solve homelessness. The legality of that idea is an open question according to legal scholars.

Bird’s campaign website says that if he is elected governor he will declare a state of emergency and deploy the national guard…under Article 3, Section 8 of the Washington state constitution].

University of Washington law school professor Hugh Spitzer, a leading state constitution scholar, thinks it is unlikely Bird could actually make such a move.

Cornel Clayton, a Washington State University political science professor and the director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service, expressed similar skepticism.

“My initial reaction is that this is not what that clause in the constitution was intended for.  Rather, it contemplates calling up the national guard during an emergency,” Clayton said.

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KHQ