In the Soviet Union, unhappiness could have been considered dissent, as the state declared suffering “obsolete” after it empowered its people. So, when writing letters to state officials, people living under Soviet rule were careful to word their plights in a “politically acceptable” manner. In one letter, a woman made sure to convey that her troubles were not due to inaction. She expressed that she was willing to improve herself and her situation despite the bad luck that had befallen her, including her measle-afflicted child and cheating husband. Read full article here
Science
‘Ghostly’ neutrinos provide new path to study protons
In groundbreaking research, an international collaboration of scientists from the University of Rochester have used a beam of neutrinos to measure the size and shape of the protons that make up the nuclei of atoms. This feat, once thought impossible, provides scientists with a new way of looking at the small components of an atom’s nucleus and opens up a wealth of new information about the structure of an atom’s nucleus and the dynamics of the forces that affect neutrino interactions. The researchers solved the challenge of harnessing neutrinos in large numbers by using a neutrino detector containing a target of both hydrogen and carbon atoms, and over nine years of data collection at Fermilab’s accelerator. Read full article here