If you’re part of the growing population that rents their homes (for example, 31% in Australia), rent seems to be a basic fact of life. The practice actually has its origins in pre-1789 France. In a “rente”, royals and their associates would borrow money from businessmen, paying a little back twice a year. However, the debt was only paid as long as a certain person—usually a public figure, but ultimately chosen by the lenders—lived. If that person died early, the contract was complete regardless of how much had been repaid. 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
Merv
March 25, 2023
