Ukrainian company Ukrspecsystems has announced the launch of its latest product, the One Punch, a specialized unmanned aerial system designed primarily for the interception of airborne threats, including the strike UAVs employed by opposing forces. During the development of the system, the engineering team focused on three key characteristics that directly affect the effectiveness of engaging […]
A further illustration of the drive to accelerate defense programs is the U.S. Air Force’s decision to involve an active operational pilot in joint flights with a test pilot during the early stages of the B-21 Raider nuclear bomber’s flight-test program. Military aircraft testing traditionally follows a well-defined sequence that precedes operational deployment. Historically, this […]
Valve has some good news and bad news about Steam Controllers. The good news: If you make a reservation for a Steam Controller, the company will now show you one of three estimates of when you'll be able to actually order your gamepad: by September 2026, by December 2026, or sometime in 2027. The bad news: Any reservations made today "indicate a 2027 date for shipping," Valve says.
"We have no plans to stop making Steam Controller," according to Valve. "But as we look at the current demand compared to how many we know we can make by the end of the year, we want to manage expectations as much as we can with regards to when folks can expect t …
You don’t need a Game Boy Camera or a GB Operator dock to use Epilogue’s new Flashback app. | Image: Epilogue
The $50 GB Operator is an accessory that lets you connect, play, and authenticate Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges on PCs and other devices. Now it's getting some new functionality for the Game Boy Camera. After turning the Game Boy Camera into a charmingly awful desktop webcam two years ago, device-maker Epilogue has just released an iOS/Android mobile app so you can take photos while the Game Boy accessory is connected to your smartphone through the GB Operator.
The Game Boy Camera was a terrible camera even by 1998 standards when it was released. It captured 0.01434-megapixel images in just four shades of gray an …
California’s utility-scale solar plants are generating more electricity than natural gas for most days of the year in 2026, according to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Private equity firm EQT is acquiring Exolaunch, a company that has handled the rideshare launches of hundreds of satellites, to help it meet growing launch demand.
During a recent expo in Shanghai that focuses on elderly care, assistive devices, and rehabilitation medicine, a Chinese company called Yueban debuted a smart toilet that does something we haven't seen before; it comes to you. The autonomous self-driving Xiaoban toilet was designed to improve accessibility for those dealing with mobility issues due to age, injuries, or disabilities. It's expected to sell for ¥28,999 yuan in China, or nearly $4,300, according to IT Home, but global availability hasn't been confirmed.
Wealth tax criticized by billionaires and Gavin Newsom would levy a one-time 5% tax on residents worth over $1bn
A popular proposal in California to impose a wealth tax on billionaires has gained enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in November, state officials announced on Wednesday.
The news is set to intensify an already heated debate around the tax, which has pitted tech moguls and the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, against the labor union backing the measure.
Physicists have revealed that the unusual decay of an “exotic” subatomic particle could offer new clues to its mysterious structure.
The discovery, reported by a team of physicists in a study published in Physical Review Letters, argues that it provides the first “crucial discrimination” between current theoretical models of a variety of subatomic particles known as the Ds(2317) meson.
Exotic Subatomic Mysteries
The new research has its beginnings more than two decades ago, with the initial detection of an unusual particle known as the Ds(2317) meson. Part of what makes this particle unique is the fact that it possesses one charm quark (or “c quark,” a kind of elementary particle) and one strange antiquark—the third lightest of all the known quarks.
It was deemed a major discovery at the time, and for good reason: it seemed to point at a significant discrepancy between the particle’s measured mass of 2.317 GeV/c2, and predictions based on estimates that placed it significantly higher, at around 2.4 GeV/c2.
Now, in a new study by researchers with the Belle and Belle II Collaboration, observations of previously undetected behaviors that include never-before-seen light-emissions during the particle’s decay have been described for the first time.
Based on their analysis, the team believes their new findings mark not only a significant first in the study of these particles, but that they may also help researchers solve the longstanding mystery involving apparent discrepancies between the observed and expected mass values for the Ds(2317) meson.
The findings, the team says, could also provide physicists with deeper insights into the fundamental forces that currently bind matter.
Unraveling a Baffling Discrepancy
The team approached the problem by first proposing a range of different models that could potentially describe the internal structure of the Ds(2317) meson. Of key importance was the fact that each of the different models allows researchers to predict a specific range of potential values for the particle’s decay.
This was achieved based on the probability that the Ds(2317 meson will decay by emitting a gamma ray, which was then divided by an entirely separate probability: that the particle would emit a pion—a type of meson with a mass roughly 270 times that of an electron—rather than a gamma ray.
Based on these two possibilities, the team determined that measurements indicating a ratio of greater than 8.1% would point to the likelihood that the meson represents a compact state involving quark-antiquark models.
However, if the calculated value turned out to be lower—specifically in the range of between 0.5% and 4.25%—that would instead favor models that describe the particle as functioning closer to being a sort of molecule-like state of two separate mesons.
Well Above Standard Deviations
With such values in mind, the team then went to work to determine which was more likely with help from data collected by the Japanese KEKB and SuperKEKB electron–positron colliders.
Using this information, the particle’s gamma-emitting decay was successfully detected, revealing a statistical significance above ten standard deviations. Next, the Belle and Belle II Collaboration conducted measurements that showed the decay ratio between photons and pions was close to 7%, placing the determined value smaller than the majority of quark-antiquark models, and at a greater value than those in the molecular models.
“This result provides crucial discrimination between theoretical models of the Ds(2317) structure,” the team writes.
Going forward, the researchers believe additional insights that may help to conclusively reveal the mysterious Ds(2317) meson’s structure may be achievable through more complete measurements of the particle’s decay rate.
The recent paper, “Observation of the Radiative Decay 𝐷*𝑠0(2317)+→𝐷*𝑠+𝛾,” appeared in Physical Review Letters.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached atmicah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.
I launched Firefox this morning to find some new blocks on my home page. The widgets that are currently rolling out add sports scores, time zones, a focus timer, and a checklist, which are already some of my favorite new Firefox features in years. I usually have Focus Friend open on my phone when I need a focus timer, and I use Google Tasks for my checklists. Now I can check in with similar tools every time I open a new Firefox tab instead.
My phone's homescreen is full of useful widgets, so it's a nice addition to have the timer and checklist pop up on my browser - they add some extra functionality and blend in tools I was already using el …
InfoWars founder Alex Jones speaks to the media outside Waterbury Superior Court during his trial on September 21, 2022. | Getty Images
The Onion's InfoWars officially has a launch date: On July 2nd, the conspiracy network previously run by Alex Jones will return as a comedy and media platform. The reboot comes more than a year and a half after news broke that the satirical news site was working to acquire the property owned by Jones, a conspiracy theorist who notably targeted victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting.
"Developed with the support of the Sandy Hook families, the new InfoWars is being reimagined as a comedy and cultural platform featuring original programming, guest talent, and new comedic voices," a press release reads. "The project reflects The Onion's broa …
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