Daily Archives: May 28, 2017

A Quantum Physicist Explains How Ant-Man Can Beat Superman – Inverse

Posted: May 28, 2017 at 8:16 am

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man is something of a JV-tier character. Despite having his own solo movie and appearing in the big brawl of Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man isnt as popular as Spider-Man or as imposing as Thor. But Dr. Spiros Michalakis, a quantum physicist and staff researcher at the California Institute of Technology, says that Ant-Man may, in fact, be the strongest superhero character of all time.

Michalakis was selected by Marvel Studios in August 2014 to consult on Ant-Man. In an early meeting with the studio, he geeked out about the potential of a character who could shrink to a quantum level. As he wrote in a 2015 blog post:

[I]f someone could go to a place where the laws of physics as we know them were not yet formed, at a place where the arrow of time was broken and the fabric of space was not yet woven, the powers of such a master of the quantum realm would only be constrained by their ability to come back to the same (or similar) reality from which they departed. All the superheroes of Marvel and DC Comics combined would stand no chance against Ant-Man with a malfunctioning regulator.

In a recent call with Inverse, Michalakis walked through the shrinking superheros potential and explained how concepts from his first movie will reverberate through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including next years Captain Marvel.

When Michalakis first joined Ant-Man, the studio asked him what they should call it when the character gets really small. They couldnt call it the Microverse, as its known in the comics, due to legal issues. Michalakis suggested the quantum realm a real concept that describes stuff that happens at the scale of subatomic particles.

Im not quite sure if they ever considered going quantum or if it was more like nano, Michalakis says. The idea often lost to the public is that quantum physics and quantum theory is not even in space and time.

The first quantum theories were developed more than a hundred years ago by the likes of Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and Werner Heisenberg, but Michalakis says theres been a second quantum revolution the influx of devices that rely on quantum mechanics, such as MRI imagery. And no doubt, Ant-Mans gear to shrink and grow could be the bomb to blast open the second quantum revolution.

So when I was looking to inject elements of modern physics into the script, I brought up this idea that, when Ant-Man goes into the Microverse and something malfunctions, he doesnt just go to just a smaller space like Fantastic Voyage, Michalakis says. Ant-Man goes a step beyond. This is a place where the nature of reality changes around you. So, when you enter the quantum realm, its different set of laws takes hold.

In our world, the laws of physics are crystallizations of chaos, says Michalakis. All superheroes, if they were real, would be limited by the laws of physics, including even Superman. Kryptonians may defy human science, but theyre still working within our limitations. Dr. Michalakis argues Ant-Man does not.

One major law Superman is beholden by? Gravity. Gravity, as Einstein said, is nothing but the curvature of space-time. The curvature of space-time is the curvature of something we call the manifold, like a 4-dimensional structure like the sphere, or a globe, Michalakis explains. So, if you understand that, and manipulate that, you can change the curvature of space-time. Hence, changing gravity.

How might Ant-Man beat up Superman? What Im saying is that potentially understanding the quantum code from which curvature of space-time comes from, [Ant-Man] could manipulate to increase it or decrease it. Superman has, in the canon of the DC Universe, lifted 200 quintillion tons. But Ant-Man might find a way to alter the laws of the universe so he could crush Superman with 201 tons. And, Michalakis says, Ant-Man could be even more devastating. Ant-Man could have created say, a black hole. Could Superman escape the black hole? Probably not. Then game over.

Can Ant-Man actually make these quantum mechanical adjustments in the movies or the comics? Not that weve seen. But apparently the character, at least in the MCU, can access levels of science and reality untouched by anyone in history, where he could in theory do almost anything.

Ant-Man bears ties to two other Marvel heroes: Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Captain Marvel, who will debut next year. Ant-Man and the quantum realm teased Doctor Strange, which introduced mysticism and the multiverse. Michalakis wasnt involved in but did talk with the producers. I think they did a great job describing [the multiverse]. Where these other states exist concurrently with yours. You dont have to go somewhere else. Its not like theres another bubble universe out there, and you can travel to it or something.

As for Captain Marvel, Michalakis wasnt at liberty to talk in-depth. But he does hint that understanding the quantum realm will give a better understanding of Carol Danvers and her place in the MCU. This is exciting for the future. There are different ways that some of these ideas appear on-screen in a few years. Not just for Ant-Man, but also for Captain Marvel and all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Dr. Michalakis loved comics as a kid. (He just didnt read a lot of Ant-Man.) Of his small but significant role in the development of the MCU, Dr. Michalakis says, Its not about giving it scientific legitimacy because we are talking about insane stuff even physicists would consider weird. Rather, its about getting the public interested in science and discovery. How do you get them to switch on that hunger for discovery? Its one thing to gobble up already-known facts and another to become an adventurer. To consider, how could this work? How can somebody shrink? What would that be like?

Donald Trump Says Decision on Paris Agreement Coming ‘Next Week’ – TIME

Posted: at 8:16 am

President Donald Trump said Saturday he would make a decision on the Paris Agreement on climate change "next week" following months of intense speculation and lobbying on both sides of the issue.

The announcement came as Trump departed this year's G-7 summit in Italy without endorsing the landmark global warming deal which has support from nearly 200 countries, a move that put him in conflict with his counterparts from the world's other leading democracies.

A joint statement from all seven countries acknowledged that the U.S. "is in process of reviewing its policies on climate change" while reaffirming the other nations commitment to addressing global warming. "Expressing understanding for this process, the heads of state and of government of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, and the presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission reaffirm their strong commitment to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement," the statement says.

Read More: What to Know About the Historic 'Paris Agreement' on Climate Change

Trump's first trip abroad provided him with a sense of the strong European support for the deal and, by proxy, the opinion of nearly every other head of state across the globe. Gary Gohn, Trump's chief economic advisor, said this week that the president was "leaning to understand the European position," when asked about Trump's current position on the deal. "Paris has important meaning to many of the European leaders," said Cohn. "And he wants to clearly hear what the European leaders have to say."

The White House has repeatedly promised a decision on the Paris Agreement only to delay as the issue continued to divide Trump's advisers.

Trump promised on the campaign trail to "cancel" the Paris Agreement arguing that it hurts U.S. energy interests, but actually exiting the deal has proven more complicated than Trump portrayed it on the campaign trail. The issue has divided his closest advisers with a group of hard-liners including Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt and senior adviser Steve Bannon arguing for withdrawal.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, along with Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, have pushed for him to remain in the deal. The agreement also has support from many corporations, including in the coal, oil and gas industries.

Leaders across the globe have insisted repeatedly that they will continue to implement the Paris Agreement if the U.S. withdraws. Indeed, the G-7 statement included a commitment not just to keeping the deal alive but to supporting developing countries in their efforts to address global warming, a key component that had been threatened by U.S. intransigence in the past.

"We are ready to continue to provide the leadership on climate change," Maro efovi, vice president of the European Commission and the chief energy policymaker for the European Union, told TIME earlier this year. "We are are going to clearly pursue our goals in Europe, but we also want to continue our strong role in helping, especially in the developing world."

Read More: World Leaders On Edge as President Trump Weighs Pulling U.S. Out of Paris Climate Deal

But leaders also warned that a U.S. exit would damage the country's global stature. French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump that it is "indispensable for the reputation of the United States and the interest of the Americans themselves that the United States remain committed," according to an Associated Press report .

While the agreement might survive a U.S. departure, the absence of the world's largest economy and second-largest polluter would complicate efforts to fight climate change effectively. Research has repeatedly shown even if current commitments are upheld, the world will fall short of its goal to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2C (3.6F) by 2100.

Even if the U.S. remains in the deal, Trump will likely weaken the commitments set under President Obama to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26% from 2005 levels by 2025.

Trump, feted and chided abroad, returns to uncertainty at home – CNN

Posted: at 8:16 am

It was an upbeat message for a leader fresh from meeting with his new club of foreign counterparts for the first time. But underneath the point-by-point recap of his trip lay uncertainty over his agenda and disputes with his foreign counterparts.

Trump's first voyage abroad was a story told in chapters, each successively less pleasant for a President still taking stock of his standing on the world stage.

Beyond a scattering of formal remarks, none of the story was told by Trump himself, who refused to hold a news conference and, by his advisers' own admission, revealed little of his thinking to top aides as he hopped from nation to nation.

In some ways, uncertainty amounted to a win, at least in the minds of Trump's aides. As Trump prepared to depart Washington last Friday, there was little surety among his staff that the nine-day odyssey could proceed without failure. Trump himself, who hadn't slept in a bed that wasn't his own since taking office, remained skeptical a five-country itinerary could end well.

A homebody with little appetite for discomfort, Trump was imagining the worst. Unpleasant foreign food, withering jet lag, and an unfamiliar bed had been his experiences as a businessman abroad. Even in the days leading up to his departure, Trump asked whether the trip could be truncated. He vented about the ambitious schedule to his senior advisers in the days leading up to his departure.

But by then it was too late. With meetings locked in and the world anticipating his global debut, Trump settled into his quarters on Air Force One for a flight four times longer than any he'd taken as President.

President Trump receives Saudi gold medal 01:43

Fourteen hours later, Trump was tucked into the back of his armored limousine, speeding into central Riyadh alongside King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and watching billboards plastered with both their faces whiz past.

Yet an air of navet hung in the air after the President's speech to leaders of more than 50 Muslim majority nations. The White House described it as something of a fait accompli, with a top official twice declaring that the President had "united the Muslim world."

As Trump delivered his opening argument to a room packed with leaders of Muslim nations, however, the newly sedate language didn't entirely come through.

"There is still much work to be done," Trump said. "That means honestly confronting the crisis of Islamic extremism and the Islamists and Islamic terror of all kinds."

Trump after UK attack: Terrorists evil losers 02:39

Huddling with aides in his suite at the storied King David hotel overlooking the old city, the message on extremism he'd delivered in Saudi Arabia -- which came with few details -- suddenly appeared more difficult. In Israel, a country intimately familiar with the scourge of terror and the entrenched politics of peace, the problem appeared even more insurmountable.

Trump was unsatisfied with the language his advisers had prepared for a speech later that morning. The condemnation of the attack lacked verve, Trump believed. Describing the attackers in ordinary terms wouldn't suffice. Instead he wrote up his own description, using the insult he's long considered the most cutting.

"I will call them from now on losers because that's what's they are. They're losers," Trump said a few hours later standing alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "We'll have more of them. But they're losers -- just remember that."

The message was well received. But hours later, it was clear Trump faced a steep climb before bridging the gaps that have long stymied American presidents' attempts at fostering stability in the Middle East.

"I hope this heralds a real change," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ahead of Trump's remarks at the Israel Museum. "Because if the attacker had been Palestinian and the victims had been Israeli children, the suicide bomber's family would have received a stipend from the Palestinian Authority. That's Palestinian law. That law must be changed."

It was an intrusion of real-world obstacles into Trump's vision for peace, which he once deemed easy, but which this week he declared the hardest deal of all.

President Trump, Pope Francis exchange gifts 01:20

The Pope presented Trump with a bound copy of his encyclical on protecting the environment, "Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home."

For all the underlying tensions setting the stage for their first visit, given their unusually harsh exchange last year over immigration and whether the building of walls is a Christian thing to do, the Pope took another tack.

A skilled politician in his own right, Francis honed in on the President's pending decision whether to pull the US from the Paris climate accord. It was the first of several conversations Trump conducted this week on the landmark carbon reduction agreement, which he vowed as a candidate to scrap.

At the Vatican, though, Trump insisted his mind was open.

"I'll be reading them," Trump said of the essays from the Pope on the environment and creating peace.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, weighed in with the direct message urging Trump and his team to stay true to the Paris agreement.

The President's first meeting with Francis was steeped in symbolism, the final stop in visiting the three homes of the Abrahamic religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

He's the second American president to visit the Vatican under Francis' papacy. While President Barack Obama's meeting was 20 minutes longer than Trump's, the Holy See wasted little time comparing the two.

As he left the Apostolic Palace, Trump told the Pope: "I won't forget what you said."

If he meant climate change, the Pope will have won round one.

Trump calls out NATO allies to pay up 02:04

Flying north from Rome, Trump found the temperature quickly cooling. He arrived at NATO's headquarters on the outskirts of Rome under a cloud of suspicion on multiple fronts.

In one of the only off-script moments of his trip, Trump declared in Jerusalem that he hadn't mentioned Israel by name with his Russian visitors. But at NATO, the concerns still boiled.

It was just one of the rifts between Trump and his European counterparts. After open-arm welcomes in Riyadh and Jerusalem, Trump's foreign swing took a distinct tonal shift. Instead of banquets and horses, Trump was suddenly flung into tension-filled meetings with leaders deeply skeptical of his foreign agenda.

Subsequent sessions proceeded similarly. Trump reportedly griped about the hurdles in opening golf courses in Europe with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. European Council President Donald Tusk said after his meeting with Trump that they weren't able to bridge differences over Russia.