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British man awarded doctorate after 52 years
British man awarded doctorate after 52 years
Plus, NASA tech detects heartbeats trapped under Turkey quake debris.
Feb 18, 2023
The chances are you’ve heard about someone starting a new degree or graduating at an unusual age. Here is another example. 52 years after starting his Ph.D., Nick Axten completed his degree in Philosophy at the age of 75.
Dr. Axten's research builds on the ideas he worked on in the U.S. 50 years ago. He hopes to publish his research, a new theory that tries to understand human behavior based on the values each person holds. Axten believes this could change our understanding of behavioral psychology.
But before diving into the encouraging story of Dr. Nick Axten, let’s have a look at our video of the day to see a fully solar-powered yacht traveling the ocean.
Good morning. This is Mert, an editor at IE.
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VIDEO OF THE DAY
Solar-powered yachts are making waves in a traditionally diesel-chugging industry.
MUST READ
Nick Axten was recently awarded his doctoral degree by the University of Bristol in the U.K. While doctoral students usually take five or six years to complete their program, it took Nick 52 years to go from Mr. Axten to Dr. Axten.
Axten started his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh’s Mathematical Sociology program in 1970. After five years at Pittsburgh, he returned to the U.K. with an unfinished Ph.D.
In 2016, at 69, Axten went to the University of Bristol to do his MA in Philosophy. After completing his MA, he began studying for his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the same university.
“Doing a Ph.D. is a lot of hard work, but it’s been brilliant,” Axten said in the press release. “Some problems are so great it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them. They need a long hard think. This one has taken me 50 years.”
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INNOVATION
Since the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, the two countries have been trying to bind up their wounds. Rescue teams are still working to save people’s lives, although it has been almost two weeks.
NASA's disaster relief teams will employ "FINDER" equipment to identify the body's tiniest motions caused by essential life functions in Turkey, which was affected the most by the earthquake.
A backronym of Finding Individuals for Disaster Emergency Response, FINDER uses microwave radar sensors to find survivors underneath rubble or in avalanches by remotely detecting their heartbeat and respiration.
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SCIENCE
Astronomers observed a neutron star merger they described as the "perfect explosion."
The merger of the two incredibly dense stars resulted in a colossal and almost perfectly spherical blast that ultimately resulted in the creation of a black hole.
Scientists described the blast, called a kilonova, for the first time on Wednesday, February 16, after observing it using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Chile-based Very Large Telescope.
The existence of kilonova explosions was first proposed in 1974 and was confirmed in 2013. Only now, though, does the world know what they look like.
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HEALTH
The next generation of light-activated cancer treatments sounds years away, but in what can be called a breakthrough, scientists at the University of East Anglia got several steps closer.
How will it work? When LED lights embedded near a tumor are switched on, it activates biotherapeutic drugs. These are highly targeted and would be more effective and precise than current immunotherapies.
"Current cancer treatments like chemotherapy kill cancer cells, but they can also damage healthy cells in your body such as blood and skin cells," said Dr. Amit Sachdeva, from UEA's School of Chemistry, who is the principal scientist for the study.
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MAIL & MUSINGS
Nick Axten’s story of being awarded his doctoral degree in his 75 is utterly inspiring.
Do you think you would complete a Ph.D. in your seventies?
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Yesterday we asked if Bard AI would overthrow ChatGPT. A majority of you (50 percent) said it seemed unlikely for now.
50%
It seems unlikely for now
36%
I have my doubts about AI in general
10%
Yes, Google is superior
4%
No way, ChatGPT is the best
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.”
Rosalind Franklin, English physical chemist and molecular biologist.
THINGS WE LOVE
AND ANOTHER THING
This programming language could halve the land used by data centers.
Time of day may determine the amount of fat burned by exercise. (ScienceDaily)
Blockchain skills have soared in popularity despite crypto crash.
How far should we go with gene editing in pursuit of the ‘perfect’ human? (The Guardian)
This chip could massively increase autonomous car computing power and save energy.
'It became me': Studies show that revolutionary new brain chips may bend your mind in strange and troubling ways. (Business Insider)
These robots travel through underground pipes to help fix blockages.
Prepared by Mert Erdemir
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