Latest news with #LEWIS
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Travel with a purpose: Finding contentment in slow travel and a community in protecting coral reefs
From April to June 2025, Ms Venny Lewis volunteered at Coral Catch, an NGO in Indonesia that focuses on coral conservation. She is currently working there. PHOTO: COURTESY OF VENNY LEWIS SINGAPORE – Ms Venny Lewis, 27, quit her job in August 2024 to embark on a sabbatical that has landed her work in a different field in another country. Her job of two years in a healthcare technology firm was her first since graduating with a degree in information systems from National University of Singapore. But she says she 'never felt passionate about the technology space' and wanted to travel for a while. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Market Online
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Market Online
How Web3 Will Fundamentally Reshape Finance
Spirit Blockchain Capital (CSE: SPIR), a company that's building the bridge between traditional finance and the rapidly evolving world of blockchain, Spirit gives investors an accessible way to actually participate in Web3 opportunities without having to manage the complexity that usually comes with it. Lyndsay Malchuk recently caught up with Spirit Blockchain's CEO, Lewis Bateman for more insights. The following is a transcription of the above video, and The Market Online has edited it for clarity . LYNDSAY: You have a deep background in bulls, capital markets and digital assets, and you bring such a unique perspective on where the future of investing is heading. So first off, welcome back, and I just know this is going to be a great conversation. LEWIS: Thanks Lindsay. I am excited to talk about where we are today and where we plan to be in the future, and what is really, what is really transpiring between the traditional markets, call it tradeoff and, and defy the digital markets. And I'm looking forward to having that chat. LYNDSAY: Absolutely. Let's peel back just the first layer for those who might be newer to the space, how does Web3 actually work? And another point, how does it work in relation to blockchain technology? LEWIS: Well, what Web3 three really represents is the next evolution of the internet. It's a decentralized user-centric model built on blockchain tech technology. Blockchain provides the foundational infrastructure, it's immutable, it's transparent ledger where data value and digital ownership can be recorded without any reliance of traditional, centralized authorities. In Web3 users regain control of their data, their assets, and their interactions and Spirit is part of that shift, leveraging blockchain not just for cryptocurrencies, but for real productive asset management where they maintain, or the users maintain, greater transparency, greater efficiencies, and greater ownership. And you're seeing that across multiple sectors. The use of blockchain, you're seeing that with lots of large multinational and large ownership businesses like BlackRock. And we see ourselves very much fundamentally part of that development. LYNDSAY: Okay. So just from my understanding, which is probably quite little in the blockchain space, what we normally do is we track from beginning and then, we track more towards the end. So a blockchain there's places within the actual cycle where you actually can trace it all the way back throughout that process. Am I correct? LEWIS: Correct. Every single chain, every single block is ledgered from the day of the existence and the day of the release. And you can track that movement of value or information on each and every single block and in each and every single exchange between two counterparties. And that's what's really unique. And it's open, it's transparent, it's available to anyone who has the understanding and the wherewithal to validate that infrastructure. LYNDSAY: You're often called a pioneer and tokenized asset management. What do you think sets you apart in this space? LEWIS: Well, I think there's a couple things. One, I think it's our management team who've got years of experience and understanding in the marketplace, who've spent time in large institutions that know the traditional markets, but have taken all that knowledge, extracted it, and saying, okay, these are the things that we want to carry forward, and here's the things that we know we need to make better. At Spirit, we saw the early adoption or the early understanding of a kind of asset management from the transition of mutual funds to ETFs. And now this wonderful world or word that we're using, tokenization. It's the ability to represent ownership of real-world assets or digital assets on chain or on a blockchain. And it would fundamentally reshape finance. And this is even what Larry Fink is talking about. Our innovation lies in between that institutional grade, regulatory structure, regulatory compliance structure that makes tokenized assets really accessible, productive for investors. We've designed a platform where assets are not only just tokenized, not only for novelty like the NFT markets, but are actively managed for yield, liquidity, and long-term growth. We're bridging the best of traditional asset management with new capabilities that Web3 offers. And we're giving clients the confidence, the transparency, and the performance they expect and with far greater flexibility and, and efficiencies. LYNDSAY: When it comes to generating strong income strategies, can you actually walk us through what you're doing specifically and why go this road instead of just investing directly into cryptocurrency? LEWIS: Well, I think cryptocurrency as a whole has a, a stigma. People think it's complex or that they have to memorize some very secret code or password. And then if they don't remember that they're lost forever. The reality is that we come across not only understanding that marketplace or that software, or that solution set, but we also know that we want to bring in less speculation and more strategic asset management. And while cryptocurrency investment is highly volatile and dependent on market timing, Spirit uses a diversified approach. We're utilizing not only our capital from a proxy perspective to the underlying crypto assets, but we also believe in income generation and capital preservation. And so our strategies not only involve staking, yield farming, real world asset tokenization and liquidity provision, we optimize that through our own proprietary intellectual properties, algorithms and risk management protocols. And we use that so that we have better performance. We use that to price protect and to limit the price swings. You know, we've seen obviously big highs and big lows just in the last few months, and we're focused on productive deployment of capital that earn a steady return. We also believe in this growth segment of this overall market. And we aim to bring stability and predictability under our regulatory guidance that we have on our prospectus, which ultimately I think lowers volatility. LYNDSAY: Let's take a step back here then, and what do you see as the biggest roadblock right now for both institutional and retail investors when it comes to adopting Web3 and blockchain? LEWIS: I think that's a very interesting conversation to have. There's lots of things that are happening in the marketplace overall, both globally and macro. But the real major roadblock that we think are the ones that clients are asking for is trust. And we think having this public domain access is really pivotal, and regulatory clarity, both regionally and globally. Institutions in particular are asking for robust frameworks. Clear compliance, pathways and operational transparencies, and both retail and institutions are often faced with complexities. And although Web3 seems intimidating with the user friendliness of an interface, it requires clear information and clear methodologies. We think we give that to the marketplace. We're building, an institutional grade solution while creating hopefully simpler, more accessible on-ramps for both retail and institutional investors while maturing with the overall market, the ecosystem. And we think we can lead in this in a very credible way. And I also feel impassioned from an educational perspective of taking our traditional knowledge and showing what the barriers are and continue to make sure those barriers are knocked down with our implementation of our services. LYNDSAY: Why is now the right time to invest in Spirit? What do investors stand to gain by getting in today rather than waiting to see how things unfold? LEWIS: First and foremost, I think we are at a critical time. You're seeing a lot of change globally. Web3 adoption is really at its tipping point. You're seeing more and more financial institutions using it as its own core infrastructure to build. Regulatory frameworks are emerging, you're seeing the change of even the SEC and a lot of regulatory bodies coming to an adoption, understanding and a requirement. The greater the masses take control of their own assets, the more the use case becomes relevant. And Spirit is positioned at the forefront of this global shift. And early investors gain that exposure not only through a high hope, and we believe in exponential growth of this tokenized asset economy, but It also it benefits from first mover advantages. We have our own proprietary technology, we have great strategic partnerships, we've seasoned leadership and by investing now, you get the upside in a very early nascent marketplace while shaping it and helping that future landscape. Spirit Blockchain's website is and you can find them on the CSE under the ticker symbol, SPIR. Join the discussion: Find out what everybody's saying about this stock on the Spirit Blockchain Capital investor discussion forum, and check out the rest of Stockhouse's stock forums and message boards. The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. For full disclaimer information, please click here
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
These dwarf galaxies in the Hydra cluster are baffling scientists: 'We found something we didn't expect'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered something surprising about the universe's smallest and faintest class of galaxies: Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs). A research team studying these galaxies found that around half of the ones they investigated showed signs of motion that defy previous theories about the formation and evolution of such realms. In particular, the team found an unexpected rotational motion of stars within many of these dwarf galaxies. The scientists reached these findings while studying stellar motion in 30 UDGs in the Hydra galaxy cluster located over 160 million light-years away from us. The findings could change our understanding of how UDGs form and evolve. "The results we obtained were doubly satisfying," Chiara Buttitta, a researcher at the National Institute for Astrophysics and co-author of a paper on these results, said in a statement. "Not only were we able to deduce the stellar motions in these extremely faint galaxies, but we found something we didn't expect to observe."The team utilized the "Looking into the faintest With MUSE," or LEWIS, observing program, conducted by the MUSE integral field spectrograph that's installed on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT is the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and is situated in Chile. UDGs were first discovered in 2015; the formation and evolution of these ultrafaint, strangely elongated galaxies immediately presented a puzzle for astronomers. The LEWIS findings allowed the new study's team to determine that UDGs dwell in environments that greatly vary in terms of their physical properties, the amount of dark matter they contain and the motions and compositions of their stars. Specifically, the scientists were able to conduct a detailed investigation of the UDG designated "UDG32." This dwarf galaxy is located at the tail end of a filament of gas attached to the spiral galaxy dubbed "NGC 3314A." One possible theory regarding the formation of UDGs suggests they form when filaments of gas are dragged from larger galaxies via gravitational interactions. If gas clouds remain in these filaments, these clouds can become overly dense and collapse, forming stars that become the foundation of a UDG. The data from LEWIS confirmed that UDG32's association with the filament tail of NGC3314A isn't the result of a coincidental alignment. There's something more that makes UDG32 appear to be situated at the tip of NGC3314A's tidal tail. Additionally, UDG32 is more enriched in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, which astronomers collectively call "metals," than other UDGs in the Hydra are forged by the nuclear processes occurring at the hearts of stars and are dispersed when these stars explode at the ends of their lives to become the building blocks of the next generation of stars. This is interesting because, despite the stars in UDG32 being younger than the stars in other Hydra cluster UDGs, they are richer in metals. This suggests they formed in the pre-metal-enriched gas and dust shed by a larger and more ancient galaxy, supporting the idea that this UDG was dragged from its spiral galaxy neighbor. Related Stories: — Largest-ever discovery of 'missing link' black holes revealed by dark energy camera (video) — Rare string of 'cosmic pearls' dance together in the universe — Black holes can squash star formation, James Webb Space Telescope finds The team's results are important validation for the LEWIS project, which has thus far doubled the number of UDGs that have been analyzed spectroscopically. Additionally, LEWIS has provided the first "global" view of these faint galaxies within a galaxy cluster that is still forming. "The LEWIS project was a challenge. When this program was accepted by ESO we realized that it was a goldmine of data to be explored. And that is what it turned out to be," Enrichetta Iodice, the LEWIS scientific director, said in the statement. "The 'strength' of LEWIS, thanks to the integral spectroscopy of the instrument used, lies in being able to study simultaneously, for each individual galaxy, not only the motions of the stars, but also the average stellar population," Iodice added, "and, therefore, have indications on the formation age and the properties of globular clusters, fundamental tracers also for the dark matter content. "By putting together the individual results, like in a puzzle, we reconstruct the formation history of these systems." The team's research was detailed across two papers published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
These dwarf galaxies in the Hydra cluster are baffling scientists: 'We found something we didn't expect'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered something surprising about the universe's smallest and faintest class of galaxies: Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs). A research team studying these galaxies found that around half of the ones they investigated showed signs of motion that defy previous theories about the formation and evolution of such realms. In particular, the team found an unexpected rotational motion of stars within many of these dwarf galaxies. The scientists reached these findings while studying stellar motion in 30 UDGs in the Hydra galaxy cluster located over 160 million light-years away from us. The findings could change our understanding of how UDGs form and evolve. "The results we obtained were doubly satisfying," Chiara Buttitta, a researcher at the National Institute for Astrophysics and co-author of a paper on these results, said in a statement. "Not only were we able to deduce the stellar motions in these extremely faint galaxies, but we found something we didn't expect to observe."The team utilized the "Looking into the faintest With MUSE," or LEWIS, observing program, conducted by the MUSE integral field spectrograph that's installed on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT is the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory, and is situated in Chile. UDGs were first discovered in 2015; the formation and evolution of these ultrafaint, strangely elongated galaxies immediately presented a puzzle for astronomers. The LEWIS findings allowed the new study's team to determine that UDGs dwell in environments that greatly vary in terms of their physical properties, the amount of dark matter they contain and the motions and compositions of their stars. Specifically, the scientists were able to conduct a detailed investigation of the UDG designated "UDG32." This dwarf galaxy is located at the tail end of a filament of gas attached to the spiral galaxy dubbed "NGC 3314A." One possible theory regarding the formation of UDGs suggests they form when filaments of gas are dragged from larger galaxies via gravitational interactions. If gas clouds remain in these filaments, these clouds can become overly dense and collapse, forming stars that become the foundation of a UDG. The data from LEWIS confirmed that UDG32's association with the filament tail of NGC3314A isn't the result of a coincidental alignment. There's something more that makes UDG32 appear to be situated at the tip of NGC3314A's tidal tail. Additionally, UDG32 is more enriched in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, which astronomers collectively call "metals," than other UDGs in the Hydra are forged by the nuclear processes occurring at the hearts of stars and are dispersed when these stars explode at the ends of their lives to become the building blocks of the next generation of stars. This is interesting because, despite the stars in UDG32 being younger than the stars in other Hydra cluster UDGs, they are richer in metals. This suggests they formed in the pre-metal-enriched gas and dust shed by a larger and more ancient galaxy, supporting the idea that this UDG was dragged from its spiral galaxy neighbor. Related Stories: — Largest-ever discovery of 'missing link' black holes revealed by dark energy camera (video) — Rare string of 'cosmic pearls' dance together in the universe — Black holes can squash star formation, James Webb Space Telescope finds The team's results are important validation for the LEWIS project, which has thus far doubled the number of UDGs that have been analyzed spectroscopically. Additionally, LEWIS has provided the first "global" view of these faint galaxies within a galaxy cluster that is still forming. "The LEWIS project was a challenge. When this program was accepted by ESO we realized that it was a goldmine of data to be explored. And that is what it turned out to be," Enrichetta Iodice, the LEWIS scientific director, said in the statement. "The 'strength' of LEWIS, thanks to the integral spectroscopy of the instrument used, lies in being able to study simultaneously, for each individual galaxy, not only the motions of the stars, but also the average stellar population," Iodice added, "and, therefore, have indications on the formation age and the properties of globular clusters, fundamental tracers also for the dark matter content. "By putting together the individual results, like in a puzzle, we reconstruct the formation history of these systems." The team's research was detailed across two papers published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
