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Bayesian Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics: Everything new is actually well-forgotten old …

Some 80-90 years ago, George A. Linhart, unlike A. Einstein, P. Debye, M. Planck and W. Nernst, has managed to derive a very simple, but ultimately general mathematical formula for heat capacity vs. temperature from the fundamental thermodynamical principles, using what we would nowadays dub a “Bayesian approach to probability”. Moreover, he has successfully applied his result to fit the experimental data for diverse substances in their solid state in a rather broad temperature range. Nevertheless, Linhart’s work was undeservedly forgotten, although it does represent a valid and fresh standpoint on thermodynamics and statistical physics, which may have a significant implication for academic and applied science.

Springtime Temperature Swings Attack Northeastern Forests

Forest dieback in the northeastern United States and neighboring areas in Canada has been more frequent, more persistent, and more severe during recent decades, research has shown. Now scientists have found springtime temperature swings have intensified in that region during the same period. A new study links these escalating freeze-thaw episodes, which are known to harm trees, to an atmospheric pressure imbalance over the North Atlantic.