Inside a lab in the picturesque Swiss town of Vevey, a scientist gives tiny clumps of human brain cells the nutrient-rich fluid they need to stay alive.
It is vital these mini-brains remain healthy, because they are serving as rudimentary computer processors—and, unlike your laptop, once they die, they cannot be rebooted.
This new field of research, called biocomputing or “wetware,” aims to harness the evolutionarily honed yet still mysterious computing power of the human brain.
Shock waves should not be shocking—engineers across scientific fields need to be able to precisely predict how the instant and strong pressure changes initiate and dissipate to prevent damage. Now, thanks to a team from Yokohama National University, those predictions are even better understood.
In work published on Aug. 19 in the Physics of Fluids, the researchers detailed how computational models used to simulate shock wave behavior represent the very weak shock waves in a way that is distinctly different from both theoretical predictions and physical measurements.
Shock waves comprise the pressure that pushes out from an explosion or from an object moving faster than sound, like a supersonic jet. Weak shockwaves refer to the same changes in pressure, density and velocity, but they are much smaller than the larger waves and move closer to the speed of sound. However, current computational modeling approaches have difficulty accurately representing these very weak shock waves, according to co-author Keiichi Kitamura, professor, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University.
Detecting dark matter—the mysterious substance that holds galaxies together—is one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics. Although it cannot be seen or touched directly, scientists believe dark matter leaves weak signals that could be captured by highly sensitive quantum devices.
In a new study published in Physical Review D, researchers at Tohoku University propose a way to boost the sensitivity of quantum sensors by connecting them in carefully designed network structures. These quantum sensors use the rules of quantum physics to detect extremely small signals, making them far more sensitive than ordinary sensors. Using these, accurately detecting the faint clues left behind from dark matter could finally become possible.
The study focuses on superconducting qubits, which are tiny electric circuits cooled to very low temperatures. These qubits are normally used as building blocks of quantum computers, but here they act as powerful quantum sensors. Just as a team working together can achieve more than a single person, linking many of these superconducting qubits in an optimized network allows them to detect weak dark matter signals much more effectively than any single sensor could on its own.
Modern toads (Bufonidae) are among the most successful amphibians on the planet, a diverse group of more than 600 species that are found on every continent except Antarctica. But just how did they conquer the world? An international team of researchers set out to find the answer and discovered the toads’ global success was due to their toxic glands and geological timing.
Modern toads are a type of frog with a stout, squat body, relatively short legs, toothless mouths and a thick, dry, warty skin. One of their most distinctive features is a large gland behind each eye that secretes a poison to deter predators. They originated in South America and are found in diverse habitats like deserts and rainforests.
To find out how they got from South America to almost every other continent, the scientists analyzed fresh DNA samples from 124 species from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Oceania. They combined this with existing genetic data from hundreds of other species. Using powerful computer models to process the genetic information, they traced the geological spread of toads over millions of years, identifying when survival features like their poisonous glands evolved and when they branched out to form new species.
A new twist on a classic material could advance quantum computing and make modern data centers more energy efficient, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State.
Barium titanate, first discovered in 1941, is known for its powerful electro-optic properties in bulk, or three-dimensional, crystals. Electro-optic materials like barium titanate act as bridges between electricity and light, converting signals carried by electrons into signals carried by photons, or particles of light.
However, despite its promise, barium titanate never became the industry standard for electro-optic devices, such as modulators, switches and sensors. Instead, lithium niobate—which is more stable and easier to fabricate, even if its properties don’t quite measure up with those of barium titanate—filled that role instead. But by reshaping barium titanate into ultrathin strained thin films, this could change, according to Venkat Gopalan, Penn State professor of materials science and engineering and co-author of the study published in Advanced Materials.
Scientists from the G7 nations and Australia signed an “unprecedented agreement” regarding quantum technology on Wednesday, France’s national metrology lab told AFP.
The deal between laboratories involved in the science of measurement hopes to establish benchmarks regarding progress in areas such as quantum computers.
The field has seen leading tech giants claim breakthroughs in recent years that have later been questioned by researchers.