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Category: computing – Page 29

A smartphone’s glow is often the first and last thing we see as we wake up in the morning and go to sleep at the end of the day. It is increasingly becoming an extension of our body that we struggle to part with. In a recent study in Computers in Human Behavior, scientists observed that staying away from smartphones can even change one’s brain chemistry.

The researchers recruited for a 72-hour smartphone restriction diet where they were asked to limit to essential tasks such as work, , and communication with their family or significant others.

During these three days, the researchers conducted psychological tests and did brain scans using imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of restricting phone usage. Brain scans showed significant activity shifts in reward and craving regions of the brain, resembling patterns seen in substance or alcohol addiction.

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Deep within certain magnetic molecules, atoms arrange their spins in a spiral pattern, forming structures called chiral helimagnets. These helical spin patterns have intrigued researchers for years due to their potential for powering next-generation electronics. But decoding their properties has remained a mystery—until now.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a to accurately model and predict these complex spin structures using quantum mechanics calculations. Their work was published on Feb. 19 in Advanced Functional Materials.

“The helical spin structures in two-dimensional layered materials have been experimentally observed for over 40 years. It has been a longstanding challenge to predict them with precision,” said Kesong Yang, professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and senior author of the study. “The helical period in the layered compound extends up to 48 nanometers, making it extremely difficult to accurately calculate all the electron and spin interactions at this scale.”

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American quantum computing startup PsiQuantum announced last week that it has cracked a significant puzzle on the road to making the technology useful: manufacturing quantum chips in large quantities.

PsiQuantum burst out of stealth mode in 2021 with a blockbuster funding announcement. It followed up with two more last year.

The company uses so-called “photonic” quantum computing, which has long been dismissed as impractical.

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“Our woolly mouse project drove innovations in areas combining the end to end process from our computational biology analysis tools to our multiplex precision genome engineering technologies,” Lamm told us. “These technologies enable precise and efficient genetic modifications at multiple sites within the genome at the same time, which could help with research focused on addressing the complex multi-genetic age-related diseases in the future.”

By further refining the genetic engineering techniques developed by Colossal, researchers may eventually develop therapies tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup, mitigating the effects of aging at a cellular level.

“Many diseases are multigenic in nature and require deep analysis computationally and being able to edit the genome at multiple sites with high degrees of efficiency to not cause off-target effects,” Lamm told us. “Our end to end process and the further development of our multiplex editing and DNA synthesis capabilities will lead to others being able to use our tools and system to treat these more complicated diseases. Together, these innovations are part of the science focused on developing personalized, targeted therapies to mitigate the effects of aging, accelerate the development of regenerative medicine, and extend both lifespan and healthspan.”

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Check out my introduction to quantum mechanics course on Brilliant! First 30 days are free and 20% off the annual premium subscription when you use our link ➜ https://brilliant.org/sabine.

Two weeks ago, Microsoft made a big splash in the media by claiming that they’d found a way to build a scalable quantum computing platform which could reach one million qubits in a short period of time. They claimed this was possible with the help of a type of topological qubit called Majorana states. But it appears there are several… issues with the company’s published research. I have a quick summary.

The video with the comments from Sergey and Vincent is a one hour long discussion which you can watch in full here: • Majorana Fireside Chat: HOW CLOSE ARE…

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Brain-computer interfaces have enabled people with paralysis to move a computer cursor with their mind and reanimate their muscles with their thoughts. But the performance of the technology — how easily and accurately a BCI user’s thoughts move a cursor, for example—is limited by the number of channels communicating with the brain.

Science Corporation, one of the companies working towards commercial brain-computer interfaces(BCIs), is forgoing the traditional method of sticking small metal electrodes into the brain in favor of a biology-based approach to increase the number of communication channels safely. “What can I stick a million of, or what could I stick 10 million of, into the brain that won’t hurt it?” says Alan Mardinly, Science Corp co-founder.

The answer: Neurons.

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Thursday announced Ocelot, its first-generation quantum computing chip, as it enters the race against fellow tech giants in harnessing the experimental technology.

Developed by the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology, the new chip can reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90%, according to the company.

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This review discusses the development and uses of imatinib mesylate, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor useful in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Imatinib targets platelet-derived growth factor receptor, inhibits the fusion product of the Philadelphia chromosome, and targets c-kit, a protein tyrosine kinase. The drug may also be effective in the treatment of other tumors that express platelet-derived growth factor receptor or c-kit.

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A self-acclaimed “deep tech” company focused on the next generation of computing has unveiled three smart contact lens prototypes at MWC 2025, giving us a glimpse into the technology that could shape vision health of the future.

XPANCEO took the covers off its three prototypes, each one showcasing a unique technology that could feature in future “smart” contact lenses.

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Water may have first formed 100–200 million years after the Big Bang, according to a modeling paper published in Nature Astronomy. The authors suggest that the formation of water may have occurred in the universe earlier than previously thought and may have been a key constituent of the first galaxies.

Water is crucial for life as we know it, and its components—hydrogen and oxygen—are known to have formed in different ways. Lighter chemical elements such as hydrogen, helium and were forged in the Big Bang, but heavier elements, such as oxygen, are the result of nuclear reactions within or supernova explosions. As such, it is unclear when water began to form in the universe.

Researcher Daniel Whalen and colleagues utilized computer models of two supernovae—the first for a star 13 times the and the second for a star 200 times the mass of the sun—to analyze the products of these explosions. They found that 0.051 and 55 (where one solar mass is the mass of our sun) of oxygen were created in the first and second , respectively, due to the very high temperatures and densities reached.

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