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Category: computing – Page 64

Microsoft’s Topological Qubits Probably Don’t Exist, Researchers Warn

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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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Biohybrid BCI Adds More Neurons to the Brain

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.

Amazon unveils Ocelot, its first quantum computing chip

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.

The Future of Quantum Computing Is Modular

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.

These smart contact lens prototypes could convince future me to ditch my glasses thanks to wireless power transfer and eye health biosensing

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.

Water might be older than we first thought, forming a key constituent of the first galaxies

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.

Exploring quantum materials: Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering captures microscopic, rapidly changing properties

From computer chips to image sensors in cameras, today’s technology is overwhelmingly based on a semiconductor called silicon. This technology has been shrinking for decades—think of early room-sized computers compared to today’s desktops—but physical limitations will soon prevent further improvement.

That’s why scientists and engineers are preparing for a new generation of technology—one based on quantum mechanics.

The electrons in so-called “” behave differently than those in silicon, enabling more complex behaviors, like magnetism and superconductivity, that are useful for future quantum technologies.

Quantum Computers Keep Losing Qubits but Scientists Just Found a Fix

Vanishing atoms can ruin quantum calculations. Scientists have a new plan to locate leaks.

Quantum computers face a major challenge: atoms, which serve as their qubits, can vanish without warning, corrupting calculations. Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method to detect this problem in neutral-atom quantum systems without disrupting their state. This discovery helps overcome a key hurdle in making quantum computing.

Performing computation using quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement.

Dr. Philip Shiu — A computational model of the Drosophila brain (Brain Emulation Challenge workshop)

Dr. Philip Shiu.
EON Systems.

Presentation and Q&A
At the Carboncopies Foundation February 2025 workshop:

The brain emulation challenge: functionalizing brain data, ground-truthing and the role of artificial data in advancing neuroscience.