Toggle light / dark theme

In a new development that could help redefine the future of technology, a team of physicists has uncovered a fundamental insight into the upper limit of superconducting temperature.

This research, accepted for publication in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, suggests that room-temperature —long considered the “holy grail” of condensed matter physics—may indeed be possible within the laws of our universe.

Superconductors, materials that can conduct electricity without resistance, have the potential to revolutionize energy transmission, , and quantum computing. However, until now, they have only functioned at , making them impractical for widespread use. The race to find a superconductor that works at ambient conditions has been one of the most intense and elusive pursuits in modern science.

UC Santa Barbara researchers are working to move cold atom quantum experiments and applications from the laboratory tabletop to chip-based systems, opening new possibilities for sensing, precision timekeeping, quantum computing and fundamental science measurements.

“We’re at the tipping point,” said electrical and computer engineering professor Daniel Blumenthal.

In an invited article that was also selected for the cover of Optica Quantum, Blumenthal, along with graduate student researcher Andrei Isichenko and postdoctoral researcher Nitesh Chauhan, lays out the latest developments and future directions for trapping and cooling the atoms that are fundamental to these experiments—and that will bring them to devices that fit in the palm of your hand.

Scientists are tackling one of the biggest hurdles in quantum computing: errors caused by noise and interference. Their solution? A new chip called Ocelot that uses “cat qubits” — a special type of qubit that dramatically reduces errors. Traditional quantum systems require thousands of extra qubits for error correction, but this breakthrough could slash that number by 90%, bringing us closer to practical, powerful quantum computers m.

The AI revolution is happening faster than experts ever predicted — and we’ve hit the turning point.

The long-debated arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) may be closer than we think, with some experts suggesting we could reach the technological singularity within the next year.

A new analysis of nearly 8,600 expert predictions reveals shifting timelines, particularly since the rise of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. While previous estimates placed AGI’s emergence around 2060, recent advancements have led many to revise their forecasts to as early as 2030.

Some industry leaders, however, believe AGI’s arrival is imminent, and with the rapid progression of computing power and potential breakthroughs in quantum computing, we may soon see machines capable of surpassing human intelligence.

Despite the excitement, skepticism remains. Some researchers argue that intelligence is more than just computational power, encompassing emotional, social, and existential dimensions that machines may never fully replicate. Others question whether AI, no matter how advanced, can independently drive scientific discoveries or simply act as an accelerator for human innovation. While the exact timeline for AGI remains uncertain, one thing is clear: humanity is on the brink of an AI-driven transformation, and the choices we make now will determine whether this future benefits or disrupts society.

Learn more.

In this work, I present a coherent and comprehensive argument for the nature of consciousness as the inherent ground of phenomena backed by experimental evidence confirming the predictions make by this hypothesis.

This argument makes its point by establishing an equivalence between all observers, generating a set of observational and mathematical predictions which were then tested and confirmed.

Furthermore, when the core tenet of the argument is accepted, it provides clear, testable explanations for most of the curently unresolved questions regarding consciousness, intelligence, and the nature of observed phenomena.

In human engineering, we design systems to be predictable and controlled. By contrast, nature thrives on systems where simple rules generate rich, emergent complexity. The computational nature of the universe explains how simplicity can generate the complexity we see in natural phenomena. Imagine being able to understand everything about the universe and solve all its mysteries by a computational approach that uses very simple rules. Instead of being limited to mathematical equations, using very basic computational rules, we might be able to figure out and describe everything in the universe, like what happened at the very beginning? What is energy? What’s the nature of dark matter? Is traveling faster than light possible? What is consciousness? Is there free will? How can we unify different theories of physics into one ultimate theory of everything?

This paradigm goes against the traditional notion that complexity in nature must arise from complicated origins. It claims that simplicity in fundamental rules can produce astonishing complexity in behavior. Entering the Wolfram’s physics project: The computational universe!

Thousands of hours have been dedicated to the creation of this video. Producing another episode of this caliber would be difficult without your help. If you would like to see more, please consider supporting me on / disculogic, or via PayPal for a one-time donation at https://paypal.me/Disculogic.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro.
01:48 Fundamentally computational.
08:51 Computational irreducibility.
13:14 Causal invariance.
16:16 Universal computation.
18:44 Spatial dimensions.
21:36 Space curvature.
23:52 Time and causality.
27:12 Energy.
29:38 Quantum mechanics.
31:31 Faster than light travel.
34:56 Dark matter.
36:30 Critiques.
39:15 Meta-framework.
41:19 The ultimate rule.
44:21 Consciousness.
46:00 Free will.
48:02 Meaning and purpose.
49:09 Unification.
55:14 Further analysis.
01:02:30 Credits.

#science #universe #documentary