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Dec 20, 2015

Oxford team demonstrates ‘hybrid’ logic gate as work towards quantum computer continues

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics

‘In a nice piece of “spin-off science” from this technological achievement, we were able to perform a “Bell test”, by first using the high-precision logic gate to generate an entangled state of the two different-species ions, then manipulating and measuring them independently. This is a test which probes the non-local nature of quantum mechanics; that is, the fact that an entangled state of two separated particles has properties that cannot be mimicked by a classical system. This was the first time such a test had been performed on two different species of atom separated by many times the atomic size.’

While Professor Lucas cautions that the so-called ‘locality loophole’ is still present in this experiment, there is no doubt the work is an important contribution to the growing body of research exploring the physics of entanglement. He says: ‘The significance of the work for trapped-ion quantum computing is that we show that quantum logic gates between different isotopic species are possible, can be driven by a relatively simple laser system, and can work with precision beyond the so-called “fault-tolerant threshold” precision of approximately 99% — the precision necessary to implement the techniques of quantum error correction, without which a quantum computer of useful size cannot be built.’

In the long term, it is likely that different atomic elements will be required, rather than different isotopes. In closely related work published in the same issue of Nature, by Ting Rei Tan et al, the NIST Ion Storage group has demonstrated a different type of quantum logic gate using ions of two different elements (beryllium and magnesium).

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Dec 19, 2015

This Simple Video Explain Where All The Aliens Are And Why We Haven’t Found Them Yet

Posted by in categories: existential risks, physics

The “Fermi Paradox” and “The Great Filter.”


Our universe is huge and some parts are very old and if we somehow happen to live on a planet that’s fairly young, aliens must also exist somewhere. But where the hell are they? Kurz Gesagt tries to find an answer in this beautiful animation explainer that traces on The Fermi Paradox and different kinds of potential civilizations.

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Dec 19, 2015

Mystery material stuns scientists

Posted by in categories: entertainment, materials

How does water on the surface of this bizarre material control UV light emission and also its conductivity? (credit: Mohammad A. Islam et al./Nano Letters)

In a remarkable chance landmark discovery, a team of researchers at four universities has discovered a mysterious material that emits ultraviolet light and has insulating, electrical conducting, semiconducting, superconducting, and ferromagnetic properties — all controlled by surface water.

It happened while the researchers were studying a sample of lanthanum aluminate film on a strontinum titanate crystal. The sample mysteriously began to glow, emitting intense levels of ultraviolet light from its interior. After carefully reproducing the experimental conditions, they tracked down the unlikely switch that turns UV light on or off: surface water moisture.

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Dec 19, 2015

Google’s artificial intelligence bot thinks the purpose of life is ‘to live forever’

Posted by in categories: life extension, robotics/AI

This week, Google released a research paper chronicling one of its latest forays into artificial intelligence.

Researchers at the company programmed an advanced type of “chatbot” that learns how to respond in conversations based on examples from a training set of dialogue.

And the bot doesn’t just answer by spitting out canned answers in response to certain words; it can form new answers from new questions.

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Dec 19, 2015

Why Basic Income?

Posted by in categories: economics, employment, robotics/AI

Basic Income (10 Reasons)
https://goo.gl/PJ7bbh

Lies You’ve Been Told about Work.
https://goo.gl/3u7Vld

Continue reading “Why Basic Income?” »

Dec 19, 2015

**Future Is Near**

Posted by in categories: futurism, transportation

This Audi Parks Itself, and Comes When You Call!

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Dec 19, 2015

No Man’s Sky game promises universe of 18 quintillion planets

Posted by in categories: entertainment, space

Due for release in June 2016, No Man’s Sky will allow you to visit and explore a virtual universe of trillions of planets, each one a unique world.

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Dec 19, 2015

This Canadian made a replica of the #StarWars robot from the #forceawakens

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

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Dec 19, 2015

7 Genes That Might Help You Reach 100

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, life extension

Healthy living isn’t meaningless, but while all of us can make positive lifestyle modifications, genes play a massive role in longevity — or there would be no species variation. We’re still discovering exactly which genes provide a longevity boost and what they do, but we now know 7 variants could help give you an advantage.

The search for a longevity gene

Previous efforts to search out a ‘longevity gene’ have been largely unsuccessful, so researchers led by Stuart Kim at Stanford decided to focus on ‘bad’ gene variants this time — or more crucially a lack of them. They analysed 800 people over 100 and 5000 people over 90 and found that while many variants are common in the average person, possession of fewer ‘bad’ versions of 5 crucial genes was indeed associated with longevity. Many long-lived individuals are able to avoid chronic disease despite harmful lifestyle choices like smoking, and this could be one of the explanations. These confirmed 5 add to 2 already associated with longer lifespans.

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Dec 18, 2015

‘Nature Doesn’t Care What You Find Beautiful’

Posted by in category: quantum physics

German quantum gravity expert Sabine Hossenfelder is fighting in the battle over theoretical physics, a clash between those looking for evidence and those looking to move forward faster.

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