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In a groundbreaking development poised to reshape the landscape of quantum computing, D-Wave Systems has announced their latest innovation: the Advantage2 quantum processor. As the industry grapples with an ever-increasing demand for computational power, this announcement signals a pivotal moment in the quest to harness the full potential of quantum technology.

Game-Changing Technology The Advantage2 processor boasts a staggering 7,000 qubits, significantly surpassing its predecessors and setting a new benchmark for quantum performance. This advancement is expected to enhance quantum annealing processes, thereby accelerating solutions for complex optimization problems that classical computers struggle to handle efficiently.

Pioneering Quantum Real-World Applications D-Wave is focusing on addressing real-world challenges across various sectors, including logistics, pharmaceuticals, and cybersecurity. By providing unparalleled computing speed, the Advantage2 aims to facilitate breakthroughs in drug discovery and materials design, and to optimize intricate supply chain networks with unprecedented efficiency.

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Scientists are diving deep into the origins of supermassive black holes, using recent gravitational wave detections as a key tool.

By leveraging signals from smaller black holes, researchers hope to detect the harder-to-catch waves from supermassive pairs, potentially unlocking the secrets of their formation and growth.

Unveiling the mystery of supermassive black holes.

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The Firefly Sparkle was previously imaged by Hubble Space Telescope and Keck Observatory, but was followed-up using the power of both gravitational lensing and multi-wavelength data from JWST’s CAnadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS). The role of the lens was played by the massive galaxy cluster called MACS J1423.8 + 2,404, which lies between us and the Firefly Sparkle.

“Without the benefit of this gravitational lens, we would not be able to resolve this galaxy,” said Kartheik Iyer, a co-lead author of the paper, in a press release. “We knew to expect it based on current physics, but it’s surprising that we actually saw it.”

In the team’s paper, published in Nature on Dec. 11, they created a model to “undo” the visual distortions of the lensing. It turns out that the Firefly Sparkle’s original form appears like a stretched raindrop; its stars have not yet settled into either the central bulge or a thin disk. In other words, the galaxy is still very much in the process of forming.

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Scientists at the University of Alberta found a new way to improve plant-based foods, and it involves plasma, the same stuff that makes up stars, as reported by Phys.org.

The breakthrough makes 3D-printed pea protein hold its shape, opening doors for more affordable and tasty meat alternatives.

Pea protein is already in many foods we eat, from bread to dairy-free milk to meatless burgers. It’s cheap and packed with nutrients, but until now, it wouldn’t keep its shape when pushed through a 3D printer, limiting its use in food production.

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A team of researchers from Stanford University has found a unique way to mine bitcoin that could have a massive impact on the perceptions of the cryptocurrency.

According to its website, Pi Network was designed in part to make the process of mining bitcoin significantly less energy-intensive.

Cryptocurrency mining is a controversial practice in part because it remains largely unregulated. It uses massive amounts of power that frequently comes from dirty energy sources such as gas and coal as well as massive amounts of water to help keep its server banks cool and functional.

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For the first time, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has detected and “weighed” a galaxy that not only existed about 600 million years after the Big Bang, but also has a mass that is similar to what our Milky Way galaxy’s mass might have been at the same stage of development.

Other galaxies Webb has detected at this period in the history of the universe are significantly more massive. Nicknamed the Firefly Sparkle, this galaxy is gleaming with star clusters—10 in all—each of which researchers examined in great detail. Their work is published in Nature.

“I didn’t think it would be possible to resolve a galaxy that existed so early in the universe into so many distinct components, let alone find that its mass is similar to our own galaxy’s when it was in the process of forming,” said Lamiya Mowla, co-lead author of the paper and an assistant professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. “There is so much going on inside this tiny galaxy, including so many different phases of star formation.”

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