Menu

Blog

Page 2486

Jan 12, 2023

The Quantum Zeno Effect: From Motionless Arrows to Entangled Freezers

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Long before we had quantum computers, classical computers, or even calculus, an ancient Greek philosopher known as Zeno of Elea used thought experiments to probe apparent paradoxes. Zeno imagined an arrow flying through the air. At each instant of time, he reasoned, the arrow is stationary. If the arrow’s trajectory is entirely composed of stationary instants, how can the arrow ever move through space? Motion is impossible!

Zeno’s ancient arrow paradox has since evolved into a quantum thought experiment, “the quantum Zeno effect,” whereby we can freeze the state of quantum systems by continuously observing them. In the latest installment of our Quantum Paradoxes content series, I explain the quantum Zeno effect, and show how we can test it out using Qiskit on quantum computers. Read on to find out how this counterintuitive quantum freezing works, and how to create your own quantum freezer game — which even works with entangled qubits! All the code you need is in this Jupyter Notebook, and you’ll also find a detailed explanation in our latest Quantum Paradoxes video.

Continue reading “The Quantum Zeno Effect: From Motionless Arrows to Entangled Freezers” »

Jan 12, 2023

Cosmic superbubble’s magnetic field charted in 3D for the first time

Posted by in categories: cosmology, evolution

Astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) have unveiled a first-of-its-kind map that could help answer decades-old questions about the origins of stars and the influences of magnetic fields in the cosmos.

The map reveals the likely structure of the Local Bubble—a giant, 1,000-light-year-wide hollow in space surrounding our Sun. Like a hunk of Swiss cheese, our galaxy is full of these so-called superbubbles. The explosive supernova deaths of massive stars blow up these bubbles, and in the process, concentrate gas and dust—the fuel for making —on the bubbles’ outer surfaces. These thick surfaces accordingly serve as rich sites for subsequent star and planet formation.

Continue reading “Cosmic superbubble’s magnetic field charted in 3D for the first time” »

Jan 12, 2023

Russia Sending Spacecraft To Rescue Crew From ISS After Damaged Soyuz Ruled “Not Viable”

Posted by in category: space

NASA and Roscosmos are adjusting the International Space Station (ISS) flight plan after completing an investigation into a coolant leak on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the station.

NASA hosted a joint media briefing on Wednesday, January 11, about the Roscosmos-led investigation to update the public on the Soyuz status and the forward strategy.

As a part of the work, Roscosmos engineers determined the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is not viable for a normal crew return, but is available for crew return in an emergency aboard the space station. The Soyuz MS-22 will be replaced by the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft that will launch to the space station without a crew on Monday, February 20. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin will return to Earth in the replacement Soyuz after spending several additional months on the station.

Jan 12, 2023

Scientists See Quantum Interference between Different Kinds of Particles for First Time

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

In a first, physicists have now found interference between two dissimilar subatomic particles. Researchers made the observation at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), a colossal particle accelerator at Long Island’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. The finding broadens the way we understand entanglement and offers new opportunities to use it to study the subatomic world.

“With this new technique, we are able to measure the size and shape of the nucleus to about a tenth of a femtometer, a tenth of the size of an individual proton,” says James Daniel Brandenburg, a physicist at the Ohio State University and a member of RHIC’s STAR experiment, where the new phenomenon was seen. That’s 10 to 100 times more precise than previous measurements of high-energy atomic nuclei.

RHIC is designed to collide heavy ions, such as the nuclei of gold atoms. In this case, though, researchers were interested in near misses, not collisions. As the gold nuclei zing at near light speed through the collider, they create an electromagnetic field that generates photons. When two gold nuclei come close to one another but don’t collide, the photons may ping off the neighboring nuclei. These near misses used to be considered background noise, says STAR collaborator Raghav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli, a physicist at Vanderbilt University. But looking at the close-call events “opened up a whole new field of physics that initially was not accessible,” Kunnawalkam Elayavalli says.

Jan 12, 2023

Meet Aircore Mobility: The next-gen axial flux propulsion and traction motor

Posted by in categories: energy, transportation

Infinitum.

Aircore Mobility motor maximizes vehicle range, whether on land, in the air, or on the water, by delivering high power and torque density and operating with class-leading efficiency over a wide range of speeds and load circumstances.

Jan 12, 2023

COVID-19-Associated Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis: A Systematic Review

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

I had similar symptoms, and I thought it was a covid infection. I need to get myself tested for ADEM. If your child or family member has a strange rash on the back or legs, take them to the hospital to see if it is ADEM before they have seizures like I did.

The objective of this study was to provide an overview of acute disseminating encephalomyelitis, a potential and serious complication of COVID-19.


Blood investigations and CSF analysis were done in 17 patients. Raised inflammatory markers were most commonly seen in nine (ferritin raised in four, C-reactive protein in five, and D-dimer in five), and lymphopenia was seen in four patients.

Continue reading “COVID-19-Associated Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis: A Systematic Review” »

Jan 12, 2023

Timeline of transhumanism

Posted by in categories: life extension, transhumanism

This is a timeline of transhumanism, attempting to decribe significant events related to the movement. Topics directly related to transhumanism, including extropianism, life extension and eradication of suffering, are also described.

Jan 12, 2023

Recent progress in the understanding of neuraminidase-specific antibodies for the development of universal influenza vaccines

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

A recent study published in Viruses reviewed the characteristics of neuraminidase (NA) with emphasis on the development of NA-based universal influenza vaccines.

Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The influenza virus harbors two glycoproteins on the surface – hemagglutinin (HA) and NA. Infection-or vaccine-induced immune responses are targeted toward HA. Besides, NA-specific antibodies confer protection and can reduce infection severity.

Existing seasonal influenza vaccines confer narrow immune responses specific to the strain, and their efficacy depends on how well the vaccine strains match those in circulation. Thus, universal influenza vaccines with high breadth and potency are required. In the present study, the authors discussed the characteristics of NA, anti-NA antibodies, and recent progress in developing NA-based vaccines.

Jan 12, 2023

Does Our Consciousness Continue After Death?

Posted by in category: neuroscience

What is the experience of death? Can one’s consciousness continue after death and if so, for how long?

Catch an all new EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: SEARCH FOR THE AFTERLIFE sunday 10p on discovery.

Continue reading “Does Our Consciousness Continue After Death?” »

Jan 12, 2023

Generative AI, cloud computing and security top tech trends for 2023: Alibaba academy

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, security

Alibaba Damo Academy, an in-house research initiative by Chinese technology giant Alibaba, has identified generative artificial intelligence, dual-engine decision intelligence, cloud computing and security as top technology trends for 2023.