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Blog – Page 278

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, contagious virus that affects your respiratory system. It spreads easily and leads to cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and cough.

Most people with RSV have mild symptoms that go away on their own in a week or two. But RSV can lead to serious complications, especially for babies, older adults, and people with certain conditions.

If you have RSV and you can’t breathe well or you’re dehydrated, you may need to go to the hospital. You may need IV fluids, oxygen, or ventilation (which helps with your air flow).

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Just 37% of kids have gotten flu shots this year, according to new CDC data. That’s down seven percentage points, from 44% of kids getting shots by this same time last year.

The data concerns health officials, especially since a record number of children died of flu-related causes last year.

Ultimately, 55% of kids got vaccinated against the flu during the 2023–24 flu season, which was the lowest rate in 12 years, a CDC official told NBC News. Vaccination rates have fallen for a variety of childhood vaccines in recent years. The trend has been blamed on vaccine fatigue after the pandemic as well as misinformation about the safety of childhood shots.

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A new photonic chip designed by MIT scientists performs all deep neural network computations optically, achieving tasks in under a nanosecond with over 92% accuracy.

This could revolutionize high-demand computing applications, opening the door to high-speed processors that can learn in real-time.

Photonic Machine Learning

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MIT engineers have discovered that the mobula ray, a type of filter-feeding aquatic ray, utilizes a unique mechanism to feed and breathe simultaneously, which could revolutionize industrial water filters.

By studying the geometry of the ray’s mouth and gill structures, they developed a blueprint for more efficient filtration systems, balancing permeability with selectivity to enhance performance without increasing energy consumption.

Filter Feeding and Engineering Insights.

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MIT researchers have developed an environmentally friendly alternative to the harmful microbeads used in some health and beauty products.

These new polymers break down into harmless sugars and amino acids and could also encapsulate nutrients for food fortification, showing promise in both cosmetic and nutritional applications.

Biodegradable Solutions by MIT.

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Researchers at MIT have developed a method to detect small asteroids in the main asteroid belt, significantly improving our ability to spot objects as little as 10 meters across.

This new technique, which identified 138 space rocks ranging from bus-to stadium-sized, allows for earlier detection and better tracking of potential near-Earth objects, enhancing planetary defense. The approach, using data from telescopes initially aimed at exoplanets, has uncovered over a hundred new asteroids, with implications for understanding asteroid origins and collision processes.

Advancements in Asteroid Detection.

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A cutting-edge X-ray method reveals the 3D orientation of nanoscale material structures, offering fresh insights into their functionality.

Researchers at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) have developed a groundbreaking technique called X-ray linear dichroic orientation tomography (XL-DOT). This method reveals the three-dimensional arrangement of a material’s structural building blocks at the nanoscale. Its first application focused on a polycrystalline catalyst, enabling scientists to visualize crystal grains, grain boundaries, and defects—critical features that influence catalyst performance. Beyond catalysis, XL-DOT offers unprecedented insights into the structure of various functional materials used in information technology, energy storage, and biomedical applications.

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Theory of quantum anomalous Hall phases in pentalayer rhombohedral graphene moiré structures https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.

MIT physicists surprised to discover electrons in pentalayer graphene can exhibit fractional charge.

New theoretical research from MIT physicists explains how it could work, suggesting that electron interactions in confined two-dimensional spaces lead to novel quantum states, independent of magnetic fields.

Groundbreaking Discovery in Graphene

Continue reading “A Physics Discovery So Strange It’s Changing Quantum Theory” | >