Lifeboat Foundation

A new study shows that nickel oxide superconductors, which conduct electricity with no loss at higher temperatures than conventional superconductors do, contain a type of quantum matter called charge density waves, or CDWs, that can accompany superconductivity.

The presence of CDWs shows that these recently discovered materials, also known as nickelates, are capable of forming correlated states— electron soups that can host a variety of quantum phases, including superconductivity, researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University reported in Nature Physics today.

“Unlike in any other superconductor we know about, CDWs appear even before we dope the material by replacing some atoms with others to change the number of electrons that are free to move around,” said Wei-Sheng Lee, a SLAC lead scientist and investigator with the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science (SIMES) who led the study.

OAKLAND, Calif. July 25 (Reuters) — U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) said on Monday it will produce chips for Taiwan’s MediaTek Inc (2454.TW), one of the world’s largest chip design firms.

The manufacturing arrangement is one of the most significant deals Intel has announced since it launched its so-called foundry business early last year.

A foundry business builds chips that other companies design and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW) is the top player in that space. Intel has mainly built chips it designed itself.

If radars wore pants, a lot of them would still be sporting bell-bottoms.

Significant aspects of radar haven’t fundamentally changed since the 1970s, said Kurt Sorensen, a senior manager who oversees the development of high-performance radio frequency imaging technologies at Sandia National Laboratories. Like a record player, most military-grade systems are still analog.

Now, Sandia is giving radar a major digital makeover. Researchers are working to replace legacy analog radars commonly used by the military with a new, digital, software-defined system called Multi-Mission Radio Frequency Architecture. The overhauled design promises U.S. warfighters unprecedented flexibility and performance during intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, even against sophisticated adversaries.

Sunlight sparkling on water evokes the rich phenomena of liquid-light interaction, spanning spatial and temporal scales. While the dynamics of liquids have fascinated researchers for decades, the rise of neuromorphic computing has sparked significant efforts to develop new, unconventional computational schemes based on recurrent neural networks, crucial to supporting wide range of modern technological applications, such as pattern recognition and autonomous driving. As biological neurons also rely on a liquid environment, a convergence may be attained by bringing nanoscale nonlinear fluid dynamics to neuromorphic computing.

Researchers from University of California San Diego recently proposed a novel paradigm where liquids, which usually do not strongly interact with light on a micro-or nanoscale, support significant nonlinear response to optical fields. As reported in Advanced Photonics, the researchers predict a substantial light-liquid interaction effect through a proposed nanoscale gold patch operating as an optical heater and generating thickness changes in a liquid film covering the waveguide.

Continue reading “Researchers propose neuromorphic computing with optically driven nonlinear fluid dynamics” »

Circa 2013

What if your running shoes could really adapt to your feet — and not just in the way that footwear retailers describe to solidify sales. These cutting-edge Protocells Trainers present the fascinating possibilities of wearable living materials that can grow, modify and repair themselves through continuous use.

Shamees Aden has been working with Dr. Martin Hanczyc on these innovative kicks, developing a synthetic biological substance that could be 3D printed to fit the wearer’s feet like gloves. The composite organic fabric would provide surface protection to toes and soles, yet it could also offer support skeletal and muscular. The anatomical tissue of the Protocells Trainers would thicken in areas that experience more pressure, and they could heal their own tears while bottled in a special solution overnight.

Circa 2018

This blog post is sponsored by Bluezone, the independent trade show for the denim and sportswear community by Munich Fabric Start. Register for the show here!

Continue reading “27 Revolutionary Denim Innovations You Need to Know” »

Circa 2016

Penn State scientists made a coating that allows conventional textiles used in everyday clothing to patch themselves up. Derived from squid ring teeth, the coating can turn virtually any fabric into a self-healing one. Simply adding water is enough to kick start the repairing process.

Continue reading “Self-healing textiles means you don’t have to throw away your torn jeans — just add water” »

Zero-emission buses will help cut emissions but we also need to redesign suburban networks to get people out of their cars, says University of Melbourne expert.

Meatable has become the latest company to reveal a new cultured food product – lab-grown sausages, which could offer a more sustainable and ethical choice for consumers in the near future.

Here are three key lessons my sister with Down syndrome has taught me — kindness, unconditional love and gratitude. They were her foundation to an optimistic life.