The novel 3D wiring architecture and chip fabrication method enable quantum processing units containing 10,000 qubits to fit in a smaller space than today’s 100-qubit chips.
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Magic moments with John Bell
This was a monumental breakthrough in the philosophy and foundations of quantum mechanics. Bell derived a mathematical inequality that showed if there were any local “hidden variables” (underlying, deterministic factors) explaining the “spooky” correlations in quantum entanglement, those correlations would have to obey certain limits. Experiments inspired by his theorem (starting with Alain Aspect in the early 1980s) have repeatedly shown that these limits are violated, confirming that quantum entanglement is real, non-local, and that nature fundamentally disagrees with Einstein’s idea of “local realism.”
John Bell, with whom I had a fruitful collaboration and warm friendship, is best known for his seminal work on the foundations of quantum physics, but he also made outstanding contributions to particle physics and accelerator physics.
Antibacterial and Immunostimulatory Activity of Potential Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Ethiopian Fermented Dairy Products
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) form a group of bacteria to which most probiotics belong and are commonly found in fermented dairy products. Fermented foods and beverages are foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components. In this study, 43 LAB were isolated from Ethiopian traditional cottage cheese, cheese, and yogurt and evaluated for their functional and safety properties as candidate probiotics. Twenty-seven isolates, representative of each fermented food type, were selected and identified to the species level. Limosilactobacillus fermentum was found to be the predominant species in all samples studied (70.4%), while 11.1% of isolates were identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. All 27 isolates tested showed resistance to 0.5% bile salt, while 26 strains were resistant to pH 3.
Quinoline tag helps vancomycin breach gram-negative defenses
Chemists have found that attaching a small quinoline group to vancomycin lets it slip inside the bacteria and reach its target.
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The work reveals how tiny structural shifts can deliver outsize biological effects by Anirban Mukhopadhyay, special to C&EN.
Study reveals visual processing differences in dyslexia extend beyond reading
New research published in Neuropsychologia provides evidence that adults with dyslexia process visual information differently than typical readers, even when viewing non-text objects. The findings suggest that the neural mechanisms responsible for distinguishing between specific items, such as individual faces or houses, are less active in the dyslexic brain. This implies that dyslexia may involve broader visual processing differences beyond the well-known difficulties with connecting sounds to language.
Dyslexia is a developmental condition characterized by significant challenges in learning to read and spell. These difficulties persist despite adequate intelligence, sensory abilities, and educational opportunities. The most prominent theory regarding the cause of dyslexia focuses on a phonological deficit. This theory posits that the primary struggle lies in processing the sounds of spoken language.
According to this view, the brain struggles to break words down into their component sounds. This makes mapping those sounds to written letters an arduous task. However, reading is also an intensely visual activity. The reader must rapidly identify complex, fine-grained visual patterns to distinguish one letter from another.
Tricking tumors into marking themselves for destruction with focused ultrasound
USC biomedical engineers have found a way to make a solid tumor paint a target on its own back in order to train the body’s immune system to find and destroy it.
The research team from USC Viterbi’s Wang Lab used focused ultrasound waves to “prime” tumor cells so they can be more easily recognized and attacked by chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells, the engineered immune cells that have revolutionized treatment for blood cancers but have until now struggled against solid tumors. The research has been published in Nature Materials.
CAR T-cell therapy works remarkably well in the bloodstream, where rogue cancer cells are exposed and easily targeted. However, solid tumors are another story. They hide deep in tissue, shielded by a microenvironment fortress of healthy cells. Every tumor is different, making it hard to find a single “flag” that marks cancer cells without causing damage to healthy ones.
From mind-controlling tech to clinical therapy
Researchers at the University of Geneva, together with colleagues in Switzerland, France, the United States and Israel, describe how optogenetic control of brain cells and circuits is already steering both indirect neuromodulatory therapies and first-in-human retinal interventions for blindness, while sketching the practical and ethical conditions needed for wider clinical use.
Optogenetic control uses light to impose temporally precise gain or loss of function in specific cell types, or even individual cells. Selected by location, connections, gene expression or combinations of these features, researchers now have an unprecedented way to investigate the brain within living animals.
Modern experiments range from implanted fiber optics to three-dimensional holographic illumination of defined neuronal ensembles and noninvasive wearable LEDs, with interventions that can run from milliseconds to chronic use and effect sizes that change rapidly with changes in light intensity.