Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have succeeded in developing a simple hydrocarbon molecule with a logic gate function, similar to that in transistors, in a single molecule. The discovery could make electric components on a molecular scale possible in the future. The results are published in Nature Communications.

Manufacturing very small components is an important challenge in both research and development. One example is transistors—the smaller they are, the faster and more energy efficient our computers become. But is there a limit to how small logic gates can become? And is it possible to create electric machines on a molecular scale? Yes, perhaps, is the answer from a chemistry research team at Lund University.

“We have developed a simple hydrocarbon molecule that changes its form, and at the same time goes from insulating to conductive, when exposed to electric potential. The successful formula was to design a so-called anti-aromatic ring in a molecule so that it becomes more robust and can both receive and relay electrons,” says Daniel Strand, chemistry researcher at Lund University.

A quasiparticle that forms in semiconductors can now be moved around at room temperature, a University of Michigan-led study has shown. The finding could cool down computers, enabling faster speeds and higher efficiencies, and potentially make LEDs and solar panels more efficient.

Today’s electronic devices rely on electrons to move both energy and information around, but about half of that energy is wasted as heat due to electrical resistance. Excitons, which escape traditional electrical losses, are one potential alternative.

“If you think of the past almost two decades, the computers have always been at two to three gigahertz—they never increase the speed. And that’s the reason. It just gets too hot,” said Parag Deotare, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science and corresponding author of the study.

Perpetuum mobile of the past and the future seems to form the present in which the thought of thoughts is formed. Hidden meanings in the past that are often keys that unlooked the doors of the future. And a lot questions take us through worlds from which we want to imagine the probable and improbable answer like Dr. Robert Ford from Westworld…

Viewers struggle to distinguish images of sophisticated machine-generated faces from actual humans.

There is a whole range of possibilities when it comes to prefabricated modular housing—some might be as simple as a prefab cabin in the woods or a home office in the backyard; others are designed as stackable and programmable smart homes, perhaps strong enough to withstand natural disasters or for seniors looking to age in place affordably.

Whatever it may be, the prefab industry continues to evolve. Singapore-based Nestron is yet another contender in this ever-expanding field, now offering the Nestron Cube Two X (C2X). This rather futuristic-looking smart living pod measures a relatively generous 377 square feet (35 square meters)—a sizable increase in floor area compared to the company’s 280-square-foot (26-square-meter) Cube Two of the same series, which was launched back in 2020, and is designed for three to four inhabitants. Additionally, the Cube Two X comes in two versions: either a one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit with different floor layouts within the same footprint.

Similar to the preceding Cube Two, the 18,000-pound (8,000-kilogram) Cube Two X sports an ultra-sleek exterior that features an insulated, FRP-paneled, galvanized steel frame, which the company says was designed to weather out natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons. However, the company notes that further fortifications can be done for clients looking for something even more resistant.

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies is written by Nick Bostrom, in which a New York Times bestseller on Superintelligence asks the questions: What happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us?

The Adam Smith Institute (ASI), a neoliberal think tank based in London, UK, has published a new report on property rights in space. It suggests dividing the Moon into regions and privatising it, which the institute believes could help end global poverty.

Space Invaders: Property Rights on the Moon, by economic consultant Rebecca Lowe, argues that creating a clear system of property rights in space could empower all of humanity with a greater stake in space exploration, as well as accelerating scientific discovery.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 – of which 111 countries are party to, including all major spacefaring powers – states that space is the “province of all mankind” and shall be freely explored and used by all nations. It precludes any country from claiming sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body, regardless of what national flags are planted on its surface.