An AI-powered proof has rigorously shown that using quantum computers wouldn’t have huge advantages for a whole class of mathematical problems, confirming a vastly influential conjecture
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A new twist on ‘magic-angle’ graphene: Tuning resistance with strain
In materials science labs around the world, researchers regularly reproduce a peculiar experiment. Under a microscope, they use tiny robotic manipulators to lay two sheets of carbon, each a single atom thick, against one another. They then rotate the top sheet against the bottom. The two identical lattices of atoms, when twisted relative to one another, bloom into a complex moiré pattern, a shifting complex of honeycomb shapes that grow and shrink as the angle between the layers changes.
A landmark study, published by MIT researchers in 2018, showed that when the top layer is rotated to the so-called “magic angle” of 1.1 degrees and cooled to near absolute zero, the material can become superconducting, a state in which electrons flow freely through the material with no resistance. The discovery ignited hopes of future breakthroughs in superconducting materials, which could help create extremely efficient computers, power grids and new quantum devices.
In the years following that key experiment, scientists have teased new properties out of the “moiré material” by introducing temperature changes, voltages and magnetic fields. Now, researchers at the University of Washington have added a new variable by stretching and compressing the material.
Engineered albumin helps a therapeutic protein last longer and cross mucosal barriers
Protein-based medicines have transformed the treatment of many diseases, but they often come with a limitation: they must be injected, sometimes repeatedly, because they are rapidly cleared from the bloodstream. For patients who depend on long-term or lifelong treatment, frequent injections place a considerable burden on everyday life.
Now, researchers from the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, together with international collaborators, have developed an approach to make a therapeutic protein last longer in the body while also opening the possibility of delivering it across mucosal surfaces without the use of needles. The work is published in Nature Communications.
Webb detects most distant black hole merger to date
An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to find evidence for an ongoing merger of two galaxies and their massive black holes when the Universe was only 740 million years old. This marks the most distant detection of a black hole merger ever obtained and the first time that this phenomenon has been detected so early in the Universe.
The Universe as Spontaneously Created out of Nothing: Whitehead, Vilenkin, and Quantum Cosmology
Alexander Vilenkin is one of the world’s leading cosmologists and a pioneer in the development of inflationary cosmology and multiverse theory. A professor at Tufts University and founding director of its Institute of Cosmology, he is especially known for proposing the “tunneling from nothing” model of cosmic origins and, with Alan Guth and Arvind Borde, for demonstrating that inflationary universes cannot be extended infinitely into the past. His work has profoundly shaped contemporary discussions of the origin, structure, and possible multiplicity of universes. In this video” Vilenkin explores the theoretical origins of the cosmos by examining how inflation might have started. Through the lens of quantum cosmology, the discussion investigates the mathematical possibility of a universe spontaneously emerging from a state of nothingness governed by the laws of physics.”
Some signs of quantum gravity may be an illusion
The Challenge of Quantum Gravity
A central expectation is that gravity itself should ultimately follow the rules of quantum mechanics. That possibility quickly becomes difficult to visualize.
Quantum mechanics allows an object to be delocalized across multiple locations at the same time, an effect that has been repeatedly demonstrated with atoms and even small pieces of metal. Einstein’s theory, meanwhile, treats gravity as a property of space and time itself — it can bend, flatten, and support waves that travel through it, as gravitational wave detectors have confirmed.
Mechanisms and Target Parameters in Relation to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Physical Exercise: Focus on the Master Triad of Hormonal Changes, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder among females of reproductive age with heterogeneous prevalence. It is well known that female reproductive competence depends on the dynamic regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis; therefore, disruption of this highly regulated system leads to fertility problems. Among disruptors, both oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to an increased LH-FSH ratio and a consequent hyperandrogenism. Shifts in this bidirectional interplay between the neuroendocrine system and oxidative/inflammatory homeostasis result in the accumulation of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and inflammatory markers as well as alterations in antioxidant defense mechanisms.
Researchers solve a physics puzzle about radiation that could lead to tougher electronics
Researchers have solved a longstanding physics puzzle, explaining why electronic devices can fail catastrophically when exposed to radiation. Their findings may hold the key to engineering new electronics that can better withstand extreme environments, with applications ranging from nuclear energy to space exploration.
The discovery stems from work the researchers were doing on aluminum nitride (AlN), which is an ultrawide bandgap semiconductor. That means AlN can be used in electronic devices that handle large power loads. In theory, AlN also holds promise for use in extreme environments, such as radioactive settings.
To test that theory, the researchers wanted to explore a phenomenon called single-event burnout (SEB), which is when an electronic device is exposed to radiation and a single energetic particle causes catastrophic failure in the device—making the device inoperable and causing structural damage. SEB occurs when high voltage is applied to a device that is exposed to radiation. Different devices can handle different amounts of voltage before SEB occurs.
MOTION THEORY: The Motion of a Qubit
The Motion of a Qubit.
Prepare a qubit in either of two states. Measure each directly a thousand times, and both can produce roughly half zeros and half ones. Now apply a microwave pulse before measurement: one state can become zero every time, the other one. The pulse reveals a difference that the first measurement could not see—their relative phase.
A qubit stores information in the amplitudes of two basis states, zero and one. Their sizes determine the probabilities in a direct measurement; their relative angle affects how they combine when the qubit is rotated. On a superconducting chip, a Josephson junction makes the circuit’s energy levels unevenly spaced, helping a microwave pulse address the qubit without exciting higher levels.
We follow the state on a Bloch sphere, where microwave pulses rotate its representation. During a wait, the relative phase between the zero and one components changes. A second pulse turns that phase difference into a measurable change in the fraction of ones. This is a Ramsey experiment.
The pattern of Ramsey fringes reveals how quickly the qubit’s phase slips relative to the microwave reference. Frequency fluctuations blur the pattern across repeated runs. Energy relaxation reduces the excited-state population. Measuring both effects helps researchers understand how a real device differs from an ideal qubit.
Alex Plesa | A Path to Solving Aging
Supporting scientists, entrepreneurs, funders, and institutional partners in advancing biotechnology to reverse aging, extend human healthspan, and improve the human condition. This group is sponsored by 100 Plus Capital. http://100pluscap.com/
Alex Plesa | A Path to Solving Aging.
Abstract: Evolution has solved biological damage by replacement, at every scale. From proteins and organelles being recycled within cells, to bacteria sacrificing a daughter cell and damaged cells being cleared and replaced, all the way to the entire organism being deprioritized in favor of the germline. Repair is almost entirely reserved for DNA, the one molecule without a backup copy. In this talk, I argue that aging accumulates in biological layers that can’t be replaced and propose cellular/tissue replacement as a better bet than epigenetic reprogramming. Lastly, I address the limit case for replacement, the brain, and explore a potential direction for it.
Speaker Bio: Alex Plesa is a scientist working on solving aging at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. He completed his PhD in George Church’s lab, where he developed a cell rejuvenation discovery platform using biological clocks and high-throughput transcriptomic reprogramming screens. Alex discovered a new gene therapy for reversing the age of human cells and extending mouse lifespan. He also revealed genome architecture as a potential driver of human blood stem cell aging, and is now exploring cell replacement approaches for age reversal.
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