Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 5

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Quantum Fourier transform reaches 52 qubits, shattering the previous 27-qubit record

The spin-off company ParityQC has implemented the largest quantum Fourier transform ever reported using an IBM quantum computer, thereby setting a new milestone on the path toward the industrial application of quantum computers. The quantum Fourier transform is a cornerstone algorithm with applications in cryptography, financial modeling, and materials science.

Innsbruck-based quantum architecture company ParityQC performed a quantum Fourier transform using 52 superconducting qubits on an IBM Heron quantum processor. This surpasses the previous record of 27 qubits, which was set two years ago using an ion-trap quantum computer. The results were published this week on the arXiv preprint server.

“This milestone was only possible through the synergy of IBM’s latest quantum hardware and the ParityQC Architecture, which unlocked an exponential improvement in efficiency,” say Wolfgang Lechner and Magdalena Hauser, Co-CEOs of ParityQC. “What we are witnessing is European quantum innovation taking a global lead in translating theoretical potential into real-world performance.”

New laser method gives insight into radioactive atomic nuclei

By directing pulses of laser light at atoms, researchers can study how radioactive elements decay in a matter of seconds. The method is described in a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg, which shows that the atomic nuclei of the elements neptunium and fermium are shaped like rugby balls.

Actinides are a group of elements at the bottom of the periodic table. They have a high density, are radioactive, and several of them only exist for a few seconds before they decay. Only four of the 14 elements in this group occur naturally on Earth. The others can be produced in an accelerator, but only in very small quantities. Uranium is the best-known actinide, but a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg focuses on neptunium and fermium.

New Microsoft Defender “RedSun” zero-day PoC grants SYSTEM privileges

A researcher known as “Chaotic Eclipse” has published a proof-of-concept exploit for a second Microsoft Defender zero-day, dubbed “RedSun,” in the past two weeks, protesting how the company works with cybersecurity researchers.

This exploit is for a local privilege escalation (LPE) flaw that grants SYSTEM privileges in Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server on the latest April Patch Tuesday patches, when Windows Defender is enabled.

“When Windows Defender realizes that a malicious file has a cloud tag, for whatever stupid and hilarious reason, the antivirus that’s supposed to protect decides that it is a good idea to just rewrite the file it found again to it’s original location,” explains the researcher.

Temperature shifts change plant proteins powering photosynthesis

Humans adjust to changes in temperature by putting on a sweater or taking off layers. Plants adjust to temperature changes, in part, by switching the way they express the protein that performs the critical first step of photosynthesis, according to new research from Cornell, Texas A&M and Stockholm University.

Rubisco is the most abundant protein on Earth, and it is responsible for fixing carbon so that plants can convert it into photosynthetic energy. Better understanding of the basic science underpinning rubisco’s function, therefore, has implications for increasing agricultural yields, improving carbon sequestration technology and understanding how plants may adapt to a warming climate.

In the paper “ Rubisco Kinetic Acclimation at the Holoenzyme Level,” published April 15 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrate that while rubisco’s protein core remains consistent, parts of its exterior can be swapped out, akin to an outfit. A stiffer exterior is preferred in the heat, for protection, and a looser one in the cold, to increase efficiency. This study, using the mustard-family plant Arabidopsis, is the first to show how rubisco acclimates to temperature changes in any plant species.

The Gravity Particle Should Exist. So Where Is It?

Head to https://brilliant.org/Spacetime/ to start learning for free. Plus, our viewers get 20% off an annual Premium subscription for unlimited daily access to everything Brilliant has to offer.

Physics is this close to understanding the entire universe. And what lives in this gap? Many physicists think it’s the elusive graviton—the quantum particle of gravity—whose discovery will finally allow us to stitch together our two great theories of nature into a single master theory. But what is the graviton, and does it even exist?

Help us determine the future of Space Time with the PBS Annual Survey:
https://to.pbs.org/2025SurveyST

Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord!
/ pbsspacetime.

Check out the Space Time Merch Store.
https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop.

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!

Continue reading “The Gravity Particle Should Exist. So Where Is It?” | >
/* */