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When probing the subtle effects of quantum mechanics, all the parameters in the system and its measurements need to be finely tuned to observe the result you are hoping for. So what happens when you gear everything towards detecting what you least expect? Researchers at MIT and Purdue University in the U.S. took just this approach and found they could amplify quantum signals by a factor of 30 while conditionally changing the relative phase of a photon from π/80 to π/2. The results could provide the missing link that nudges a number of quantum network technologies closer to practical use.

Quantum technology protocols generally aim to maximize interaction strengths, but preparing these entangled systems can be very difficult. “We asked the question, can we turn weak interactions into very strong interactions somehow?” explains Vladan Vuletic, Wolf Professor of Physics at MIT. “You can, and the price is, they don’t happen often.”

The effects Vuletic and colleagues observe hinge on the factors that feed into the “expectation values” of quantum experiments. Expectation values describe the average outcome of a quantum scenario and equate to the product of each possible value and its probability. Vuletic and his collaborators focused their studies on scenarios where the average is dominated by , like a lottery where everyone wins a small amount on average, although in fact, just a few people win huge amounts. In quantum mechanics, light also sometimes takes the path less traveled, and as the researchers show, this really can make all the difference.

Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/melodysheep | Get the soundtrack: https://bit.ly/2HKl9fi | How’s it all gonna end? This experience takes us on a journey to the end of time, trillions of years into the future, to discover what the fate of our planet and our universe may ultimately be.

We start in 2019 and travel exponentially through time, witnessing the future of Earth, the death of the sun, the end of all stars, proton decay, zombie galaxies, possible future civilizations, exploding black holes, the effects of dark energy, alternate universes, the final fate of the cosmos — to name a few.

This is a picture of the future as painted by modern science — a picture that will surely evolve over time as we dig for more clues to how our story will unfold. Much of the science is very recent — and new puzzle pieces are still waiting to be found.

To me, this overhead view of time gives a profound perspective — that we are living inside the hot flash of the Big Bang, the perfect moment to soak in the sights and sounds of a universe in its glory days, before it all fades away. Although the end will eventually come, we have a practical infinity of time to play with if we play our cards right. The future may look bleak, but we have enormous potential as a species.

Featuring the voices of David Attenborough, Craig Childs, Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michelle Thaller, Lawrence Krauss, Michio Kaku, Mike Rowe, Phil Plait, Janna Levin, Stephen Hawking, Sean Carroll, Alex Filippenko, and Martin Rees.

Big thanks to Protocol Labs for their support of this creation: https://protocol.ai/

Cellular Aquaculture — Feed The World and Save the Oceans — Lou Cooperhouse, President & CEO, of BlueNalu, joins me on ideaXme (https://radioideaxme.com/) to discuss his company’s technologies to provide the world with healthy and safe cell-based seafood products, and support the sustainability and diversity of our oceans — #Ideaxme #StemCells #Aquaculture #Oceans #Fish #Sushi #Poke #Ceviche #SustainableDevelopment #Agriculture #Health #Wellness #RegenerativeMedicine #Biotech #Longevity #Aging #IraPastor #Bioquark #Regenerage ideaXme BlueNalu Rutgers University Rich Products Sumitomo Chemical: Group Companies of the Americas KBW Investments.


Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador and founder of Bioquark, interviews Lou Cooperhouse, President and CEO of BlueNalu.

Ira Pastor comments:

Global demand for seafood is at an all time high, as consumers are increasingly choosing to eat an extraordinary variety of seafood products that exist worldwide. Unfortunately, our global supply for seafood cannot keep pace with this demand, as populations of marine species have halved since 1970. This is due to overfishing, illegal fishing, rising ocean temperatures, acidification, the effects of trawling, and a number of other environmental, social, and political challenges.

At the same time, consumers are looking for more from their food choices. Consumers are increasingly concerned about animal welfare and the conditions in which fish are farmed and caught. In addition, they are increasingly concerned about their own personal welfare, as seafood can be a source of mercury, toxins and poisons, pathogens, viruses, and parasites, micro-particles of plastics due to plastic pollution in our ocean, and a variety of other environmental pollutants.

Amanda Christensen, ideaXme guest contributor, fake news and deepfake researcher and Marketing Manager at Cubaka, interviews Dan Mapes, PhD, MBA co-founder of VERSES.io and co-author of The Spatial Web: How Web 3.0 Will Connect Humans, Machines, and AI to Transform the World.

Amanda Christensen Comments:

We’ve come a long way since the invention of the internet, and even further since the invention of the first computer, which together have undeniably significantly facilitated everyday life. We have never had access to more information at the touch of our fingers, or been more connected than we are now.

However, the exponential advancement of the internet has brought along with it a whole host of problems, such as the rampant spread of fake news, deep fake technology, significant data breaches, and hacking, to name a few.

The further advancement of the internet, and particularly AI, is inevitable, as the full potential of their capabilities are far from being reached. But how do we advance in a way that both further optimises our lives but simultaneously protects us from further misuse?

The Spatial Web

Deploying “AI for Good” In The Life Sciences — Tom Lawry, National Director for Artificial Intelligence, Health & Life Sciences, Microsoft, joins me on ideaXme to discuss how they are deploying artificial intelligence “at scale”, across the major organizations responsible for delivery quality, next generation healthcare to millions of patients and customers — #Ideaxme #Microsoft #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #Health #Healthcare #Wellness #Medicine #Pharmacy #Hospitals #Nursing #Insurance #Diagnostics #Data #Moonshots #Biotechnology #Longevity #LifeExtension #Aging #IraPastor #Bioquark #Regenerage


Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador, interviews Tom Lawry, National Director for Artificial Intelligence — Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft.

Ira Pastor Comments:

A set of tools that we have been hearing quite a bit about (and discussed a bit on the show) in recent years is the triad of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning and their respective applications (primarily in the drug discovery and development processes), in terms how university labs and startups are using some of these tools to better guide the rational drug design process, or more appropriately select patients for a clinical trial, per the field of personalized medicine.

Today we are going to go to the far end of the spectrum, to a view of the potential of these tools at “scale”, when they need to be deployed across the mega enterprises responsible for delivery quality, next generation healthcare to millions of customers.

Worldwide, 800,000 people die annually due to suicide (1 every 40 seconds) — There are more than twice as many suicides as homicides — Suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death in the US, and the 2nd leading cause of death among individuals between ages of 10 and 34 — Dr. Christine Moutier, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, joins me on ideaXme to discuss her organization’s work in suicide prevention science and impacting these disturbing trends — #Ideaxme #Suicide #Depression #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #Anxiety #Stress #Trauma #Coronavirus #Burnout #WellBeing #Resilience #Health #Wellness #Longevity #Aging #IraPastor #Bioquark #Regenerage National Institute of Mental Health National Academy of Medicine.


Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador and founder of Bioquark, interviews Dr. Christine Moutier, MD, Chief Medical Officer, at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

Ira Pastor comments:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. Suicide is a global phenomenon and occurs throughout the lifespan, and there are indications that for each adult who died by suicide, there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Leading Causes of Death Report”, in 2017 suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,000 people; Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54. There were more than twice as many suicides in the United States as there were homicides.