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Apr 1, 2024
Nvidia is now worth as much as the whole Chinese stock market
Posted by Kelvin Dafiaghor in category: finance
Nvidia’s market cap has swelled to $1.7 trillion, the same as every Chinese stock listed in Hong Kong combined.
Apr 1, 2024
Pushing material boundaries for better electronics
Posted by Chima Wisdom in categories: nanotechnology, robotics/AI, supercomputing
A recently tenured faculty member in MIT’s departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Kim has made numerous discoveries about the nanostructure of materials and is funneling them directly into the advancement of next-generation electronics.
His research aims to push electronics past the inherent limits of silicon — a material that has reliably powered transistors and most other electronic elements but is reaching a performance limit as more computing power is packed into ever smaller devices.
Today, Kim and his students at MIT are exploring materials, devices, and systems that could take over where silicon leaves off. Kim is applying his insights to design next-generation devices, including low-power, high-performance transistors and memory devices, artificial intelligence chips, ultra-high-definition micro-LED displays, and flexible electronic “skin.” Ultimately, he envisions such beyond-silicon devices could be built into supercomputers small enough to fit in your pocket.
Apr 1, 2024
Memories are made by breaking DNA — and fixing it
Posted by Shubham Ghosh Roy in categories: biotech/medical, business, neuroscience
When a long-term memory forms, some brain cells experience a rush of electrical activity so strong that it snaps their DNA. Then, an inflammatory response kicks in, repairing this damage and helping to cement the memory, a study in mice shows. The findings, published on 27 March in Nature1, are “extremely exciting”, says Li-Huei Tsai, a neurobiologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge who was not involved in the work. They contribute to the picture that forming memories is a “risky business”, she says. Normally, breaks in both strands of the double helix DNA molecule are associated with diseases including cancer. But in this case, the DNA damage-and-repair cycle offers one explanation for how memories might form and last.
It also suggests a tantalizing possibility: this cycle might be faulty in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, causing a build-up of errors in a neuron’s DNA, says study co-author Jelena Radulovic, a neuroscientist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Apr 1, 2024
Unlocking the Secrets of Life With RNA’s Ancient Code
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, robotics/AI
Salk scientists unveil RNA capabilities that enable Darwinian evolution at a molecular scale, and bring researchers closer to producing autonomous RNA life in the laboratory.
Charles Darwin described evolution as “descent with modification.” Genetic information in the form of DNA sequences is copied and passed down from one generation to the next. But this process must also be somewhat flexible, allowing slight variations of genes to arise over time and introduce new traits into the population.
Continue reading “Unlocking the Secrets of Life With RNA’s Ancient Code” »
Apr 1, 2024
Decoding Earth’s Cosmic Shields in Groundbreaking Study
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: particle physics, space
New insights into near-Earth space’s hazardous environment could revolutionize space weather prediction, driven by collaborative international research.
A challenge to space scientists to better understand our hazardous near-Earth space environment has been set in a new study led by the University of Birmingham.
The research represents the first step towards new theories and methods that will help scientists predict and analyze the behavior of particles in space. It has implications for theoretical research, as well as for practical applications such as space weather forecasting.
Apr 1, 2024
Quantum Computing Recharged With Electromagnetic Ion Trap Innovation
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: computing, quantum physics
Researchers at ETH have managed to trap ions using static electric and magnetic fields and to perform quantum operations on them. In the future, such traps could be used to realize quantum computers with far more quantum bits than have been possible up to now.
Apr 1, 2024
When Trees Fall, Mercury Rises: Unveiling a Hidden Environmental Threat
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in category: space
Scientists quantify a previously overlooked driver of human-related mercury emissions.
About 10 percent of human-made mercury emissions into the atmosphere each year are the result of global deforestation, according to a new MIT study.
The world’s vegetation, from the Amazon rainforest to the savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, acts as a sink that removes the toxic pollutant from the air. However, if the current rate of deforestation remains unchanged or accelerates, the researchers estimate that net mercury emissions will keep increasing.
Apr 1, 2024
Electro-Fenton Magic Makes Methane the New Eco Fuel Hero
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: chemistry, energy, physics
A team from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics made a breakthrough in converting methane to formic acid using oxygen at room temperature through a high-pressure electro-Fenton process, achieving significantly higher efficiency and productivity than traditional methods.
Direct conversion of methane (CH4) and oxygen (O2) to value-added chemicals is important for natural gas industries. However, challenges remain due to the difficulty of O2 activation in forming active oxygen species for CH4 activation under mild conditions.
Recently, a research group led by Prof. Dehui Deng, Assoc. Prof. Xiaoju Cui and Liang Yu from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) realized the electrochemical conversion of CH4 by O2 to formic acid (HCOOH) at room temperature. This study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Apr 1, 2024
Defying Expectations: NASA’s Chandra Uncovers a Quasar’s Surprising Galactic Impact
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in category: cosmology
Research reveals the quasar H1821+643, despite its intense activity, has a minimal effect on its host galaxy, overturning expectations about the role of quasars. Astronomers have found a rapidly growing supermassive black hole (quasar) not achieving what they expect from it.