Lifeboat Foundation

When it comes to fundamental physics, things can get spooky. At least that’s what Albert Einstein said when describing the phenomenon of quantum entanglement—the linkage of particles in such a way that measurements performed on one particle seem to affect the other, even when separated by great distances. “Spooky action at a distance” is how Einstein described what he couldn’t explain.

While quantum mechanics includes many mysterious phenomena like entanglement, it remains the best fundamental physical theory describing how matter and light behave at the smallest scales. Quantum theory has survived numerous experimental tests in the past century while enabling many advanced technologies: modern computers, digital cameras and the displays of TVs, laptops and smartphones. Quantum entanglement itself is also the key to several next-generation technologies in computing, encryption and telecommunications. Yet, there is no clear consensus on how to interpret what quantum theory says about the true nature of reality at the subatomic level, or to definitively explain how entanglement actually works.

According to Andrew Friedman, a research scientist at the University of California San Diego Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences (CASS), “the race is on” around the globe to identify and experimentally close potential loopholes that could still allow alternative theories, distinct from quantum theory, to explain perplexing phenomena like quantum entanglement. Such loopholes could potentially allow future quantum encryption schemes to be hacked. So, Friedman and his fellow researchers conducted a “Cosmic Bell” test with polarization-entangled photons designed to further close the “freedom-of-choice” or “free will” loophole in tests of Bell’s inequality, a famous theoretical result derived by physicist John S. Bell in the 1960s. Published in the Aug. 20 issue of Physical Review Letters, their findings are consistent with quantum theory and push back to at least 7.

Continue reading “Physicists race to demystify Einstein’s ‘spooky’ science” »

100 years ago, scientists thought the Milky Way was the entire universe. Imagine what we can learn from this telescope in a Chilean desert.

An AI is set to try and work out how a potentially limitless supply of energy can be used on Earth.

It could finally solve the mysteries of fusion power, letting researchers capture and control the process that powers the sun and stars.

Continue reading “The AI that could help make limitless fusion power a reality: Supercomputer set to try and work out how to harness the energy of the sun” »

Researchers make significant progress toward proving a critical mathematical test of the theory of general relativity.

• By Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine on August 27, 2018

Need more evidence that blockchain isn’t the cure-all for Corporate America? Well, a new report from PwC says adoption of the technology is stalling.

Hidden tunnels which link the human skull to the brain have been discovered by scientists, leading to hopes the breakthrough may help in stroke and Alzheimer’s research.

Researchers believe that the passages provide a quick channel for immune cells to reach the brain from the bone marrow in the skull.

Previously it was through that immune cells formed in the bone marrow of the limbs was transported up to the brain to clear out infection.

Continue reading “Secret immune cell tunnels found in human skulls” »

If you’ve ever experienced jet lag, you are familiar with your circadian rhythm, which manages nearly all aspects of metabolism, from sleep-wake cycles to body temperature to digestion. Every cell in the body has a circadian clock, but researchers were unclear about how networks of cells connect with each other over time and how those time-varying connections impact network functions.

In research published Aug. 27 in PNAS, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and collaborating institutions developed a unified, data-driven computational approach to infer and reveal these connections in biological and chemical oscillatory networks, known as the topology of these complex networks, based on their time-series data. Once they establish the topology, they can infer how the agents, or cells, in the network work together in synchrony, an important state for the brain. Abnormal synchrony has been linked to a variety of brain disorders, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Jr-Shin Li, professor of systems science & mathematics and an applied mathematician in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, developed an algorithm, called the ICON (infer connections of networks) method, that shows for the first time the strength of these connections over time. Previously, researchers could only determine whether a connection existed between networks.

Researchers have discovered how to snap spaghetti sticks without sending bits of pasta flying.

Semi-autonomous driving systems are designed to ignore unmoving obstacles because otherwise, they couldn’t work at all.