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Physicists unveil system to solve long-standing barrier to new generation of supercomputers

The dream of creating game-changing quantum computers—supermachines that encode information in single atoms rather than conventional bits—has been hampered by the formidable challenge known as quantum error correction.

In a paper published Monday in Nature, Harvard researchers demonstrated a new system capable of detecting and removing errors below a key performance threshold, potentially providing a workable solution to the problem.

“For the first time, we combined all essential elements for a scalable, error-corrected quantum computation in an integrated architecture,” said Mikhail Lukin, co-director of the Quantum Science and Engineering Initiative, Joshua and Beth Friedman University Professor, and senior author of the new paper. “These experiments—by several measures the most advanced that have been done on any quantum platform to date—create the scientific foundation for practical large-scale quantum computation.”

Reactor-grade fusion plasma: First high-precision measurement of potential dynamics

Nuclear fusion, which operates on the same principle that powers the sun, is expected to become a sustainable energy source for the future. To achieve fusion power generation, it is essential to confine plasma at temperatures exceeding one hundred million degrees using a magnetic field and to maintain this high-energy state stably.

A key factor in accomplishing this is the inside the plasma. This potential governs the transport of particles and energy within the plasma and plays a crucial role in establishing a state in which energy is effectively confined and prevented from escaping. Therefore, accurately measuring the internal plasma potential is essential for improving the performance of future fusion reactors.

A non-contact diagnostic technique called the heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) is used to measure plasma potential directly. In this method, negatively charged (Au⁻) are accelerated and injected into the plasma.

How sound and light act alike—and not—at the smallest scale

A world-famous light experiment from 1801 has now been carried out with sound for the first time. Research by physicists in Leiden has produced new insights that could be applied in 5G devices and the emerging field of quantum acoustics. The study is published in the journal Optics Letters.

Ph.D. student Thomas Steenbergen says, “We saw that in materials behave in the same way as light, but also slightly differently. With a mathematical model, we can now explain and predict this behavior.”

Scientists Develop More Efficient Way To Extract Rare Earth Elements Amid Global Trade Tensions

Researchers at UT Austin have created artificial membrane channels that mimic nature’s precision to selectively extract key rare earth elements. A team of scientists at The University of Texas at Austin has created a cleaner and more efficient way to extract rare earth elements, which are vital f

RCE flaw in ImunifyAV puts millions of Linux-hosted sites at risk

The ImunifyAV malware scanner for Linux servers, used by tens of millions of websites, is vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability that could be exploited to compromise the hosting environment.

The issue affects versions of the AI-bolit malware scanning component prior to 32.7.4.0. The component is present in the Imunify360 suite, the paid ImunifyAV+, and in ImunifyAV, the free version of the malware scanner.

According to security firm Patchstack, the vulnerability has been known since late October, when ImunifyAV’s vendor, CloudLinux, released fixes. Currently, the flaw has not been assigned an identifier.

Kraken ransomware benchmarks systems for optimal encryption choice

The Kraken ransomware, which targets Windows, Linux/VMware ESXi systems, is testing machines to check how fast it can encrypt data without overloading them.

According to Cisco Talos researchers, Kraken’s feature is a rare capability that uses temporary files to choose between full and partial data encryption.

The Kraken ransomware emerged at the begining of the year as a continuation of the HelloKitty operation, and engages in big-game hunting attacks with data theft for double extortion.

CISA warns of Akira ransomware Linux encryptor targeting Nutanix VMs

US government agencies are warning that the Akira ransomware operation has been spotted encrypting Nutanix AHV virtual machines in attacks.

An updated joint advisory from CISA, the FBI, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and several international partners alerts that Akira ransomware has expanded its encryption capabilities Nutanix AHV VM disk files.

The advisory includes new indicators of compromise and tactics observed through FBI investigations and third-party reporting as recent as November 2025.

New ‘IndonesianFoods’ worm floods npm with 100,000 packages

A self-spreading package published on npm spams the registry by spawning new packages every every seven seconds, creating large volumes of junk.

The worm, dubbed ‘IndonesianFoods,’ due to its distinctive package naming scheme that picks random Indonesian names and food terms, has published over 100,000 packages according to Sonatype, and the number is growing exponentially.

Although the packages do not have a malicious component for developers (e.g., stealing data, backdooring hosts), this could change with an update that introduces a dangerous payload.

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