Computers

When people are asked to draw the flower of a sunflower plant, almost everyone draws a large circle encircled by yellow petals. "Actually, that structure is the flower head, or the capitulum, which may be composed of hundreds of flowers, also known as florets. The surrounding 'petals' are florets different in structure and function to those closer to the centre," says Professor … [Read more...] about Auxin makes the spirals in gerbera inflorescences follow the Fibonacci sequence

Reconfigurable materials can do amazing things. Flat sheets transform into a face. An extruded cube transforms into dozens of different shapes. But there's one thing a reconfigurable material has yet to be able to change: its underlying topology. A reconfigurable material with 100 cells will always have 100 cells, even if those cells are stretched or squashed. Now, researchers … [Read more...] about Transforming circles into squares: Researchers reconfigure material topology on the microscale

Studies show wearing masks and social distancing can contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but their combined effectiveness is not precisely known. In Chaos, by AIP Publishing, researchers at New York University and Politecnico di Torino in Italy developed a network model to study the effects of these two measures on the spread of airborne diseases like COVID-19. The model … [Read more...] about Combining mask wearing, social distancing suppresses COVID-19 virus spread: Network model findings could shape public health policy for airborne viruses

The "three-body problem," the term coined for predicting the motion of three gravitating bodies in space, is essential for understanding a variety of astrophysical processes as well as a large class of mechanical problems, and has occupied some of the world's best physicists, astronomers and mathematicians for over three centuries. Their attempts have led to the discovery of … [Read more...] about New approach to centuries-old ‘three-body problem’

Artificial intelligence could be one of the keys for limiting the spread of infection in future pandemics. In a new study, researchers at the University of Gothenburg have investigated how machine learning can be used to find effective testing methods during epidemic outbreaks, thereby helping to better control the outbreaks. In the study, the researchers developed a method to … [Read more...] about Machine learning can help slow down future pandemics

Physicists from Swansea University are part of an international research collaboration which has identified a new technique for testing the quality of quantum correlations. Quantum computers run their algorithms on large quantum systems of many parts, called qubits, by creating quantum correlations across all of them. It is important to verify that the actual computation … [Read more...] about New method for putting quantum correlations to the test

New study with 756 1st through 5th graders demonstrates that a six-week mashup of hoops and math has a positive effect on their desire to learn more, provides them with an experience of increased self-determination and grows math confidence among youth. The Basketball Mathematics study was conducted at five Danish primary and elementary schools by researchers from the … [Read more...] about Basketball Mathematics scores big at inspiring kids to learn

Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, people may be more willing to trust a computer program than their fellow humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging, according to new research from data scientists at the University of Georgia. From choosing the next song on your playlist to choosing the right size pants, people are relying … [Read more...] about People may trust computers more than humans: New research shows that people are more likely to rely on algorithms

Light can be used to operate quantum information processing systems, e.g. quantum computers, quickly and efficiently. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Chimie ParisTech/CNRS have now significantly advanced the development of molecule-based materials suitable for use as light-addressable fundamental quantum units. As they report in the journal Nature … [Read more...] about A molecule that responds to light

Imagine there are arrows that are lethal when fired on your enemies yet harmless if they fall on your friends. It's easy to see how these would be an amazing advantage in warfare, if they were real. However, something just like these arrows does indeed exist, and they are used in warfare ... just on a different scale. These weapons are called tailocins, and the reality is … [Read more...] about The incredible bacterial ‘homing missiles’ that scientists want to harness