Computers

From atomic clocks to secure communication to quantum computers: these developments are based on the increasingly better control of the quantum behaviour of electrons in atomic shells with the help of laser light. Now, for the first time, physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg have succeeded in precisely controlling quantum jumps in atomic … [Read more...] about Atomic nuclei in the quantum swing

Building a universal quantum computer is a challenging task because of the fragility of quantum bits, or qubits for short. To deal with this problem, various types of error correction have been developed. Conventional methods do this by active correction techniques. In contrast, researchers led by Prof. David DiVincenzo from Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University, … [Read more...] about Blueprint for fault-tolerant qubits

Quantum computers promise not only to outperform classical machines in certain important tasks, but also to maintain the privacy of data processing. The secure delegation of computations has been an increasingly important issue since the possibility of utilizing cloud computing and cloud networks. Of particular interest is the ability to exploit quantum technology that allows … [Read more...] about Quantum computing: When ignorance is wanted

Boys who regularly play video games at age 11 are less likely to develop depressive symptoms three years later, finds a new study led by a UCL researcher. The study, published in Psychological Medicine, also found that girls who spend more time on social media appear to develop more depressive symptoms. Taken together, the findings demonstrate how different types of screen time … [Read more...] about Boys who play video games have lower depression risk

Researchers have detailed a mechanism in the distinctive corona of Covid-19 that could help scientists to rapidly find new treatments for the virus, and quickly test whether existing treatments are likely to work with mutated versions as they develop. The team, led by the University of Warwick as part of the EUTOPIA community of European universities, have simulated movements … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Future targets for treatments rapidly identified with new computer simulations

A team of researchers has devised a method using smartphones in order to measure food consumption -- an approach that also offers new ways to predict physical well-being. "We've harnessed the expanding presence of mobile and smartphones around the globe to measure food consumption over time with precision and with the potential to capture seasonal shifts in diet and food … [Read more...] about Smartphone study points to new ways to measure food consumption: Method offers potential for precise means to gauge food insecurity, environmental stress

One of the most challenging issues in cancer therapy is the development of drug resistance and subsequent disease progression. In a new article featured on this month's cover of Cancer Research, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers, in collaboration with Oxford University, report results from their study using mathematical modeling to show that cell turnover impacts drug … [Read more...] about Mathematical modeling to identify factors that determine adaptive therapy success: Cell turnover and cost of resistance are important factors that impact adaptive therapy

Wearable sleep tracking devices -- from Fitbit to Apple Watch to never-heard-of brands stashed away in the electronics clearance bin -- have infiltrated the market at a rapid pace in recent years. And like any consumer products, not all sleep trackers are created equal, according to West Virginia University neuroscientists. Prompted by a lack of independent, third-party … [Read more...] about You snooze, you lose – with some sleep trackers

With the seemingly unstoppable advancement in the fields of miniaturization and materials science, all sorts of electronic devices have emerged to help us lead easier and healthier lives. Wearable sensors fall in this category, and they have received much attention lately as useful tools to monitor a person's health in real time. Many such sensors operate by quantifying … [Read more...] about Do sweat it! Wearable microfluidic sensor to measure lactate concentration in real time: Scientists develop new biosensing device to chemically monitor the state of muscles during physical exercise

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have created a four-legged soft robot that doesn't need any electronics to work. The robot only needs a constant source of pressurized air for all its functions, including its controls and locomotion systems. The team, led by Michael T. Tolley, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San … [Read more...] about This robot doesn’t need any electronics: Walking quadruped is controlled and powered by pressurized air