Computers

If you're about to buy something online and its only customer review is negative, you'd probably reconsider the purchase, right? It turns out a product's first review can have an outsized effect on the item's future -- it can even cause the product to fail. Shoppers, retailers and manufacturers alike feel the effects of customer reviews. Researchers at the University of … [Read more...] about Shopping online? Here’s what you should know about user reviews

Today's digital world generates vast amounts of data every second. Hence, there is a need for memory chips that can store more data in less space, as well as the ability to read and write that data faster while using less energy. Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), working with collaborators from the University of Oxford, Diamond Light Source (the … [Read more...] about Researchers create ‘whirling’ nano-structures in anti-ferromagnets

Most snakes get from A to B by bending their bodies into S-shapes and slithering forward headfirst. A few species, however -- found in the deserts of North America, Africa and the Middle East -- have an odder way of getting around. Known as "sidewinders," these snakes lead with their mid-sections instead of their heads, slinking sideways across loose sand. Scientists took a … [Read more...] about Physics of snakeskin sheds light on sidewinding: Microscopic look reveals differences in the surfaces of snakes’ bellies

In the first longitudinal study to follow Georgia pre-K students through middle school, Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett, associate dean for academic programs and professor in UGA's Mary Frances Early College of Education, found that participating in pre-K programs positively predicted mathematical achievement in students through seventh grade. "Students who participated in the study … [Read more...] about State-funded pre-K may enhance math achievement: New research shows the program has an impact on classroom success

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have put forward a detailed plan of how faster and better defined quantum bits -- qubits -- can be created. The central elements are magnetic atoms from the class of so-called rare-earth metals, which would be selectively implanted into the crystal lattice of a material. Each of these atoms represents one qubit. The researchers … [Read more...] about New blueprint for more stable quantum computers

Purdue University innovators have created technology aimed at replacing Morse code with colored "digital characters" to modernize optical storage. They are confident the advancement will help with the explosion of remote data storage during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Morse code has been around since the 1830s. The familiar dots and dashes system may seem antiquated given … [Read more...] about Say goodbye to the dots and dashes to enhance optical storage media

Topological insulators are one of the most puzzling quantum materials -- a class of materials whose electrons cooperate in surprising ways to produce unexpected properties. The edges of a TI are electron superhighways where electrons flow with no loss, ignoring any impurities or other obstacles in their path, while the bulk of the material blocks electron flow. Scientists have … [Read more...] about A new hands-off probe uses light to explore electron behavior in a topological insulator: Just as pressing a guitar string produces a higher pitch, sending laser light through a material can shift it to higher energies and higher frequencies.

Researchers at the George Washington University and University of California, Los Angeles, have developed and demonstrated for the first time a photonic digital to analog converter without leaving the optical domain. Such novel converters can advance next-generation data processing hardware with high relevance for data centers, 6G networks, artificial intelligence and … [Read more...] about Researchers create novel photonic chip: Digital to analog converter bridges the gap between internet and electronic hardware

Scientists and engineers at the University of Sydney and Microsoft Corporation have opened the next chapter in quantum technology with the invention of a single chip that can generate control signals for thousands of qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers. "To realise the potential of quantum computing, machines will need to operate thousands if not millions of … [Read more...] about Beyond qubits: Next big step to scale up quantum computing

With the importance of non-contact environments growing due to COVID-19, tactile electronic devices using haptic technology are gaining traction as new mediums of communication. Haptic technology is being applied in a wide array of fields such as robotics or interactive displays. haptic gloves are being used for augmented information communication technology. Efficient … [Read more...] about Highly deformable piezoelectric nanotruss for tactile electronics