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Archive for the ‘computing’ category: Page 113

Mar 2, 2024

Scientists use whey protein sponges to extract gold from computer parts, like motherboards — the process is 50X less expensive than the cost of gold and eco-friendly

Posted by in categories: computing, food, sustainability

Recycling previous metals from electronic waste is very expensive and, at a large scale, often requires exorbitant amounts of power and very expensive machines to recycle efficiently. However, scientists have discovered a food byproduct, whey protein, capable of recovering gold from electronic waste, making the recycling process substantially more efficient than it once was. With this byproduct, the energy cost of the entire recycling process can be 50 times lower than the value of the gold extracted from electronic components. The team found they could extract around 450mg of gold from 20 motherboards using this method.

This magical organic material comes in the form of whey proteins, a byproduct of dairy. Scientist Raffaele Mezzenga from the Department of Health Sciences and Technology discovered that an organic sponge made from whey proteins is exceptionally good at extracting metals from electronic components. To make this sponge, the scientists denature whey proteins under an acidic bath and high temperatures so the substance turns into a gel. Then, the scientists dry the gel, creating a sponge out of the whey protein fibrils.

But before the sponge can be used, the electronic waste must be prepared so it can do its job. First, electronic waste is dissolved in an acid bath to ionize the metals; then, the sponge is placed in the metal ion solution. Once in the bath, the ionized metals attach to the protein sponge, like a magnet picking up metal shavings. Mezzenga and his team of scientists discovered that most metal ions can adhere to the sponge, but gold ions do so a lot more efficiently.

Mar 2, 2024

Meet Mark. He’s one of the few people in the world with a brain-computer interface

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, neuroscience

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta watches a brain-computer interface in action and explores the technology that is allowing humans to control computers using only the neural activity in their brains.

Mar 2, 2024

What do our experience of the flow of time and quantum computing have in common?

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

In the fascinating intersection of quantum computing and the human experience of time, lies a groundbreaking theory that challenges our conventional narratives: the D-Theory of Time. This theory proposes a revolutionary perspective on time not as fundamental but as an emergent phenomenon arising from the quantum mechanical fabric of the universe.

In my upcoming book with a working title Cybernetic Theory, the entire section is dedicated to the physics of time, where we discuss the D-Theory of Time, predicated or reversible quantum computing at large, which represents a novel framework that challenges our conventional understanding of time and computing. Here, we explore the foundational principles of the D-Theory of Time, its implications for reversible quantum computing, and how it could potentially revolutionize our approach to computing, information processing, and our understanding of the universe.

At its core, the D-Theory of Time suggests that time may not be a fundamental aspect of the universe but rather an emergent property arising from the interactions of more basic entities or processes. Time symmetry, in physics, refers to the principle that the fundamental laws governing the universe are invariant, or unchanged, when the direction of time is reversed. Given extra degrees of freedom, time is not a linear, unidirectional flow but a set of dimensions that can be traversed in both directions, akin to spatial dimensions. This perspective aligns with the concept of reversible quantum computing, where operations are not only forward but can also be reversed, preserving quantum information, and potentially enabling universal computations that are far beyond the capabilities of classical computing.

Mar 2, 2024

Reconfigurable perovskite X-ray detector for intelligent imaging

Posted by in categories: computing, electronics

In-sensor computing requires detectors with polarity reconfigurability and linear responsivity. Pang et al. report a CsPbBr3 perovskite single crystal X-ray detector for edge extraction imaging with a data compression ratio of 46.4% and classification task with an accuracy of 100%.

Mar 2, 2024

“There’s a lot of concern”: Doctors Demand Full Transparency After Being Frightened by Elon Musk’s Brain Chip Tech Neuralink

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, Elon Musk, neuroscience

Elon Musk has done a lot of things in his life but doctors demand answers from Musk after his Neuralink tech scared them.

Mar 2, 2024

Umbrella for atoms: The first protective layer for 2D quantum materials

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics

As silicon-based computer chips approach their physical limitations in the quest for faster and smaller designs, the search for alternative materials that remain functional at atomic scales is one of science’s biggest challenges.

In a groundbreaking development, researchers at the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence have engineered a protective film that shields quantum semiconductor layers just one atom thick from environmental influences without compromising their revolutionary quantum properties. This puts the application of these delicate atomic layers in ultrathin within realistic reach. The findings have been published in Nature Communications.

Mar 2, 2024

A promising leap towards computers with light-speed capabilities

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Scientists have created a reprogrammable light-based processor, a world-first, that they say could usher in a new era of quantum computing and communication.

Technologies in these emerging fields that operate at the atomic level are already realizing big benefits for drug discovery and other small-scale applications.

In the future, large-scale quantum computers promise to be able to solve complex problems that would be impossible for today’s computers.

Mar 1, 2024

Focal Point on Quantum computing in Japan

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Quantum computers are set to transform computing and society with their ability to solve problems that are currently intractable.

Mar 1, 2024

‘Can control computer mouse with thoughts’: Says Elon Musk on Neuralink’s first human patient as he successfully recovers

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, Elon Musk, neuroscience

Elon Musk disclosed that a human patient implanted with a brain chip from the company has fully recovered and demonstrated the ability to control a computer mouse using their thoughts.

Mar 1, 2024

‘Oceans are hugely complex’: modelling marine microbes is key to climate forecasts

Posted by in categories: biological, chemistry, climatology, computing

An interesting exploration of the importance of oceanic microorganisms to biogeochemical processes, how existing computational climate models do not adequately capture the complexity introduced by these microbes, and suggestions for future directions in climate modeling that better incorporate the…


Microorganisms are the engines that drive most marine processes. Ocean modelling must evolve to take their biological complexity into account.