Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers have discovered how the “edge of chaos” can help electronic chips overcome signal losses, making chips simpler and more efficient.

By using a metallic wire on a semi-stable material, this method allows for long metal lines to act like superconductors and amplify signals, potentially transforming chip design by eliminating the need for transistor amplifiers and reducing power usage.

Revolutionizing chip design with the edge of chaos.

Australian, American and British researchers conducted a prospective analysis of light levels in almost 89 thousand people and concluded that more light exposure at night and less during the day are associated with an increased risk of death from all causes.

Light enhances or disrupts circadian rhythms, depending on the timing of exposure. Circadian disruption contributes to poor health outcomes that increase mortality risk. Whether personal light exposure predicts mortality risk has not been established. We therefore investigated whether personal day and night light, and light patterns that disrupt circadian rhythms, predicted mortality risk. UK Biobank participants (N = 88,905, 62.4 ± 7.8 y, 57% female) wore light sensors for 1 wk. Day and night light exposures were defined by factor analysis of 24-h light profiles. A computational model of the human circadian pacemaker was applied to model circadian amplitude and phase from light data. Cause-specific mortality was recorded in 3,750 participants across a mean (±SD) follow-up period of 8.0 ± 1.0 y.

The prediction that twisted semiconductor bilayers can host so-called non-Abelian states without a magnetic field holds promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing.

A team of computer engineers from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, NTT Corporation and Nagoya University have developed what they claim is the world’s first superconducting flux qubit that can operate without the need for a surrounding magnetic field.

Are we alone in the universe? Are there other technological civilizations out there and how can we find them? This is what a recent preprint submitted to The Astronomical Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers led by Penn State University investigated new methods for detecting radio signals from extraterrestrial technological civilizations (ETIs). This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand and develop more efficient methods for detecting radio signals from ETIs and how we can continue to improve these methods.

For the study, instead of attempting to detect radio signals directed at Earth from an ETI, the researchers focused on radio signals that could potentially be traveling between planets, known as planet-planet occultations (PPOs). The team tested this method on the TRAPPIST-1 system, which boasts seven approximate Earth-sized worlds, and at least three orbiting within its star’s habitable zone (HZ). After using computer models to estimate the number of potential PPOs that could be found within the system, the researchers used the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) to scan the TRAPPIST-1 system for 28 hours with the goal of detecting radio signals emanating from ETIs. In the end, the researchers detected no signals, but this study opens the door for better understanding how to develop and improve methods for detecting ETI radio signals.

“This research shows that we are getting closer to technology and methods that could detect radio signals similar to the ones we send into space,” said Nick Tusay, who is a PhD student in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State and lead author of the study. “Most searches assume a powerful signal, like a beacon intended to reach distant planets, because our receivers have a sensitivity limit to a minimum transmitter power beyond anything we unintentionally send out. But, with better equipment, like the upcoming Square Kilometer Array, we might soon be able to detect signals from an alien civilization communicating with its spacecraft.”

Engineers, physicists, computer scientists and more are needed for the second quantum revolution.

A major challenge in realizing quantum computers is the development of quantum error correction technology. This technology offers a solution for addressing errors that occur in the qubit, the basic unit of quantum computation, and prevents them from being amplified during the computation.

Thin-film lithium niobate is an emerging nonlinear integrated photonics platform ideally suited for quantum applications. Through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), it can generate correlated photon pairs for quantum key distribution, teleportation, and computing.

7 linux distributions that feel just like windows.

I often think of Windows 10 as “Windows 8.1 done right”, and Windows 11 as a natural evolution of that refinement, with plenty of improvements under the hood.

However, considering that Windows is still a closed, commercial platform, many users with concerns about privacy or dissatisfaction with Windows 11 may continue to seek alternative operating systems that offer more control while providing a similar experience to the Windows GUI.

Continue reading “7 Windows-Like Linux Distros You Should Try Out” »