Tag Archives: created

Breakthrough: The Most Complex Time Crystal Created Inside a Quantum Computer

Posted on by
Reply

IBM Quantum System 2

IBM Quantum System Two: The Machine Behind the New Time Crystal Discovery

Credit: IBM Research

Recent advancements in quantum computing have led to the creation of a highly complex time crystal, marking a significant breakthrough in the field. This innovative discovery demonstrates that quantum computers excel in facilitating scientific exploration and novel discoveries.

Unlike conventional crystals, which feature atoms arranged in repeating spatial patterns, time crystals possess configurations that repeat over time. These unique structures maintain their cyclic behavior indefinitely, barring any environmental influences.

Initially perceived as a challenge to established physics, time crystals have been successfully synthesized in laboratory settings over the past decade. Recently, Nicholas Lorente and his team from the Donostia International Physics Center in Spain utilized an IBM superconducting quantum computer to fabricate a time crystal exhibiting unprecedented complexity.

While previous work predominantly focused on one-dimensional time crystals, this research aimed to develop a two-dimensional variant. The team employed 144 superconducting qubits configured in an interlocking, honeycomb-like arrangement, enabling precise control over qubit interactions.

By manipulating these interactions over time, the researchers not only created complex time crystals but also programmed the interactions to exhibit advanced intensity patterns, surpassing the complexity of prior quantum computing experiments.

This new level of complexity allowed the researchers to map the entire qubit system, resulting in the creation of its “state diagram,” analogous to a phase diagram for water that indicates whether it exists as a liquid, solid, or gas at varying temperatures and pressures.

According to Jamie Garcia from IBM, which did not participate in the study, this experiment could pave the way for future quantum computers capable of designing new materials based on a holistic understanding of quantum system properties, including extraordinary phenomena like time crystals.

The model emulated in this research represents such complexity that traditional computers can only simulate it with approximations. Since all current quantum computers are vulnerable to errors, researchers will need to alternate between classical estimation methods and precise quantum techniques to enhance their understanding of complex quantum models. Garcia emphasizes that “large-scale quantum simulations, involving more than 100 qubits, will be crucial for future inquiries, given the practical challenges of simulating two-dimensional systems.”

Biao Huang from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences notes that this research signifies an exciting advancement across multiple quantum materials fields, potentially connecting time crystals, which can be simulated with quantum computers, with other states achievable through certain quantum sensors.

Topics:

  • Quantum Computing/
  • Quantum Physics

Source: www.newscientist.com

Lab-Fertilized Egg Cells Created from Human Skin DNA

Posted on by
Reply

Laboratories enable modification of human egg cell genetic identity

Science Photo Library / Aramie

Human embryos arise from eggs that utilize the DNA from adult skin cells. This was accomplished with mice. This advancement may offer a pathway for same-sex couples or women facing fertility challenges to have biologically related children.

Researchers have successfully replicated animals through cloning techniques. This involves substituting the nucleus of an egg cell with the nuclei from somatic cells such as skin cells. However, in addition to the legal hurdles surrounding human cloning, many couples desire children that carry genes from both partners, necessitating both sperm and eggs. Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health and Science University.

This scenario is complicated by the nature of eggs and sperm being haploid, meaning they contain only one set of chromosomes. The challenge lies in halving the complete set of chromosomes found within cells such as skin cells after selecting an optimal combination of the original genes.

Females develop all of their eggs while still in the womb, where the progenitor cells initially containing 46 chromosomes undergo a complicated process of replication, mixing, and division to reduce to 23 chromosomes.

Mitalipov was intrigued by the possibility of employing natural chemical processes that facilitate chromosomal division in mature human eggs both before and after fertilization to replicate this process in his laboratory.

Having achieved this with mice, Mitalipov and his team are now trialing the method with human subjects. They started by extracting the nuclei from hundreds of eggs donated by healthy women, which were left at a specific development stage linked to chromosomal division. Next, the nuclei of skin cells, known as fibroblasts, from healthy female volunteers were inserted into these eggs. Microscopic images displayed the chromosomes aligned on the spindle and the internal structures necessary for chromosomal separation.

The team then injected sperm from a healthy donor to fertilize some of the eggs, utilizing a method akin to that employed in creating babies using third-party mitochondrial DNA, which can also minimize the risk of specific genetic disorders.

This injection typically causes the eggs to undergo chromosome selection and eliminate duplicate DNA, preparing them for additional reception from the sperm. Nonetheless, in the case of the skin-derived eggs, this process was interrupted, with chromosomes aligning but not separating. Consequently, the researchers attempted again with a new batch of fertilized eggs, applying an electrical pulse that allowed calcium to surge into the egg, emulating natural signals triggered when sperm contact the egg’s outer layer, alongside an incubation period with a drug to activate them from their dormant state pre-fertilization.

Through a series of trials, the researchers successfully halved the chromosome counts in the eggs, discarding any excess. By the conclusion of the experiment, 9% of the fertilized eggs had developed into blastocysts — a dense cluster of cells at about 5-6 days post-fertilization, typically moving into the uterus during IVF treatments. However, the team did not pursue the transfer or sustain the blastocyst beyond six days.

Despite the progress made, the mixtures of genes forming the remaining chromosomes appeared particularly susceptible to defects. “I believe this method is still in its early stages and is not presently suitable for clinical applications,” stated MITINORI SAITOU from Kyoto University in Japan.

Lin from Osaka University noted that while the techniques are “very sophisticated and organized,” they remain “inefficient and potentially hazardous for immediate clinical use.” Nevertheless, Hayashi remarked that the team has achieved a “substantial breakthrough in reducing the human genome.” “This advancement will herald new technologies,” he stated.

Mitalipov acknowledged the validity of the criticisms, emphasizing that his team is actively working to address the existing flaws. “At the end of the day, we’re making progress, but we aren’t there yet,” he remarked.

Topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

The Most Terrible Space Suit Ever Created

Posted on by
Reply

When venturing beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, spacesuits become crucial. These human-sized miniature spacecraft are designed to shield astronauts from harmful solar radiation, extreme temperatures, low atmospheric pressure, and the impacts of micrometeorites.

The moon presents additional challenges, such as sharply defined lunar dust that can damage the suit’s joints and disrupt its materials.

It’s essential for spacesuits to provide remarkable freedom of movement, as astronauts frequently exit their spacecraft to conduct intricate repairs on equipment.

In emergencies, swift donning of the suit is beneficial. Furthermore, a full life support system should be integrated to regulate air supply and temperature.

Since astronauts may need to wear their suits for extended periods, considerations for food, hydration, and other bodily functions are vital.

Over the years, there have been Various designs, although not all have met these necessary standards accurately.

In 1962, the peculiar hard-shell suit known as the Grumman underwent brief testing. It resembled a fusion of a dustbin and a blender, but its limited mobility was a significant drawback.

Another design, the Hardshell “ax” suit, was also tested, primarily constructed from aluminum with rotary joints akin to futuristic armor, but it never made it to any missions.

Most functional spacesuits have been crafted from flexible multi-layer composite fabrics, with rigid shells reserved for specific areas like the helmet and upper torso.

Future suits may be even more advanced.

Biosuit proposed by Professor Dava Newman at MIT – Image credit: Dava Newman/Professor MIT/Guillermo Trotti/Douglas Sonders Photography

Researchers are currently focused on creating self-healing materials, ensuring that issues arising from extended missions to Mars are mitigated. One of the most innovative concepts is the Bio Suit, proposed by Professor Dava Newman at MIT.

Astronauts would wear suits made from flexible fabric that, when activated, reduces the embedded shape memory alloy coil, allowing the suit to conform perfectly to the skin, offering exceptional mobility and style.

Alternatively, the most intriguing designs feature proposed FO-RO (forward and reverse osmosis) systems.

Similar to a still suit from Sand Dunes, this suit can recycle astronaut urine into drinking water.

This article answers a question from Erica Morris via email: “What will the future spaceship look like?”

Feel free to email us your questions at Question @sciencefocus.com or message Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (please include your name and location).

Discover our ultimate Fun facts and explore more astounding science content

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Babies Created with Three DNA Sources Are Free from Genetic Disorders

Posted on by
Reply

The baby became pregnant via IVF

Zephyr/Science Photo Library

Eight young children seem to be shielded from severe genetic disorders following their birth through a three-parent DNA technique. This method involved replacing defective maternal mitochondria with those from a female donor.

Approximately 1 in 5,000 individuals carry mitochondrial defects that provide energy to cells and are inherited solely from the mother. Such defects may result from genetic mutations leading to issues like blindness, seizures, and, in extreme cases, death. “Families find it incredibly challenging to cope with these diseases. They are heart-wrenching,” states Bobby McFarland from Newcastle University, UK.

In 2015, the UK first sanctioned a procedure called pronuclear transfer for women at high risk of passing on mitochondrial conditions, particularly those who cannot benefit from pre-implantation genetic testing.

This nuclear transfer technique utilizes eggs from both mothers and donors, which are fertilized with paternal sperm via IVF. After roughly 10 hours, the nuclei from both eggs are extracted, leaving behind the crucial genetic material that is separate from mitochondrial DNA.

The nucleus from the mother is subsequently inserted into the donor’s egg, yielding an embryo that primarily inherits DNA from its biological parent while acquiring mitochondria from the donor. Some mitochondrial DNA from the mother may still be unintentionally transmitted, according to Burt Smeet from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

McFarland, who pioneered this method with her team, has applied the technique to 19 women harboring harmful mutations in over 80% of their mitochondria, typically the level that causes issues.

Seven of the women achieved pregnancy after the final embryo transfer, resulting in eight healthy births, including one pair of twins.

The researchers evaluated blood samples from the newborns, finding no harmful mitochondrial DNA mutations in five, and only trace levels in the remaining three. “The results have exceeded expectations,” says Mike Murphy from Cambridge University.

In the months or years following these nuclear transfers, all children have shown progress with developmental milestones. However, some may encounter complications that may or may not be linked to the procedure. For instance, one child developed high blood fat levels and an abnormal heartbeat, both of which were successfully addressed, while another experienced epilepsy at 7 months old, which resolved on its own.

The research team plans to monitor these children to assess the long-term consequences of the procedure.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

John L. Young, 89, Passes Away: We’ve Created a Collection of Categorized Online Documents

Posted on by
Reply

John L. Young, a computer-savvy architect, utilized his expertise to establish Encryption, a significant repository of sensitive documents that predates WikiLeaks and often surpasses it with an unrestricted approach to disclosing government secrets. He passed away on March 28th at a rehabilitation facility in Manhattan, at the age of 89.

His death went largely unreported at the time and was attributed to complications from large-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as confirmed by his wife, Deborah Nazzios.

Founded in 1996 by former CIA executives, Cryptome offers a collection of leaked, obscure documents in the public domain, organized in reverse chronological order, displayed in a minimalist style reminiscent of typewriter output.

Over time, the site has amassed about 70,000 documents, spanning from innocuous National Intelligence University course catalogues to sensitive disclosures, including the identities of numerous intelligence agents from the US, UK, and Japan.

“I am a steadfast opponent of all forms of government secrecy,” he stated to The Associated Press in 2013. “I’m pleased with the exposure and advocate for complete transparency.”

Young often received visits from the FBI and his internet service provider. At times, he would temporarily shut down the website to avoid legal issues, yet he was never charged with a crime, and Cryptome consistently returned online.

Around a decade ago, Cryptome had already been operating alongside WikiLeaks and other whistleblowing sites. Young initially supported WikiLeaks and even co-registered its domain, but later became critical of its leader, Julian Assange.

Unlike Assange, who considered himself a journalist, Young identified as an archivist, asserting that as long as a document was authentic, it deserved encryption. He maintained that he held vast amounts of information without being responsible for its content.

Young, who had been a leftist radical during the 1960s, retained his critical perspective of the government, often suggesting to journalists that they could be spies and accusing former associates of being double agents.

With degrees in philosophy and architecture, Young spent the 1970s leading a design nonprofit in New York.

In the 1980s, he specialized in ensuring that building systems and infrastructures complied with legal codes, a mission that would eventually parallel Cryptome’s objectives.

“As architects, we are mandated by state law to prioritize public health, safety, and welfare,” he explained to the website’s assistant in 2014. “In the interest of public welfare, we should act as architects who monitor those in authority.”

Young was an early proponent of computer-aided design, sparking discussions around digital privacy that began gaining traction in the late 1980s.

He joined the mailing list of cypherpunks, a collective of hackers and programmers advocating for internet openness and resisting government surveillance of online activity.

During a time when most government documents were only available in hard copy, Young made a scanner available for free to anyone wishing to leak secret documents online.

“Cryptome played a crucial role in demonstrating the potential for internet transparency,” he remarked, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties in the digital domain.

Despite having admirers, Young faced criticism, even from those who appreciated his work, for not considering national security implications while uploading documents online.

Nonetheless, he countered that his efforts were, in fact, beneficial to the government.

“Understanding your vulnerabilities and confronting them is essential; you shouldn’t conceal them,” he told The Associated Press.

John Lee Young was born on December 22, 1935, in Millersview, a small town in central Texas. His mother, Beatrice (Rhodes) Young, was a homemaker, while his father, Orby Young, worked as a patrol construction worker. They divorced when John was young, and he spent his childhood living with various relatives throughout the state.

After graduating from school at 14, he spent three years picking cotton, peddling religious icons, and selling Fuller Brush products door-to-door before enlisting in the US military in 1953.

Assigned to the German Corps of Engineers, he traveled across Europe during his downtime, absorbing the extensive architectural heritage of the continent.

In 1956, despite not having a high school diploma, Young enrolled at Texas Tech. He later transferred to Rice University in Houston, graduating in 1963 with degrees in philosophy and architecture. He subsequently worked on a historic preservation project in the city.

Young pursued further education at Columbia University in 1967, where he enrolled in the inaugural Historical Preservation Program at the School of Architecture.

A year later, he joined fellow students in occupying Avery Hall, the university’s main building, in protest against the plans for a new gym.

Despite emerging as a leader among protesters, he graduated in 1969 without facing expulsion.

Young’s first wife, Martha (Calhoun) Young, passed away in 1968, leaving him to raise four children. His second marriage to Marjorie Hoogue ended in divorce. In 1990, he met Nazzios, and they married in 1998.

Surviving him are three children and two grandchildren from his first marriage—Malcolm, Lilac, and Anina Young—as well as the memory of his deceased daughter, Dara. He resided in Manhattan.

Even after founding Cryptome, Young continued his architectural practice, collaborating with Nazzios to maintain the website in a cost-effective manner, contributing roughly $2,000 a year for upkeep.

He regarded it as a public service, a means of giving back to society.

“Individuals like John Young contributed significantly to the internet and its unique offerings during the ’90s and early 2000s,” Cohn remarked.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Newly Created Elastic Rechargeable Gadgets Can Identify Genuine Emotions

Posted on by
Reply

A research team from Penn State has developed a novel hybrid device that integrates distinct sensors with a flexible wireless power supply and an emotional recognition transmission module.

Wearable patches can accurately track multiple emotional signals at the same time. Image credit: Yangbo Yuan/Penn State.

“This represents a new and enhanced method for understanding our emotions by observing various body signals simultaneously,” stated Dr. Hua New Larry’Chen of Pennsylvania.

“Relying solely on facial expressions for emotional understanding can often be misleading.”

“Many people do not always express how they truly feel, so combining analyses of expression with other significant physiological signals can ultimately enhance mental health monitoring and support.”

The sticker-like patches monitor various physiological responses, including skin temperature, humidity, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels linked to emotional states.

Crucially, the device’s sensors are designed to function independently, reducing interference among different measurements.

The system integrates the analysis of physiological signals with facial data to better differentiate between authentic and behavioral emotions.

It wirelessly transmits real-time measurement data to your mobile device and cloud, where it could potentially assist clinicians in effectively evaluating patients.

The device does not store personal data; it only records signals, ensuring privacy is safeguarded through its design.

“This technology has the potential to aid individuals facing mental health challenges, especially when they may not be entirely forthcoming about their struggles,” remarked Yambo Yuan, a doctoral student in Pennsylvania.

“The collected data could also help bridge cultural or social divides, which can manifest as a disparity between stoic or expressive presentations to healthcare providers.”

“Tracking these signals could enable early detection of issues like anxiety and depression as they develop.”

Researchers have crafted a flexible device by folding a thin layer of materials such as platinum or gold into a wave-like shape that maintains its sensitivity, even when stretched or twisted.

A layer of material incorporated into a hollow tube made of carbon atoms adjusts current flow with temperature, absorbing moisture and monitoring humidity levels.

Multiple sensors have been designed and positioned on the device to avoid interference with each other’s readings.

For instance, scientists placed a rigid layer underneath the temperature and humidity sensors to protect it from the stretching experienced by the expression sensor.

A waterproof layer was also utilized to shield temperature and strain sensors from humidity.

Dr. Libo Gao, a researcher at Xiamen University, stated:

The authors subsequently trained artificial intelligence (AI) models to interpret and recognize the signs of human emotions exhibited.

They enlisted eight participants, a typical sample size for pilot studies, who expressed six fundamental emotions: happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, and disgust.

Participants showcased each emotional expression 100 times while the device monitored movements.

The researchers then input the data into AI models, training them to link specific facial movements with distinct emotions.

Three additional participants were recruited to further evaluate the model’s effectiveness.

It categorized facial expressions with an impressive accuracy of 96.28%.

In testing the device’s capacity to monitor actual emotions, the scientists assessed how well it recorded the psychological responses of the same participants while viewing video clips designed to evoke emotions.

The device successfully identified emotions with an accuracy of 88.83%, confirming that the psychological responses corresponded with established links between emotions, such as rising skin temperatures and increased heart rates associated with surprise and anger.

“The capability to transmit data wirelessly allows healthcare professionals to remotely monitor individuals and offer timely emotional support through telehealth,” Dr. Chen emphasized.

“The sensor could play a vital role in enhancing access to care.”

“Given the increasing stress levels in contemporary society, monitoring emotions could provide early indicators of debilitating conditions and enable proactive support.”

The device’s development is documented in a paper published in the journal Nano Letters.

____

Yanbo Yuan et al. 2025. Stretchable, rechargeable, multimodal hybrid electronics for isolated sensing for emotional detection. Nano Letters 25 (13): 5220-5230; doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c06392

Source: www.sci.news

The Massive Iceberg from the Past Created a Trench at the Depths of the North Sea

Posted on by
Reply

Tabular icebergs are away from Antarctica ice shelves

James Kirkham

When the ice sheets covering much of Northern Europe were rapidly retreating about 18,000-20,000 years ago, urban-sized icebergs once drifted through the British coast.

James Kirkham During a survey in the Antarctic of England, his colleagues discovered preserved scour marks created by these giants, which were created when they ploughed underwater sediments. The long comb-like features are buried under the mud of the North Sea, but are still visible in seismic survey data collected for searches for oil and gas.

“We know about the degree of scouring and ancient sea level, so we can estimate that these bergs are probably five to tens of kilometers wide, and perhaps hundreds of meters thick.

In Antarctica, table-form or table-top icebergs are a spectacular sight. Some will rival even small states in the US from a regional standpoint, like the recent giants known as the A23A and A68A. They listen from the ice shelf – a wide floating protrusion of a glacier flowing from the glacier.

Therefore, the perception that tabular icebergs once existed in the North Sea clearly shows that they had both the sea edges of the British and Ireland ice sheets and ice shelves. And that means there may be some lessons for the future decline of Antarctica, says Keycam.

In the North Sea, the large iceberg’s straight trams are written by wavy valleys made by narrow keels of much smaller blocks of ice. In other words, there is a “change of administration” in which large icebergs are replaced by countless small icebergs when ice shelves are crushed in response to rising temperatures, says Keekam.

Radiocarbon dating of sediments indicates that this shift occurs between 20,000 and 18,000 years ago.

Observations question the idea that labours of megabergs like the A23A and A68A may signal the widespread collapse of Antarctic ice shelves.

Emma Mackey The University of Florida tracks tabular iceberg sizes with satellite data since the mid-1970s, finding this trend to be inherently flat.

“James’ research highlights the mines, which means that major birth events are not necessarily signs of instability or cause of alarm,” says McKee. “In fact, ice shelves are disintegrated by death by 1,000 cuts. You need to worry when you stop watching large-scale birth events.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New optical devices that imitate black and white gravity holes created recently

Posted on by
Reply

In general theory of relativity, the white holes in gravity are virtual regions of space that cannot be entered from the outside. It is the opposite of a black hole where light and information cannot escape. Researchers from the University of Southampton, Nanyan University of Technology, and Texas A&M University have created optical devices that show intriguing similarities to these objects. The device will either fully absorb the wavelength (optical black hole) or completely reject (optical hole) light, depending on the polarization.

Between the double prism devices with thin film, they appear as a dark light absorbing surface – mimicking a black hole of gravity. Image credit: Nina Vaidia, University of Southampton.

The newly developed device acts as an optical black hole or an optical hole hole and is based on a principle known as coherent complete absorption.

Relying on polarization, this optical device is able to absorb or reject light almost completely, similar to the behavior of gravity black or white holes in space.

This device works by forming a rising wave from an incident light wave. This wave interacts with the ultra-thin absorber, leading to complete absorption or transmission based on the polarization of the light.

Simply put, it behaves like an object of the universe that swallows or repels light.

“Sphere phenomena, especially black holes, have captivated human imagination and exploratory plots for generations,” said Professor Nina Vaidia of the University of Southampton.

“Analog is a way of accessing physics, especially in distant objects such as black holes, as aspects of mathematical frameworks and physical principles are repeated in a surprising way in some systems.

“We present the concept of optical black and white holes that deterministically absorb almost all of the light in one polarization, while rejecting orthogonal polarization.”

“It relies on an experimental demonstration of the complete absorption of broadband coherent in compact devices enabled by spatial coherence and interference, while polarization sensitivity is acquired from the geometric phase of the interfering beam.”

The team’s proof-of-concept experiments show that the optical device manipulates electromagnetic waves in a way that reflects the behavior of gravitational black and white holes.

The simulation shows no reflection from the black hole analog device and the formation of standing waves due to incident interference and reflected light in the white hole.

The results can illuminate fascinating insights and possibilities for manipulating the interaction of light and matter, enabling a wide range of practical applications.

“Our optical devices can be employed as analogues to study and explore the physics of these far-flung astronomical phenomena. Or, in fact, they can provide a practical framework for several potential applications for tailoring electromagnetic waves and enhancing lighting interactions such as detection, energy conversion, multispectral camouflage, and stealth technology.

Team’s work Published in the journal Advanced Photonics.

____

Eric Plum et al. 2025. Optical analogue of black and white gravity holes. Advanced Photonics 7 (2): 025001; doi: 10.1117/1.ap.7.2.025001

Source: www.sci.news

Foie Gras created using molecular mimicry, without the need for power

Posted on by
Reply

Alternative Foie Gras for Researchers undergoing stress testing in the lab

Thomas A. Birgiss

French delicate foie gras could be made more ethically thanks to techniques that replicate the way fat is metabolized in forced birds, but the process still relies on farm animals.

Foie gras is made from duck or goose liver that is forcefully applied via tubes. This process, known as gavage, causes organs to expand to ten times the normal amount as the animal stores excess fat.

Researchers say the experience of eating foie gras depends not only on its high fat content, but also on its microscopic distribution of its fat.

now Thomas Birgiss At the Max Planck Institute, the Polymer Institute in Mainz, Germany and his colleagues developed a new process that uses the same bird fat to create the same texture from ducks or geese normally raised and slaughtered into the liver.

“I’m a huge fan of foie gras,” says Birgis. “I was fascinated by this mouthfeel – it was so different to the other putty – so I asked myself, what is it?”

His team had previously tried to make foie gras with putty in the same proportion of fat and liver ratio, but the results were disappointing. In further experiments, collagen was added to replicate the density of foie gras, but it gave me something that felt like a gum in my mouth.

Vilgis then realized that releasing enzymes that divide fat before storing them in the liver is a way to efficiently store large fat molecules as smaller crystalline substances.

He and his colleagues discovered that this process can be replicated by treating fat with an enzyme called yeast lipase. Candida Lugosa. “Lipases are molecular sizers,” says Birgis. Next, the processed fat is mixed with the liver to create fake foie gras.

The team conducted numerous scientific tests, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and compared fake foie glasses with real samples, resulting in promising results. Importantly, however, Vigoris says that the aroma and taste are “substantially not different” from the real thing.

The process is currently patented and researchers are discussing with the industry about commercializing the industry and bringing counterfeit gras to the market.

Due to ethical concerns, and in some countries, including the UK, many alternatives have been developed previously that claim to produce similar results, as it is traditionally illegal to produce foie gras. Also, at least two companies are trying to bring it in Lab-grown foie gras are available on the market.

Dawn Car People for Ethical Animal Treatment (PETA) says lab-fed meat is a more ethical route than a new lipase process that involves animal care and genocide. “We don’t need to kill animals for a fleeting taste moment,” Kerr says. “The future of foie gras is already here, and it doesn’t require any power or throat slits.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Physicists created a force-feeding-free version of Foie Gras

Posted on by
Reply

Thomas BirgissFood Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany, have been in love with foie gras for a quarter century. The gorgeous delicateness is a putty or mousse made from the rich, fat liver of ducks and geese.

“It’s truly extraordinary,” Dr. Virgis said, recalling his early encounters with high-quality foie gras when he lived and worked in Strasbourg, France. It was soft and buttery, and as the fat started to melt in my mouth, the flavor evolved and exploded. “It’s like fireworks. Suddenly there’s a feeling of the whole liver,” he said.

But such transcendence is at a price.

To fatten the liver used to create foie gras, farmers force more grains than their bodies need. The excess food is stored as fat in the animal’s liver and has balloons of size.

He sometimes eats foie gras produced by local farmers, but Dr. Virgis discovers that it cannot stand on an industrial scale. “It’s terrible to watch,” he says.

Dr. Virgis somehow thought that “we could make similar products, but without this torture.”

In a paper published in the journal on Tuesday Liquid physicshe and his colleagues believe they have devised techniques that allow ducks and geese to eat and grow normally. But to be clear, this is not a replacement for foie gras that will hold the life of birds.

His lab approach uses enzymes to break down duck fat. Second, the mixture of regular duck liver and treated fats is finished in the same way as traditional foie gras. “Of course, that’s not a 100% agreement, but we’re very close,” Dr. Virgis said.

“It’s far better than many other products that try to simulate foie gras,” he said. It involves the process of using plant fats (“the same flavor, not melting, nothing,” he said) or collagen (“this turns out to be gum,” he said).

Devising this approach was full of failure. When the team tried simply to combine regular duck liver with untreated fat, regardless of the ratio, the result was not foie gras.

“The mechanical properties are different,” he said. “The fat distribution is different. Everything wasn’t working.”

Researchers tried to add emulsifiers and later gelatin from bird skin and bones, but consistency was off.

Dr. Virgis then thought about what would happen when forces were generated inside the bird’s body. Ducks or geese digest all excess food, among other things, using an enzyme called lipase, which acts like a pair of molecular scissors. They can cut fat molecules into small pieces and “rearrange and crystallize in different shapes,” he said. Crystallized fats form irregular clusters surrounded by a matrix of liver proteins, giving them a luxurious flavour and texture.

That was an important insight. “We just did what happens in the small intestines of the lab,” Dr. Virgis said. When the team treated duck fat with lipase, mixed it with regular liver, and studied it using X-ray scattering and other techniques, the results were markedly similar to foie gras.

“The mechanical properties match the properties of foie gras very well,” he said. “This really made me happy because foie gras contains so much basic physics.”

But most importantly, it tasted right. Dr. Virgis was surprised and pleased when he first sampled the fake foie gras. The team adjusted the melting point and fat clustering exactly to the right. “This trick gives you fat so that it melts in your mouth, which is essential,” he said. Dr. Virgis secured a patent for this process.

Roseanna ZiaUniversity of Missouri mechanical and chemical engineers who were not involved in the research praise the research that overcomes key challenges. “One of the difficult things about engineering is to translate what people like and want,” she said.

She explained that foie gras is a kind of soft solid, including butter, chocolate, mayonnaise and ice cream. “It looks like a solid, but when spread out with a knife, it moves like a liquid,” she praises researchers like Dr. Virgis, who can manipulate the behavior of this type of complex material.

He acknowledges that his formulation is “not vegetarian, not vegan.” However, when foie gras is produced and consumed, Dr. Virgis hopes at least some farmers will work to “reduce the suffering of animals a little.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

First Operating System for Quantum Networks Successfully Created

Posted on by
Reply

Qnodeos is an operating system that allows you to connect different types of quantum computers.

Studio Oostrum/Blijft Eigendom Van Fotograaf

Researchers created the first operating system for quantum networks, making it easier to link quantum computers to each other.

“By building only hardware, we make quantum networks useless.” Stephanie Wenner At Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. She has been working on connecting quantum computers to a network for a long time. This allows for the exchange of information very safely and perform calculations in new ways, but this requires understanding of the technical nity-gritty of each device involved. Together with her colleagues, Wehner has now developed a way to run quantum networks more universally.

The operating systems the team has built are software that allows you to control devices within a quantum network regardless of the type of qubit or qubit that make them. Such control devices become more difficult due to the fact that networked quantum computers receive both quantum information from other quantum computers and traditional signals from classical computers that serve the interface.

To demonstrate that an operating system called Qnodeos can handle both, researchers tested it on two types of quantum computers and several different tasks. They used two quantum computers made from specially processed diamonds and another quantum computer made from electric charged atoms. Using these two types of quantum hardware, researchers ran a delegated quantum computing test program, similar to using laptops to perform calculations in the cloud. We also tested the ability of Qnodeos to handle multitasking by running two programs at once.

Joe Fitzsimmons At the Quantum Computing Startup Horizon Quantum, based in Singapore and Ireland, it states that this is a major advance in laying the foundations of the quantum internet. He says, “If you start to take the idea of ​​seriously building a general-purpose quantum network, there's a lot to do,” and the new operating system will lead to a long list of things to develop next, such as routing protocols.

Wehner says that Qnodeos development is like creating coloring pages. They outline all the shapes and struggle to color them all. For example, the work raised the question of how to write a scheduling program for quantum networks. “This wasn't even on my radar before, but now I'm very excited,” she says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

I Created the Best Worst Role-Playing Game Ever – and Enjoyed Every Second of It | Games

Posted on by
Reply

IT is said to host a magical artisan cheese festival every 100 years, a small fishing village on the south coast of an unknown fantasy realm. As an ethically produced dairy adventurer and fan, you decide to take part in the legendary event and arrive at the dock of a small boat with a few gold coins and dreams. This is the worst role-playing adventure background I've ever experienced, and by chance it's the only one I've ever designed.

The game-making package RPG maker has been around since 1992, the first version to be released on Japanese PC-98 computers. Since then, development has been handed over from veteran Japanese developer ASCII to Enterbrain and then to Chiyoda-based Gotcha Gotcha games, with dozens of installments coming up. Although it has become increasingly complicated over the years, RPG makers have no development experience and remain a very intuitive way to make adventure games.

The package comes with thousands of pre-built maps, buildings, characters and items that creators can use and modify. But you can also start from scratch and create your own assets and create unique games. Your project can be shared with the RPG maker community, and several highly acclaimed indie games have been programmed into the program, including To the Moon, Corpse Party, and Omori. Artisan Cheese Quest can tell you not to participate in them.

Exclusive screenshots of the RPG Maker's Artisan Cheese Quest. Photo: NIS America

To be fair, the game only took me and my 19-year-old son Zac, using the PlayStation 5 version of RPG Maker (released February 21st). Initially, we chose swamp locations from many types of ready-made maps. It mainly offers traditional fantasy and sci-fi options. Then we chose the characters – cute little anime style warriors. From here we begin the actual process of creating a game that offers challenging things. Everything that takes place in the world is called events and is necessary to create the events necessary to build a set of conditions using a very simple visual programming language.

If you've tried Scratch, a popular coding tool used in schools around the world, you're probably at home. Suppose you want to hide the magic key in the treasure chest: Place your chest on the map and place the key inside using the menu system. Add a locked door and then place the state on that door. If the player has a key, the door will open.

Using the same system, you can add branch dialogs with characters, plan enemy patrol passes, and ultimately create a combat system. During lockdown, Zack and I used scratch to create a very simple maze game, where we led the mouse towards a block of cheese, so we stuck to the game design expertise established here. I've done it. They built a tavern, installed the tavern interior to the main landscape map building, added characters to provide hints, and hidden artisan cheese festival passes in a small island treasure chest. We didn't use the original assets, but we wrote all the dialogue. The story – find the pass, open the tavern door, eat cheese – was completely ours. Remember us for the best narratives of this year's BAFTA Games Award.

PlayStation 5 RPG maker. Photo: NIS America

Most importantly, this process was very enjoyable. I was able to choose background music and sound effects and cried with laughter in search of very inappropriate options. Our treasure chest cried out as you opened it. The villagers barked randomly and groaned. And no matter how basic the end result is, you still get that thrill of making something that works and looks like a real game. Once you get used to the system, your ambitions grow: we later added zombies wandering around the map complaining about his lactose intolerance.

I'm not going to lie – the system is intuitive, but it gets Very Requests when you start thinking about creating a multi-stage boss encounter or designing a character leveling system. If you don't deal with game mechanics where long routines, subroutines, or game mechanics are confused with each other, then there's a long way to go. Certainly, whenever we didn't know how to make something work, the online gaming community helped us. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube, and there are many helpful people on Reddit. But we feel that it's some way from making something a little more similar to commercial games.

Perhaps at some point in the future, Artisan Cheese Quest will be one of the best Fromage-based fantasy role-playing adventures available on the PlayStation 5. For now, I'm going to continue adding stupid sound effects until they become interesting. Honestly, don't hold your breath.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Grand Canyon was created shortly after a massive asteroid impact.

Posted on by
Reply

The view of the two large gorge, the month of the month radly radiated from the Schrodinger basin

Nasasvsernie T. Wright

The vast collision crater near the month of the moon was formed on an asteroid that moved in more than 1 kilometer for 1 second or more, and released 130 times the energy of all existing nuclear weapons. Currently, researchers say that two unusual and straight gorge were formed within 10 minutes by a secondary debris chain of two unusual and straight gorge.

David King In Houston, Texas, and the planetary research institute, we investigated a 312 kilometer Schreading Glator for 15 years. Part of it was to develop a landing site that could have a NASA concertation program. This tried to return people to the moon, but ended in 2009.

“They are basically hidden and in a sense mysterious. [of the moon]King says. “And they are generally overlooked.”

For more information, Kring and his colleagues are using a computer model to investigate the origin of two gorgees or “light rays” extending north from the crater. One is VALLISSCHREDINGER, 270 km long, 2.7 km in depth, 280 km in length and 3.5 km in depth. For comparison, Arizona's Grand Canyon length is 446 km and depth of 1.9 km.

However, it has been engraved in water for millions of years, but the gorge of the moon is a straight and straight groove formed by vast shocking force within 10 minutes. The dramatic asteroid strike not only spread dust and tile BLE throughout the moon, but also spread to space and earth.

Researchers also suggest that the main ones that cause the main crater of the main, faster, to drive the fragments that run through the moon, focusing on narrow areas due to the irregularity of Legoris, which is a loose material that covers the moon. It may have been combined.

Using their models, researchers have calculated that asteroids collide 3811 billion years ago to create the speed and direction of debris to create a gorge. 。

“There is a rock that hits 2 kilometers per second per second, perhaps 2 kilometers per second, and it may be devastating,” says Kring. “I knew that Schrödinger's impact would create these rays, but the related process needed some attention.”

Kring is not deep enough at any of the landing points that Legolis, who was kicked out of Schrölinger, was sued to seriously interfere with geological experiments, so Kring is the moon in the ARTEMIS III mission of NASA. He says that he has a sense of security to put an astronaut in. 。 If they were planning to land north of Schledinger, where much more materials landed, they would have faced a very deep layer that hid the early geology.

The view of the gorge that looks straight at the moon

Nasasvsernie T. Wright

Mark Birchel At Kent University in the UK, this study is done in some way to prove that the gorge is formed by a shock chain, but it is necessary to investigate up close.

“The ultimate evidence is the person who brings back the rocks from one or some rocks in these gorgees,” says Birchel. “Then there is a mineral grain that you just cut out, and was shocked there. [by impacts]And some of them have changed the structure as a result. “

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Researches have created a sustainable and eco-conscious fashion solution

Posted on by
Reply

The textile and leather industries pollute water through dyeing and tanning, and plastic pollution from synthetic fibers. In particular, the chemicals used by synthetic chemical manufacturers to dye clothing, especially black dyes for leather, pollute the environment. To solve this problem, researchers at Imperial College, London, bacteria produced Eco-friendly, self-pigmenting, animal-free leather.

Researchers studied a group of bacteria called . Komagata Eibacter We produce an environmentally friendly leather alternative called . bacterial cellulose. They explained that bacterial cellulose is advantageous because it is durable, long-lasting, easily grown from waste materials such as fruit juice, and biodegradable. It is also cheap to produce and is used in many industrial applications, including electronic equipment and wound dressings to cover and protect wounds. Designers love it because it's sustainable and uses more natural materials instead of petroleum-based materials.

The researchers wanted to modify the bacteria's genes so that they could produce both bacterial cellulose and a black pigment that protects from sunlight and absorbs harmful substances. melanin. They hypothesized that melanin could make cellulose more versatile by making it stronger and protecting it from sunlight, allowing it to be used in new applications such as environmentally friendly sunscreens and pollutant-absorbing materials. I did.

To do this, the researchers Komagata Eibacter 2 types of liquid food, or culture media: One was made from glucose and the other from coconut water. They sterilized these fluids to make sure they were clean and sterile. They introduced new genetic material into the bacteria's DNA using a process called . electroporation. The new genetic material contained a special type of circular DNA that enabled the bacteria to produce melanin.

First, the genetically modified bacteria are grown normally. They then added ingredients that “start” melanin production, such as L-tyrosine, the building block of melanin, and copper sulfate, a catalyst that accelerates the process. To see how much melanin the bacteria produced, they measured how dark the culture medium became. This was a good indicator of melanin levels. To see if different conditions change the amount of melanin produced by bacteria, the researchers experimented with different pH levels, amounts of salt, and metals that can affect the amount of melanin produced by bacteria. I tried.

Next, the researchers Komagata Eibacter They produce a special type of melanin called melanin that produces a dark brown to black color. eumelanin. To force the bacteria to produce eumelanin, the researchers further modified the bacteria's genes. Specifically, they added a gene that causes the bacteria to produce an enzyme called Tyr1, which helps stimulate melanin production. They used this genetic change to create a unique bacterial strain that could continuously produce eumelanin.

Once they had these genetically modified bacteria, they conducted experiments to control the amount of eumelanin produced by the bacteria. They used a method called pyrolysis, which allows scientists to use light to control the behavior of cells. optogenetics. In this case, exposing the bacteria to blue light caused them to produce more eumelanin. The light also caused some bacteria to produce another protein that turned red. The researchers used this red color to track how well the light-induced process worked. The researchers looked at how much eumelanin these engineered bacteria produced under different conditions so they could better control melanin production.

Researchers discovered that when bacteria produce melanin, they form a mat-like layer that retains moisture. They interpreted this result to mean that adding melanin to different materials can change their surface properties. To demonstrate how melanin can be used in leather-based products, researchers created sample items such as wallets and shoe uppers from a mixture of bacterial cellulose and melanin. It was confirmed that adding melanin to cellulose increases durability. The researchers found that the melanin remained stable even after treatments such as high-pressure steam and ethanol cleaning, meaning it was strong enough to withstand real-world use.

The researchers suggested that future work should discover enzymes that can produce melanin under acidic conditions, requiring less water for production. Especially when melanin is used in large-scale production, the process becomes more environmentally friendly and efficient if less water is used. Finally, they encouraged scientists and designers to continue working together to develop innovative ways to create sustainable textiles that make fashion more environmentally friendly.


Post views: 165

Source: sciworthy.com

First Detailed Map of Solar Coronal Magnetic Field Created by Inouye Solar Telescope

Posted on by
Reply

This groundbreaking achievement will improve our understanding of the Sun’s atmosphere and shed light on how its changing conditions affect our technology-dependent society.

The Inouye Solar Telescope has released the first map of the magnetic field signal in the solar corona measured using the Zeeman effect. Image courtesy of NSF/NSO/AURA/NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

The Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the solar wind, protects our atmosphere and makes life possible.

But electromagnetic fields and high-energy particles from extreme solar activity could disrupt satellites, power grids, and other systems necessary for an increasingly technological society.

Understanding these dynamic interactions, which change on timescales ranging from days to centuries, is crucial to safeguarding our infrastructure and current ways of life.

Measuring the magnetic properties of the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, has long challenged astronomers and the limits of technology.

today, Daniel K. Inouye Solar TelescopeLocated near the summit of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the facility is a state-of-the-art facility designed to study coronas.

The satellite has produced the first and most detailed map of the coronal magnetic field to date, taking an important first step in solving these mysteries.

“Inoue’s achievements in mapping the Sun’s coronal magnetic field are a testament to the innovative design and capabilities of this pioneering and unique observatory,” said Dr. Tom Shad, NSF National Solar Observatory investigator.

“This groundbreaking discovery is expected to greatly improve our understanding of the Sun’s atmosphere and its impact on the solar system.”

The researchers used the Zeeman effect, which measures magnetic properties by observing the splitting of spectral lines, to create a detailed map of the magnetic field of the solar corona.

“Spectral lines are distinct lines that appear at particular wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum and represent light absorbed or emitted by atoms and molecules,” they explained.

“These lines are unique to each atom and molecule and act like a fingerprint. By looking at the spectrum, scientists can determine the chemical composition and physical properties of an object.”

“When exposed to a magnetic field like the Sun’s, these lines split apart, giving us insight into the magnetic properties of the object.”

Previous attempts to detect such signals, last reported 20 years ago, have lacked the detail and regularity needed for widespread scientific investigation.

Now, Inouye’s unparalleled capabilities make it possible to study these important signals in detail and on a regular basis.

The solar corona can usually only be seen during a total solar eclipse, when most of the Sun’s light is blocked and Earth’s sky becomes dark.

But the Inouye Telescope uses a technique called coronagraphy to create an artificial eclipse that allows it to detect extremely faint polarized signals, highlighting its unparalleled sensitivity and cementing its status as a unique window into viewing our home star.

This telescope is Cryogenic near-infrared spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP) is one of the telescope’s main instruments used to study the corona and map its magnetic field.

“Just as detailed maps of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere have improved the accuracy of weather forecasts, this remarkably complete map of the magnetic field of the Sun’s corona will help us more accurately predict solar storms and space weather,” said Dr. Carrie Black, program director for NSF’s National Solar Observatory.

“The invisible yet incredibly powerful forces captured in this map will continue to drive solar physics for the next century and beyond.”

“Mapping the strength of the corona’s magnetic field is a fundamental scientific advance not only for solar research but for astronomy in general,” said Dr. Christoph Keller, director of the National Solar Observatory.

“This marks the beginning of a new era in understanding how stars’ magnetic fields affect planets in our solar system and the thousands of exoplanetary systems currently known.”

_____

This article has been edited from an original release by the National Solar Observatory.

Source: www.sci.news

Research reveals that Mycenaean armor was created for extended battles

Posted on by
Reply

A 3,500-year-old Mycenaean bronze suit of armour discovered in the Greek village of Dendra may have been used in combat and not just for ritual purposes as previously thought.

Volunteer Marines wearing replica Dendra armor during a mock battle during a demonstration study. Image credit: Andreas Flouris / Marija Marković.

One of the oldest armors discovered in Europe is a 3,500-year-old suit of armor found near the village of Dendra, a few kilometers from ancient Mycenae in southern Greece.

Since its discovery in 1960 by a team of Greek and Swedish archaeologists, it has been unclear whether it was ceremonial clothing or gear suitable for combat.

This question has important implications for understanding warfare in Late Bronze Age Europe, yet there is no historical record of the use of this style of armour.

In a new study, Professor Andreas Floris from the University of Thessaly and his colleagues combined historical and experimental evidence to investigate the combat suitability of Dendra armour.

The researchers recruited 13 volunteers from the Greek Marine Corps, outfitted them with replica Dendra armour and Bronze Age weapons, and had them carry out 11 hours of simulated Bronze Age combat protocols.

This battle simulation was developed based on the historical records of Homer. Iliad Additionally, we add physiological and environmental evidence to approximate the typical diet, activities, and operations of a Mycenaean army.

Testing has shown that the replicated Dendra Armor does not restrict a warrior's combat capabilities, nor does it place undue strain on the wearer.

These results suggest that Dendra armour was battle-hardened and that the Mycenaeans' powerful influence on Mediterranean history was due in part to their armour technology.

To complement these results, the authors developed freely available software that allows for the simulation of combat conditions and allows testing the hypothetical effectiveness of the armor in more diverse scenarios.

“The armour worn by our volunteers had the same dimensions as the Bronze Age originals and weighed roughly the same,” Professor Floris said.

“We also monitored calorie intake based on the Homeric diet (about 4,443 calories), which Iliad“It linked calorie expenditure and the stress placed on the volunteers' bodies in typical Greek summer temperatures of 30-36°C.”

“As the 11-hour combat protocol began, we measured heart rate, oxygen consumption, core body temperature, fluid loss and muscle function.”

“We found that this armor allows complete flexibility of movement and does not place undue physiological stress on the body.”

“This means that, despite previous views that classified the armour as ceremonial clothing, it could have been worn for extended periods during battle by healthy individuals.”

“Sixty years have passed since the discovery of Dendra armour, and we now know that, although seemingly cumbersome, it was not only flexible enough to permit nearly all of a warrior's movements on foot, but also durable enough to protect the wearer from most blows.”

of result Published online in the journal PLoS One.

_____

AD Floris others2024. Analysis of Greek prehistoric full-body armour combat based on physiological principles: a series of studies using thematic analysis, human experiments and numerical simulations. PLoS One 19(5): e0301494; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301494

Source: www.sci.news

The Secret Behind the Star Vegan Chef Who Created Liver-Flavored Dishes: Hiding Fish Under Kale

Posted on by
Reply

Alex Jamison’s veganism gained worldwide recognition after starring in the 2004 film Supersize Me, an influential Academy Award-nominated documentary exploring our fast food culture.

Originally working as a vegan, health-conscious private chef in New York, Jamison’s journey began after a discussion with her then-partner Morgan Spurlock (who directed and starred in the film). The film’s success propelled her to travel to 20 countries, secure a three-book deal, including Vegan Cooking for Dummies, grow a vegan recipe newsletter to over 25,000 subscribers, and land a $7,000 per hour speaking contract across the United States.

In 2012, she started experiencing cravings for non-vegan foods like burgers and salmon, which marked a significant shift from her strict vegan lifestyle. This change, influenced by her health and well-being, also sparked backlash within the vegan community she had once been a prominent figure in.

Alex Jamieson co-starred with ex-husband Morgan Spurlock in the 2004 film Supersize Me. Photo: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

Her journey toward a plant-based diet began in 2000 due to health issues, leading her to quit her job and become a professional chef specializing in vegan cuisine. This transition defined her identity and kickstarted her career in the health and wellness industry.

By 2013, she made the difficult decision to publicly declare her departure from veganism, which triggered a backlash from the vegan community. Despite losing subscribers, speaking engagements, and facing negative reviews, she embraced her new journey and became a beacon for others struggling with the concept of strict veganism.

Now at 49, she continues to evolve, carving out a new path as a creative leadership coach, author, and activist, while openly admitting to incorporating meat into her diet. Her experience has made her more courageous and willing to embrace change in her life.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The most powerful laser ever created is “Sound Laser”

Posted on by
Reply

“Phonon laser” emits sound particles instead of light

Dmytro Radzinkov/Alamy

Tiny floating beads are the core of an unprecedentedly bright laser that fires particles of sound instead of light.

Just as light rays are made up of many particles called photons, sound is also made up of particle-like clumps called phonons. For decades, researchers have created “phonon lasers” that output these particles in narrow beams, similar to the way optical lasers emit photons.

Now, Hui Jin Researchers at Hunan Normal University in China have developed the brightest phonon laser ever.

The heart of their device was a silica bead about the size of a typical bacterium, roughly micrometers long. They used two beams of light to levitate a bead and surrounded it with a reflective cavity. The tiny vibrations of this bead generated phonons, which were captured and amplified within the cavity. This continued until there were enough phonons to form a laser-like beam.

Several research groups had previously tested similar designs. But Jin and his colleagues added electrodes directly beneath the beads to generate carefully selected electromagnetic signals. This modification increased the laser’s “brightness” (the amount of power delivered at each phonon frequency) by a factor of 10, making the beam tighter and longer lasting. Previous devices developed by Jin’s team and others could only operate for a few minutes, but the latest phonon lasers can operate for more than an hour.

Because phonons are less affected by traveling through liquids, they may be more effective than traditional lasers for imaging water tissue in biomedicine and some deep-sea monitoring devices, Jin said. To tell.

But Richard North Researchers from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands say the current experimental setup is too complex, requiring precise alignment of all components. Phonon lasers can require years of research and engineering before they can match the usefulness of comparable optical lasers.

“Given the impact optical lasers have had on modern life, there is excitement about phonon lasers, but only time will tell if they will have a comparable impact,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Google takes steps to eliminate geofencing warrants, a surveillance issue largely created by the company itself

Posted on by
Reply

Google will soon This allows users to store their location data on their devices rather than on Google’s servers, allowing police and law enforcement to tap into Google’s vast bank of location data to identify potential criminals. We were able to effectively put an end to years of surveillance practices that allowed eavesdropping.

The use of so-called “geofencing warrants” has exploded in recent years, largely due to the proliferation of smartphones and the ability of data-hungry companies like Google to siphon and store vast amounts of users’ location information. This is due to the fact that it is now possible to obtain it by law. Request for enforcement.

Police can use geofence warrants (also known as reverse location warrants) to ask Google to hand over information about whether a user’s device was in a particular geographic area at a particular time.

But critics argue that geofencing warrants are unconstitutional and inherently overbroad. This is because these requests often include information about completely innocent victims. nearby when the crime was committed.flat Courts cannot agree on whether geofencing warrants are legal which could ultimately be challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court.

This week’s Google announcements I didn’t mention geofencing warrants. Specifically, it only says that users will have “more control” over their data by storing location data on their devices. In effect, this move would result in police seeking a search warrant to access that specific device, rather than requesting the data from Google.

Although Google is not the only company targeted by geofencing warrants, it is the largest collector of sensitive location data and the first company to be intercepted.

The act of police eavesdropping on users’ location data to Google is revealed for the first time Google has long relied on user location data to power its advertising business, which generated about 80% of Google’s annual revenue, or about $220 billion, in 2022 alone.

However, in reality, this surveillance technique is believed to be much more widespread. Law enforcement agencies have since expanded location data requests to other companies. Microsoft and Yahoo (which owns TechCrunch) are known to have received geofencing warrants, but neither company has yet disclosed how many requests for user location data they receive.

The number of lawsuits related to geofencing requirements has increased rapidly in recent years.

Police in Minneapolis used geofencing warrants to identify individuals who participated in protests following the killing of George Floyd. The 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade will allow law enforcement in states where access to abortion care is restricted or where it is illegal to seek an abortion to identify people seeking care. Concerns were raised about the potential use of geofence warrants. Lawmakers later called on Google to stop collecting location data, saying it could be used to identify people seeking abortions.

The companies have said little about the number of geofence warrants they receive, but last year Google, Microsoft and Yahoo supported a New York bill that would ban the use of geofence warrants statewide. This bill failed to become law.

Google has not disclosed how many geofencing warrants it has received in recent years. Google has released its latest (and only) disclosure about the number of geofence warrants it received in 2021, following pressure to release the numbers following growing criticism of its surveillance practices.

According to the data, Google received 982 geofence warrants in 2018, 8,396 geofence warrants in 2019, and 11,554 geofence warrants in 2020. This represents about a quarter of all legal claims received by Google. Although the disclosure is limited, it provides a first glimpse into the surging number of such requests, but Google is concerned about how often the search giant pushes back against legal requests for its users’ location data. Or, if there was, they didn’t mention it.

News that Google will soon move your location data to your devices drew cautious praise.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which challenged the constitutionality of geofencing warrants in court, said: in a blog post “At least for now, we intend to take this as a victory.” But EFF pointed out that there are other ways for Google to hand over users’ sensitive personal data. Law enforcement agencies use a similar legal request, called a “reverse keyword” warrant, to identify Google accounts that searched for specific keywords in time, such as before a crime was committed. Google has not said whether it plans to close a loophole that allows police and law enforcement agencies to issue so-called “reverse keyword” warrants for users’ search queries.

Geofencing warrants won’t disappear overnight. Google still maintains a vast bank of historical location data, which law enforcement can access at any time until Google determines it no longer needs to be retained. And while tech companies store large amounts of user location data, they may also be subject to similar legal claims.

But the hope is that by closing the door on geofencing warrants, Google could significantly reduce this surveillance loophole, at least going forward.

in Latest transparency report In 2022, Apple announced that it received 13 geofencing warrants requesting customer location data, but did not provide any data in return. Apple said it has “no data to provide in response to geofencing requests” because the data resides on the user’s device and cannot be accessed.

Source: techcrunch.com