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Most quantum computers are based on superconductors or trapped ions, but an alternative approach using ordinary atoms may have advantages Technology 18 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins Quantum computers use the properties of quantum physics to perform calculations ArtemisDiana/Shutterstock A quantum computer that uses ordinary atoms to perform calculations could be a rival to more … Read more
Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, host of “Ask a Spaceman” and “Space Radio,” and author of “How to Die in Space.” Sutter contributed this article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Remember Hoth, that ice-covered world from “The Empire Strikes Back”? Though some creatures eked … Read more
Natalie Paquette spends her time thinking about how to grow an extra dimension. Start with little circles, scattered across every point in space and time—a curlicue dimension, looped back onto itself. Then shrink those circles down, smaller and smaller, tightening the loop, until a curious transformation occurs: the dimension stops seeming tiny and instead becomes … Read more
What are space and time? Where do they come from? Physicists have treated them as fundamental properties of the universe, but scientists are finding intriguing evidence that they could just be expressions of something even more fundamental. Author Adam Becker, in our cover story takes us on a romp through this mind-bending research that could potentially … Read more
A fresh approach to generating images based on text descriptions with AI, called a diffusion model, effectively un-destroys new images into existence Technology 18 January 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Images created from text descriptions by GLIDE, a new AI OpenAI Early last year, artificial intelligence company OpenAI unveiled software with the surprising ability to create … Read more
Metal 3D printing can produce the most intricate rocket parts, using combustion-resistant material. While 3D printing isn’t new, how has the technology advanced to face the more extreme conditions of space? From plastic to metal Since the first 3D printers appeared in the 1980s, its applications have continued to grow. Initially, the technology was relatively … Read more
By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine in Keelung, Taiwan, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022 I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 18 January … Read more
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that almost half the world’s population was at risk of malaria, while some 627,000 people died from the disease. Although a malaria vaccine may soon be available (the WHO recommended one for children last … Read more
The volcanic eruption that destroyed a small island in Polynesia on Saturday (Jan. 15) injected a huge amount of ash into a record altitude but won’t cause any disruption to Earth’s climate, experts said. Satellites detected the ash cloud, which has already spread over Australia, at over 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, Oxford … Read more
A cold, wet Mars could have supported an ocean in the northern parts of the Red Planet three billion years ago, a new study finds. New 3D climate simulations of the planet’s ancient atmosphere and water suggest a liquid ocean once existed in the northern lowland basin of Mars. This ocean potentially persisted even when … Read more