Archive for the ‘computing’ category: Page 711
Nov 7, 2016
Can Quantum Physics Explain Consciousness?
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: computing, neuroscience, particle physics, quantum physics
A new approach to a once-farfetched theory is making it plausible that the brain functions like a quantum computer.
The mere mention of “quantum consciousness” makes most physicists cringe, as the phrase seems to evoke the vague, insipid musings of a New Age guru. But if a new hypothesis proves to be correct, quantum effects might indeed play some role in human cognition. Matthew Fisher, a physicist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, raised eyebrows late last year when he published a paper in Annals of Physics proposing that the nuclear spins of phosphorus atoms could serve as rudimentary “qubits” in the brain—which would essentially enable the brain to function like a quantum computer.
Nov 5, 2016
D-Wave Names Jeremy Hilton as Senior Vice President, Systems, Founder Geordie Rose Now Special Advisor
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: computing, engineering, quantum physics
Congrats geordie rose and jeremy hilton ; d-wave ROCKS!
News posting on T-Net)
Burnaby, BC, November 4, 2016—(T-Net)—D-Wave Systems Inc., the world’s first quantum computing company, announced the promotion of Jeremy Hilton to senior vice president, systems, with responsibility for driving the company’s quantum processor and systems research and engineering functions.
Nov 5, 2016
Lightbulb made of modified E. coli fuses biology and electronics
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biological, computing, space
2 key areas to never lose focus on when it comes to NextGen tech — Biocomputing and QC. I also would add that what we have been seeing in crystalized formations found synthetic diamonds and other structures is a core piece as well.
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Nov 5, 2016
Scientists set traps for atoms with single-particle precision
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics
Atoms, photons, and other quantum particles are often capricious and finicky by nature; very rarely at a standstill, they often collide with others of their kind. But if such particles can be individually corralled and controlled in large numbers, they may be harnessed as quantum bits, or qubits — tiny units of information whose state or orientation can be used to carry out calculations at rates significantly faster than today’s semiconductor-based computer chips.
In recent years, scientists have come up with ways to isolate and manipulate individual quantum particles. But such techniques have been difficult to scale up, and the lack of a reliable way to manipulate large numbers of atoms remains a significant roadblock toward quantum computing.
Now, scientists from Harvard and MIT have found a way around this challenge. In a paper published in the journal Science, the researchers report on a new method that enables them to use lasers as optical “tweezers” to pick individual atoms out from a cloud and hold them in place. As the atoms are “trapped,” the scientists use a camera to create images of the atoms and their locations. Based on these images, they then manipulate the angle of the laser beams, to move individual atoms into any number of different configurations.
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Nov 5, 2016
Your genome could be encoded into a laser beam
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: biotech/medical, computing
The pace at which conventional chips improve is slowing, and these startups say optical computers are the answer.
Nov 5, 2016
Researchers uncover the origin of atmospheric particles
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: computing, particle physics
In a study led by the University of Leeds, scientists have solved one of the most challenging and long-standing problems in atmospheric science: to understand how particles are formed in the atmosphere.
The research paper, published online today in the journal Science, details the first computer simulation of atmospheric particle formation that is based entirely on experimental data. The research was made possible thanks to a sophisticated laboratory called CLOUD, based within the research facility CERN in Switzerland.
The lead scientist on the study, Professor Ken Carslaw from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds said: “This is a major milestone in our understanding of the atmosphere. The CERN experiment is unique, and it has produced data that seemed completely out of reach just five years ago.”
Nov 5, 2016
Making energy-harvesting computers reliable
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: computing, solar power, sustainability
A revolutionary and emerging class of energy-harvesting computer systems require neither a battery nor a power outlet to operate, instead operating by harvesting energy from their environment. While radio waves, solar energy, heat, and vibrations have the ability to power devices, harvested energy sources are weak leading to an “intermittent execution”, with periodic power failures and unreliable behavior.
Brandon Lucia, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and his Ph.D. student Alexei Colin created the first programming language designed to build reliable software for intermittent, energy-harvesting computers. Colin will present the work at the 2016 SPLASH conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 3rd.
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Nov 4, 2016
New bionic eye implant connects directly to brain, allowing blind woman to see shapes & colors
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, computing, cyborgs, neuroscience, transhumanism
Scientists may have made a significant breakthrough in restoring human sight, as a woman who had been blind for seven years has regained the ability to see shapes and colours with a bionic eye implant.
The 30-year-old woman had a wireless visual stimulator chip inserted into her brain by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) surgeons in the first human test of the product. As a result, she could see colored flashes, lines, and spots when signals were sent to her brain from a computer.
Nov 3, 2016
Why “Computronium” is really “Unobtanium”
Posted by Andreas Matt in categories: computing, engineering, particle physics, robotics/AI, space
Computronium is defined by some as a substance which approaches the theoretical limit of computational power that we can achieve through engineering of the matter around us. It would mean that every atom of a piece of matter would be put to useful work doing computation. Such a system would reside at the ultimate limits of efficiency, and the smallest amount of energy possible would be wasted through the generation of heat. Computronium crops up in science fiction a lot, usually as something that advanced civilizations have created, occasionally causing conflicts due to intensive harvesting of matter from their galaxy to further their processing power. The idea is also also linked with advanced machine intelligence: A block of matter which does nothing other than compute could presumably would be incredibly sought after by any artificial intelligence looking to get the most compact and powerful brain for its money!