Lifeboat News: The Blog https://lifeboat.com/blog Safeguarding Humanity Sat, 23 Nov 2024 15:23:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 Anthropic raises another $4B from Amazon https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/anthropic-raises-another-4b-from-amazon https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/anthropic-raises-another-4b-from-amazon#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 15:23:17 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/anthropic-raises-another-4b-from-amazon

The company has agreed to train its flagship generative AI models primarily on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing division.

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Nanoknife Procedure Preserved Prostate Cancer Patient’s Quality of Life https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/nanoknife-procedure-preserved-prostate-cancer-patients-quality-of-life https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/nanoknife-procedure-preserved-prostate-cancer-patients-quality-of-life#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 15:22:34 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/nanoknife-procedure-preserved-prostate-cancer-patients-quality-of-life

The trial, run by University of Colorado Cancer Center member Al Barqawi, MD, was for a new procedure for treating prostate cancer.


James Bird underwent the Nanoknife procedure for prostate cancer as part of a clinical trial run by Al Barqawi, MD.

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Dead and Alive: Astronomers Uncover Star Pairs Transforming Our Universe https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/dead-and-alive-astronomers-uncover-star-pairs-transforming-our-universe https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/dead-and-alive-astronomers-uncover-star-pairs-transforming-our-universe#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 11:23:14 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/dead-and-alive-astronomers-uncover-star-pairs-transforming-our-universe

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery of binary star systems, consisting of a white dwarf and a main sequence star, within young star clusters.

This discovery opens up new avenues for understanding stellar evolution and could provide insights into the origins of phenomena such as supernovas and gravitational waves.

Breakthrough Discovery in Star Clusters.

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How robotaxis are trying to win passengers’ trust https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-robotaxis-are-trying-to-win-passengers-trust https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-robotaxis-are-trying-to-win-passengers-trust#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 11:22:38 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-robotaxis-are-trying-to-win-passengers-trust

The biggest battleground in the robotaxi race may be winning public trust.


Autonomous vehicles are already clocking up millions of miles on public roads, but they face an uphill battle to convince people to climb in to enjoy the ride.

A few weeks ago, I took a tour of San Francisco in one of Waymo’s self-driving cars. As we drove around the city, one thing that struck me was how comfortable people had become with not seeing a driver. Not only were there multiple driverless vehicles on any given street at any given time, but tourists no longer had their mouths agape as one drove by. The technology has become a familiar sight.

Inside the vehicle itself, there were signs of how Waymo is trying to inspire a similar feeling among their passengers. The all-electric car offers a warm welcome to passengers by name and plays music as they climb inside. A screen positioned in front of the rear seats offers those along for the ride the option of seeing a follow-along map of the route, as well as settings for temperature and music. Another screen beside the steering wheel shows images of what’s around the vehicle. As we drive, I can see people sitting inside buses alongside us, dogs crossing the street ahead and children skipping along the sidewalk.

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In the Quantum World, Even Points of View Are Uncertain https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/in-the-quantum-world-even-points-of-view-are-uncertain https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/in-the-quantum-world-even-points-of-view-are-uncertain#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:31:18 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/in-the-quantum-world-even-points-of-view-are-uncertain

“Quantum physicists are realizing that they can’t ignore the fact that the reference frame Alice is anchored to … might have multiple possible locations at once.”

The quantum nature of reference frames can even affect the perceived order of events.

In a paper this year, the physicist Časlav…


The reference frames from which observers view quantum events can themselves have multiple possible locations at once — an insight with potentially major ramifications.

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Quantum Computing and state-sponsored Cyber Warfare: How quantum will transform Nation-State Cyber Attacks https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/quantum-computing-and-state-sponsored-cyber-warfare-how-quantum-will-transform-nation-state-cyber-attacks https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/quantum-computing-and-state-sponsored-cyber-warfare-how-quantum-will-transform-nation-state-cyber-attacks#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:30:52 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/quantum-computing-and-state-sponsored-cyber-warfare-how-quantum-will-transform-nation-state-cyber-attacks

The rise of quantum computing is more than a technological advancement; it marks a profound shift in the world of cybersecurity, especially when considering the actions of state-sponsored cyber actors. Quantum technology has the power to upend the very foundations of digital security, promising to dismantle current encryption standards, enhance offensive capabilities, and recalibrate the balance of cyber power globally. As leading nations like China, Russia, and others intensify their investments in quantum research, the potential repercussions for cybersecurity and international relations are becoming alarmingly clear.

Imagine a world where encrypted communications, long thought to be secure, could be broken in mere seconds. Today, encryption standards such as RSA or ECC rely on complex mathematical problems that would take traditional computers thousands of years to solve. Quantum computing, however, changes this equation. Using quantum algorithms like Shor’s, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could factorize these massive numbers, effectively rendering these encryption methods obsolete.

This capability could give state actors the ability to decrypt communications, access sensitive governmental data, and breach secure systems in real time, transforming cyber espionage. Instead of months spent infiltrating networks and monitoring data flow, quantum computing could provide immediate access to critical information, bypassing traditional defenses entirely.

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WEAVE First Light Observations: Origin and Dynamics of the Shock Front in Stephan’s Quintet https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/weave-first-light-observations-origin-and-dynamics-of-the-shock-front-in-stephans-quintet https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/weave-first-light-observations-origin-and-dynamics-of-the-shock-front-in-stephans-quintet#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:30:34 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/weave-first-light-observations-origin-and-dynamics-of-the-shock-front-in-stephans-quintet ABSTRACT. We present a detailed study of the large-scale shock front in Stephan’s Quintet, a by-product of past and ongoing interactions. Using integral-field spectroscopy from the new William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE), recent 144 MHz observations from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey, and archival data from the Very Large Array and JWST, we obtain new measurements of key shock properties and determine its impact on the system. Harnessing the WEAVE large integral field unit’s field of view (90 |$\times$| 78 arcsec|$^{2}$|⁠), spectral resolution (⁠|$R\sim 2500$|⁠), and continuous wavelength coverage across the optical band, we perform robust emission-line modelling and dynamically locate the shock within the multiphase intergalactic medium with higher precision than previously possible. The shocking of the cold gas phase is hypersonic, and comparisons with shock models show that it can readily account for the observed emission-line ratios. In contrast, we demonstrate that the shock is relatively weak in the hot plasma visible in X-rays (with Mach number of |$\mathcal {M}\sim 2\!-\!4$|⁠), making it inefficient at producing the relativistic particles needed to explain the observed synchrotron emission. Instead, we propose that it has led to an adiabatic compression of the medium, which has increased the radio luminosity 10-fold. Comparison of the Balmer line-derived extinction map with the molecular gas and hot dust observed with JWST suggests that pre-existing dust may have survived the collision, allowing the condensation of H|$_2$| – a key channel for dissipating the shock energy.

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2 Million Mph Galaxy Smash-Up Seen in Unprecedented Detail https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/2-million-mph-galaxy-smash-up-seen-in-unprecedented-detail https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/2-million-mph-galaxy-smash-up-seen-in-unprecedented-detail#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:29:45 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/2-million-mph-galaxy-smash-up-seen-in-unprecedented-detail

A massive collision of galaxies sparked by one traveling at a scarcely-believable 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h) has been seen in unprecedented detail by one of Earth’s most powerful telescopes.

The dramatic impact was observed in Stephan’s Quintet, a nearby galaxy group made up of five galaxies first sighted almost 150 years ago.

It sparked an immensely powerful shock akin to a “sonic boom from a jet fighter”—the likes of which are among the most striking phenomena in the universe.

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Discovery of van Hove singularities could lead to novel materials with desirable quantum properties https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/discovery-of-van-hove-singularities-could-lead-to-novel-materials-with-desirable-quantum-properties https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/discovery-of-van-hove-singularities-could-lead-to-novel-materials-with-desirable-quantum-properties#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:29:29 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/discovery-of-van-hove-singularities-could-lead-to-novel-materials-with-desirable-quantum-properties

Strong interactions between subatomic particles like electrons occur when they are at a specific energy level known as the van Hove singularity. These interactions give rise to unusual properties in quantum materials, such as superconductivity at high temperatures, potentially ushering in exciting technologies of tomorrow.

Research suggests that allow electrons to flow only on their surface to be promising . However, the quantum properties of these materials remain relatively unexplored.

A study co-led by Nanyang Asst Prof Chang Guoqing of NTU’s School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences identified two types of van Hove singularities in the topological materials rhodium monosilicide (RhSi) and cobalt monosilicide (CoSi).

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Accessing the lesser known nucleon: New neutron measurement can help physicists learn about nucleon structure and spin https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/accessing-the-lesser-known-nucleon-new-neutron-measurement-can-help-physicists-learn-about-nucleon-structure-and-spin https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/accessing-the-lesser-known-nucleon-new-neutron-measurement-can-help-physicists-learn-about-nucleon-structure-and-spin#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:29:14 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/accessing-the-lesser-known-nucleon-new-neutron-measurement-can-help-physicists-learn-about-nucleon-structure-and-spin

Protons and neutrons–known collectively as nucleons–are both the building blocks of matter, but one of these particles has received a bit more attention in certain types of nuclear physics experiments.

Until now. New results published in Physical Review Letters describe a first-time glimpse of the internal structure of the neutron thanks to the development of a special, 10-years-in-the-making detector installed in Experimental Hall B at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.

“We detected the neutron for the first time in this type of reaction, and it’s quite an important result for the study of nucleons,” said Silvia Niccolai, a research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

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