Lifeboat Foundation

DOOM has been ported to quantum computers, marking another milestone for this seminal 3D gaming title. However, the coder behind this feat admits that there is currently no quantum computer capable of executing (playing) this code right now. All is not lost, though, as Quandoom can run on a classical computer, even a modest laptop, using a lightweight QASM simulator.

Barcelona ICFO-based Quantum Information PhD student Luke Mortimer, AKA Lumorti, is behind this newest port of DOOM. In the ReadMe file accompanying the Quandoom 1.0.0 release, Lumorti quips that “It is a well-known fact that all useful computational devices ever created are capable of running DOOM,” and humorously suggests that Quandoom may be the first practical use found for quantum computers.

There are a lot of firsts here.

Summary: A new study reveals that the absence of the TRMT10A enzyme disrupts tRNA levels, leading to impaired protein synthesis and brain function. Researchers found that mice lacking the Trmt10a gene had decreased levels of key tRNAs, which affected neuronal synapses and cognitive abilities.

The findings suggest that while tRNA reduction occurs in multiple tissues, the brain is particularly vulnerable to its effects. This research could pave the way for new therapies targeting tRNA modification to treat intellectual disabilities.

To make sense of the world around us, the brain must process an…

Neurons in certain brain areas integrate ‘what’ and ‘when’ information to discern hidden order in events happening in real time.

By Miryam Naddaf & Nature magazine

Continue reading “How Your Brain Detects Patterns without Conscious Thought” »

I’m diving deep into the concept of the Universal Productivity Dividend, a potential solution and alternative to UBI for the coming overhaul of the world’s entire socioeconomic system, when total job automation occurs.

We’ll explore what UPD is, how it works, and whether it could be the key to a more equitable future.

Continue reading “Universal Productivity Dividend: Could This Work for the AGI Era?” »

Star Bound is a book for anyone who wants to learn about the American space program but isn’t sure where to start. First and foremost, it’s a history—short, sweet, and straightforward. From rocketry pioneer Robert Goddard’s primitive flight tests in 1926 through the creation of NASA, from our first steps on the moon to construction of the International Space Station and planning a trip to Mars, readers will meet the people and projects that have put the United States at the forefront of space exploration. Along the way, they’ll learn:

• How the United States beat the Soviets to the moon.

• Why astronauts float in space (Hint: It’s not for lack of gravity!)

A few weeks ago, I attended the Seven Pines Symposium on Fundamental Problems in Physics outside Minneapolis, where I had the honor of participating in a panel discussion with Sir Roger Penrose. The way it worked was, Penrose spoke for a half hour about his ideas about conscious ness (Gödel, quantum gravity, microtubules, uncomputability, you know the drill), then I delivered a half-hour “response,” and then there was an hour of questions and discussion from the floor. Below, I’m sharing the prepared notes for my talk, as well as some very brief recollections about the discussion afterward. (Sorry, there’s no audio or video.) I unfortunately don’t have the text or transparencies for Penrose’s talk available to me, but—with one exception, which I touch on in my own talk—his talk very much followed the outlines of his famous books, The Emperor’s New Mind and Shadows of the Mind.

Admittedly, for regular readers of this blog, not much in my own talk will be new either. Apart from a few new wisecracks, almost all of the material (including the replies to Penrose) is contained in The Ghost in the Quantum Turing Machine, Could A Quantum Computer Have Subjective Experience? (my talk at IBM T. J. Watson), and Quantum Computing Since Democritus chapters 4 and 11. See also my recent answer on Quora to “What’s your take on John Searle’s Chinese room argument”?

Continue reading “‘Can computers become conscious?’: My reply to Roger Penrose” »

Battery performance is heavily influenced by the non-uniformity and failure of individual electrode particles. Understanding the reaction mechanisms and failure modes at nanoscale level is key to advancing battery technologies and extending their lifespan. However, capturing real-time electrochemical evolution at this scale remains challenging due to the limitations of existing sensing methods, which lack the necessary spatial resolution and sensitivity.

New deadlier viruses?

This article discusses the journeys of three gene therapy startups in South Korea, Japan, and China, and the products they are developing.