Lifeboat Foundation

Have you ever considered the possibility that our reality might be an intricately crafted computer simulation? There is a name for this theory — Simulation Hypothesis — and it is now being tested in quantum lab experiments.

Though it may initially resemble a plot from the latest sci-fi blockbuster, a dedicated group of researchers is rigorously exploring this intriguing concept.

They are investigating the philosophical implications and technological advancements that could render such a simulation plausible.

Chemo-mechanical deformation of structured DNA assemblies driven by DNA-binding ligands is promising for biological and therapeutic applications, but it is elusive how to effectively model and predict their effects on the deformation and mechanical properties of DNA structures. Here, the authors present a computational framework for simulating chemo-mechanical change of structured DNA assemblies, using ethidium bromide intercalation as an example.

Next generation of computer chips could ditch silicon for TMD — a 2D material that is embedded with ‘defects’ which can be harnessed to improve performance.

A team led by researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has designed a unique material based on a conventional superconductor—that is, a substance that enables electrons to travel through it with zero resistance under certain conditions, such as extremely low temperature. The experimental material showed properties signaling its potential for use in quantum computing, a developing technology with capabilities beyond those of classical digital computers.

Adopting the right mix of sustainable construction practices could allow Canada to meet its housing goals—as many as 5.8 million new homes by 2030—without blowing past its climate commitments.

Researchers in the University of Toronto’s Centre for the Sustainable Built Environment (CSBE) have developed a computer simulation that forecasts the emissions associated with new housing and infrastructure construction. The paper is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

The work builds on previous CSBE research showing that in order for Canada to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets, homes built in 2030 will need to produce 83% fewer greenhouse gases during construction than those built in 2018.

Exploring the design of efficient quantum emitters using defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors, specifically silicon carbide (SiC) and diamond.

It highlights how these defects can be engineered to emit single photons, which are crucial for quantum technologies like secure communication and quantum…

Computers benefit greatly from being connected to the internet, so we might ask: What good is a quantum computer without a quantum internet?

Physicists have developed new specialty optical fibers with a micro-structured core to support future quantum computing data transfer needs.

“While these conditions are necessary for a planet to host life, they do not guarantee it,” said Anthony Atkinson. “Our work highlights the importance of considering a wide range of factors when searching for habitable planets.”

Does a planet just have to be in a star’s habitable zone to be habitable, or are other forces at play? This is what a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers from Rice University and NASA investigated whether the interaction between a star’s and a planet’s respective magnetic fields could play a role in determining the habitability potential for an exoplanet. This study holds the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets and the necessary conditions for life to emerge on those worlds.

“The fascination with exoplanets stems from our desire to understand our own planet better,” said Dr. David Alexander, who is a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, director of the Rice Space Institute and member of the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium, and a co-author on the study. “Questions about the Earth’s formation and habitability are the key drivers behind our study of these distant worlds.”

Continue reading “The Role of Magnetic Fields in Planetary Habitability” »

Putting 50 billion transistors into a microchip the size of a fingernail is a feat that requires manufacturing methods of nanometer level precision—layering of thin films, then etching, depositing, or using photolithography to create the patterns of semiconductor, insulator, metal, and other materials that make up the tiny working devices within the chip.

The process relies heavily on solvents that carry and deposit materials in each layer—solvents that can be difficult to handle and toxic to the environment.

Now researchers led by Fiorenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts, have developed a nanomanufacturing approach that uses water as the primary solvent, making it more environmentally compatible and opening the door to the development of devices that combine inorganic and biological materials.