entangled dot cloud

MIT engineers develop a magnetic transistor for more energy-efficient electronics

Transistors, the building blocks of modern electronics, are typically made of silicon. Because it’s a semiconductor, this material can control the flow of electricity in a circuit. But silicon has fundamental physical limits that restrict how compact and energy-efficient a transistor can be.MIT researchers have now replaced silicon with a magnetic semiconductor, creating a magnetic transistor that could enable smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient circuits. The material’s magnetism strongly

In a First, Researchers Use Stem Cells and Surgery to Treat Spina Bifida in the Womb

The study focused on safety, but the results offer hope the approach could give kids a chance to walk. Michelle Johnson was 20 weeks into her pregnancy when she learned her unborn son had spina bifida. Because his spine hadn’t fully sealed, the spinal cord was left protruding from a gaping hole. Without surgery, he would face a lifetime of disabilities.So she jumped at the chance to enroll in a small experimental trial for the condition at the University of California, Davis. The treatment combi

Remarks at UT on the Pentagon/Anthropic situation

Last Thursday, my friend and colleague Sam Baker, in UT Austin’s English department, convened an “emergency panel” here about the developing Pentagon/Anthropic situation, and asked me to speak at it. Even though the situation has continued to develop since then, I thought my prepared remarks for the panel might be of interest. At the bottom, I include a few additional thoughts.Hi! I’m Scott Aaronson! I teach CS here at UT. While my background is in quantum computing,

Chemical shifts help track molecules breaking apart in real time

When molecules fall apart, their electric charge doesn't stay put—it rearranges as bonds stretch and break. An international team of scientists has now tracked these ultrafast changes in the small molecule fluoromethane (CH₃F). It was the first time that the Small Quantum Systems (SQS) instrument at European XFEL could deliver detailed insights into transient states during chemical reactions. The research is published in the journal Physical Review X.

Unexpected magnetic response in gold and silver atomic contacts contradicts previous theoretical predictions

Researchers from the Department of Physics and the University Institute of Materials at the University of Alicante (UA) and the Low Temperature and High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) have succeeded in measuring, for the first time, the electrical conductance of gold and silver atomic contacts subjected to extreme magnetic fields of up to 20 teslas, an intensity equivalent to 400,000 times Earth's magnetic field.

How Joseph Paradiso’s sensing innovations bridge the arts, medicine, and ecology

Joseph Paradiso thinks that the most engaging research questions usually span disciplines. Paradiso was trained as a physicist and completed his PhD in experimental high-energy physics at MIT in 1981. His father was a photographer and filmmaker working at MIT, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and the MITRE Corporation, so he grew up in a house where artists, scientists, and engineers regularly gathered and interesting music was always playing. That mix of influences led him to the MIT Medi

Student serves up fresh solutions to the pancake problem

David Cutler is in the spotlight for his work on a tasty-sounding mathematics problem. In January, the New York Times featured a research paper authored by Cutler and Neil Sloane, the founder of The On-line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. Titled "Cutting a Pancake with an Exotic Knife," the paper explores the "lazy caterer problem," or how to cut a pancake or other circular object into the most pieces with the fewest cuts.

Physicists identify unexpected quantum advantage in a permutation parity task

The parity-identification problem fits naturally into this landscape. Parity is a global property, insensitive to most local details. In this respect, it resembles many other quantities studied in ...

Why ‘quantum proteins’ could be the next big thing in biology

Crystal jellyfish have an eerie beauty: thanks to a natural protein, they emit a faint green glow. For decades, researchers ...

Wild new phase of time emerges as Rydberg atoms meet quantum light

Researchers at Chongqing University and Chongqing Normal University report a theoretical prediction of a new quantum phase of ...

Room-Temperature Quantum Device Could Transform Future Communications

A new room-temperature quantum device developed at Stanford uses twisted light and advanced materials to link photons and ...

D-Wave to Present Scientific Advancements in Annealing and Gate-Model Quantum Computing at APS Global Physics Summit

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 10, 2026--D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) ("D-Wave" or the "Company"), the only dual-platform quantum computing company, providing both annealing and gate-model systems, software, and services, today announced that it will present new scientific results at the American Physical Society’s Global Physics Summit, the world’s largest physics conference, on March 15-20, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.

Can Rigetti's technology breakthroughs accelerate quantum progress?

Rigetti Computing RGTI continues to make notable strides in improving the performance of its quantum hardware, particularly ...

Precisely measuring quantum signals in large spin ensembles

Quantum mechanical effects are known to be easily disrupted by disturbances from the surrounding environment, commonly referred to as noise. To minimize these disturbances, physicists often study these effects in small and carefully controlled systems, in which environmental noise can be minimized.

Scientists may have discovered a brand-new mineral on Mars

Scientists studying Mars may have uncovered a brand-new mineral hidden in the planet’s ancient sulfate deposits. By combining laboratory experiments with orbital data, researchers identified an unusual iron sulfate—ferric hydroxysulfate—forming in layered deposits near the massive Valles Marineris canyon system. The mineral likely formed when sulfate-rich deposits left behind by ancient water were later heated by volcanic or geothermal activity, transforming their chemistry.

Cosmic voids look empty but they may be tearing the universe apart

Cosmic voids may seem like the emptiest places in the universe, stripped of matter, radiation, and even dark matter. But they’re far from nothing. Even in these vast empty regions, the fundamental quantum fields that fill all of space remain, carrying a small but real amount of energy known as vacuum energy, or dark energy. While this energy is overwhelmed by matter in galaxies and clusters, in the deep emptiness of cosmic voids it becomes dominant.

Hackers Are Automating Cyberattacks With AI. Defenders Are Using It to Fight Back.

Which side has the advantage will depend less on raw model capabilities and more on who adapts fastest. Cybersecurity is an endless game of cat and mouse as attackers and defenders refine their tools. Generative AI systems are now joining the fray on both sides of the battlefield.Though cybersecurity experts and model developers have been warning about potential AI-powered cyberattacks for years, there has been limited evidence hackers were widely exploiting the technology. But that is starting

Consortium to Build Quantum-Enabled ‘Brain-on-Chip’ Platform for Neurological Drug Discovery and Screening

Platform to detect human-relevant insights for discovery and development of therapies for neurological diseases, ...

Linked by entanglement, small telescopes may see like one colossal mirror

Space rarely gives up its secrets easily. For instance, what looks like a single ...

Quantum entanglement offers route to higher-resolution optical astronomy

Researchers in the US have demonstrated how quantum entanglement could be used to detect optical signals from astronomical ...