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Researchers use quantum circuit to identify single nucleotides

DNA sequencing technology, i.e., determining the order of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule, is central to personalized medicine and disease diagnostics, yet even the fastest technologies require hours, or days, to read a complete sequence. Now, a multi-institutional research team led by The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN) at Osaka University, has developed a technique that could lead to a new paradigm for genomic analysis.

DNA sequences are sequential arrangements of the nucleotide bases, i.e., the four letters that encode information invaluable to the proper functioning of an organism. For example, changing the identity of just one nucleotide out of the several billion nucleotide pairs in the can lead to a serious medical condition. The ability to read DNA sequences quickly and reliably is thus essential to some urgent point-of-care decisions, such as how to proceed with a particular chemotherapy treatment.

Unfortunately, genome analysis remains challenging for , and it’s in this context that quantum computers show promise. Quantum computers use quantum bits instead of the zeroes and ones of classical computers, facilitating an exponential increase in computational speed.

Impossible Science: MIT Scientists Successfully Demonstrate First-Ever Control over Quantum Randomness

For the first time ever, research scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with the Institute for Soldier Technologies have demonstrated a level of control over the phenomenon known as quantum randomness.

If perfected, controlling quantum randomness could lead to a number of scientific breakthroughs, including the ability to perform previously impossible probabilistic quantum computing and advanced field sensing technologies.

Are Vacuum Fluctuations in the Quantum World Uncontrollable?

First evidence of ‘quantum superchemistry’ observed in lab

“This has been a scientific goal for 20 years, so it’s a very exciting era.”

In a significant advance, scientists have obtained the first proof of a phenomenon known as “quantum superchemistry.” This effect was previously predicted but never actually observed in the laboratory.

The University of Chicago researchers that led this experiment characterize quantum superchemistry as a “phenomenon where particles in the same quantum state undergo collectively accelerated reactions.”


John Zich.

This effect was previously predicted but never actually observed in the laboratory.

Donald Hoffman — Quantum Physics of Consciousness

Are quantum events required for consciousness in a very special sense, far beyond the general sense that quantum events are part of all physical systems? What would it take for quantum events, on such a micro-scale, to be relevant for brain function, which operates at the much higher level of neurons and brain circuits? What would it mean?

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Donald D. Hoffman is Professor of Cognitive Science, University of California, Irvine and author of Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See and coauthor of Observer Mechanics: A Formal Theory Of Perception.

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Boron nitride-based nanocomposites have unexpected properties, researchers discover

Just as carbon makes up both the brittle core of a No. 2 pencil and the harder-than-steel diamond in a cutting tool, boron nitride gives rise to compounds that can be soft or hard. Yet, unlike carbon, far less is known about boron nitride’s forms and their responses to changing temperatures and pressures.

Rice University scientists mixed —a soft variety also known as “white graphite”—with cubic boron nitride—a material second to diamond in hardness—and found that the resulting nanocomposite interacted with light and heat in unexpected ways that could be useful in next-generation microchips, quantum devices and other advanced technology applications.

“Hexagonal boron nitride is widely used in a variety of products, such as coatings, lubricants and cosmetics,” said Abhijit Biswas, a research scientist who is the lead author of a study about the research published in Nano Letters. “It’s quite soft and it is a great lubricant, and very lightweight. It’s also cheap and very stable at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure.

How Would Room-Temperature Superconductors Change Quantum Computing?

The write in their paper on the invention: “The LK-99 has many possibilities for various applications such as magnet, motor, cable, levitation train, power cable, qubit for a quantum computer, THz Antennas, etc. We believe that our new development will be a brand-new historical event that opens a new era for humankind.”

It’s important to note that while room-temperature superconducting advances may clear some of the scalability hurdles, warm temperatures still impact quantum errors.

That being said, and while scientists are still trying to verify this work, how will it affect quantum computing? If at all?

D-Wave and Davidson Technologies Introduce New Innovations to Advance National Defense Efforts

Collaboration yields new solutions that tackle complex challenges in defense and aerospace sectors

Companies to showcase live demonstration of quantum-hybrid application at Space & Missile Defense Symposium

BURNABY, British Columbia, PALO ALTO, Calif. & HUNTSVILLE, Ala., August 7, 2023 —(BUSINESS WIRE)— D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS), a leader in quantum computing systems, software, and services, and Davidson Technologies, Inc., a technology services company that provides innovative engineering, technical and management solutions for the Department of Defense, aerospace and commercial customers, today announced progress in their collaboration to create solutions that advance national defense efforts. In support of the companies’ joint presence at this week’s Space and Missile Defense Symposium, D-Wave and Davidson Technologies revealed that together they have built two applications, focused on interceptor assignment and optimized radar scheduling.

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