Lifeboat Foundation

Superconductivity can be switched on and off in “magic-angle” graphene using a short electrical pulse, according to new work by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Until now, such switching could only be achieved by sweeping a continuous electric field across the material. The new finding could help in the development of novel superconducting electronics such as memory elements for use in two-dimensional (2D) materials-based circuits.

Graphene is a 2D crystal of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Even on its own, this so-called “wonder material” boasts many exceptional properties, including high electrical conductivity as charge carriers (electrons and holes) zoom through the carbon lattice at very high speeds.

In 2018, researchers led by Pablo Jarillo-Herrero of MIT found that when two such sheets are placed on top of each other with a small angle misalignment, things become even more fascinating. In this twisted bilayer configuration, the sheets form a structure known as a moiré superlattice, and when the twist angle between them reaches the (theoretically predicted) “magic angle” of 1.08°, the material begins to show properties such as superconductivity at low temperatures – that is, it conducts electricity without any resistance.

A new genetically engineered houseplant requires no electricity to clean the air in your home, boosting plants’ natural purification abilities.

As the power of AI grows, we need to have evidence of its sentience. That is why we must return to the minds of animals by Kristin Andrews & Jonathan Birch + BIO.

The James Webb Space Telescope has made a shocking discovery. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature, astronomers have discovered enormous distant galaxies that some say shouldn’t exist. These enormous galaxies are believed to be some of the early galaxies that formed after the Big Bang, and their discovery by Webb has left many scratching their heads in confusion.

Hey folks, I’m excited to share a new essay with y’all on my proposed route towards nanoscale human brain connectomics. I suggest that synchrotron ‘expansion x-ray microscopy’ has the potential to enable anatomical imaging of the entire human brain with sub-100 nm voxel size and high contrast in around 1 year for a price of roughly $10M. I plan to continue improving this essay over time as I acquire more detailed information and perform more calculations.

For a brief history of this concept: I started exploring this idea during undergrad (working with a laboratory-scale x-ray microscope), but was cut short by the pandemic. Now, I’m working on a PhD in biomedical engineering centered on gene therapy and synthetic biology, but I have retained a strong interest in connectomics. I recently began communication with some excellent collaborators who might be able to help move this technology forward. Hoping for some exciting progress!

By Logan Thrasher Collins.

Continue reading “Feasibility of mapping the human brain with expansion x-ray microscopy” »

Quantum computers are highly energy-efficient and extremely powerful supercomputers. But for these machines to realize their full potential in new applications like artificial intelligence or machine learning, researchers are hard at work at perfecting the underlying electronics to process their calculations. A team at Fraunhofer IZM are working on superconducting connections that measure a mere ten micrometers in thickness, moving the industry a substantial step closer to a future of commercially viable quantum computers.

With the extreme computing power they promise, quantum computers have the potential to become the driving force for technological innovations in all areas of modern industry. By contrast with the run-of-the-mill computers of today, they do not work with bits, but with qubits: No longer are these units of information restricted to the binary states of 1 or 0.

With quantum superposition or entanglement added, qubits mean a great leap forward in terms of sheer speed and power and the complexity of the calculations they can handle. One simple rule still holds, though: More qubits mean more speed and more computing power.

Step one for uploading your brain after the singularity… keep it cognitively functional until then.

It’s been estimated that one in three cases of dementia is preventable. You can’t do anything right now to stop or reverse the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease, but you can do something about hypertension and vascular disease risk factors.

Continue reading “Can I Prevent Dementia?” »

Materials research organizations in Asia have been targeted by a previously unknown threat actor using a distinct set of tools.

Symantec, by Broadcom Software, is tracking the cluster under the moniker Clasiopa. The origins of the hacking group and its affiliations are currently unknown, but there are hints that suggest the adversary could have ties to India.

This includes references to “SAPTARISHI-ATHARVAN-101” in a custom backdoor and the use of the password “iloveindea1998^_^” for a ZIP archive.

In this video we run through a recent study which analyzed data in the UK Biobank to see if patients taking lithium as an anti-psychotic saw extended lifespan of those using a different type of medication and they found that they did.

📃Papers in this video.
Lithium treatment extends human lifespan: findings from the UK Biobank.
_https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9925675/_
Low-dose lithium uptake promotes longevity in humans and metazoans.
_https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21301855/_

Continue reading “Lithium Extends Human Lifespan In Two Studies” »