Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research documents the fastest-known large-scale breakage along an Antarctic ice shelf. A 6.5-mile crack formed in 2012 over 5-and-a-half minutes, showing that ice shelves can effectively shatter -- though the speed is limited by seawater rushing in. The results help inform large-scale ice sheet models and projections of future sea level rise.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Resurrecting niobium for quantum science      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Niobium has long been considered an underperformer in superconducting qubits. Scientists have now engineered a high-quality niobium-based qubit, taking advantage of niobium's superior qualities.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Scientists closer to solving mysteries of universe after measuring gravity in quantum world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are closer to unravelling the mysterious forces of the universe after working out how to measure gravity on a microscopic level. Experts have never fully understood how the force works in the tiny quantum world -- but now physicists have successfully detected a weak gravitational pull on a tiny particle using a new technique.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Measuring the properties of light: Scientists realize new method for determining quantum states      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have used a new method to determine the characteristics of optical, i.e. light-based, quantum states. For the first time, they are using certain photon detectors -- devices that can detect individual light particles -- for so-called homodyne detection. The ability to characterize optical quantum states makes the method an essential tool for quantum information processing.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology
Published

UBC Okanagan researchers look to the past to improve construction sustainability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are revisiting old building practices -- the use of by-products and cast-offs -- as a way to improve building materials and sustainability of the trade. A technique known as rammed earth construction uses materials that are alternatives to cement and are often more readily available in the environment. One such alternative is wood fly ash, a by-product of pulp mills and coal-fired power plants.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Biggest Holocene volcano eruption found by seabed survey      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A detailed survey of the volcanic underwater deposits around the Kikai caldera in Japan clarified the deposition mechanisms as well as the event's magnitude. As a result, the research team found that the event 7,300 years ago was the largest volcanic eruption in the Holocene by far.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Graphene Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Electrons become fractions of themselves in graphene      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists have observed fractional quantum Hall effect in simple pentalayer graphene. The finding could make it easier to develop more robust quantum computers.

Biology: Biochemistry Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Engineers achieve breakthrough in quantum sensing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative project has made a breakthrough in enhancing the speed and resolution of wide-field quantum sensing, leading to new opportunities in scientific research and practical applications.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

A new design for quantum computers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Creating a quantum computer powerful enough to tackle problems we cannot solve with current computers remains a big challenge for quantum physicists. A well-functioning quantum simulator -- a specific type of quantum computer -- could lead to new discoveries about how the world works at the smallest scales. Quantum scientists have developed a guide on how to upgrade these machines so that they can simulate even more complex quantum systems.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

1,000 atomic qubits and rising      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Making quantum systems more scalable is one of the key requirements for the further development of quantum computers because the advantages they offer become increasingly evident as the systems are scaled up. Researchers have recently taken a decisive step towards achieving this goal.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Early-stage subduction invasion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our planet's lithosphere is broken into several tectonic plates. Their configuration is ever-shifting, as supercontinents are assembled and broken up, and oceans form, grow, and then start to close in what is known as the Wilson cycle.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New 'time travel' study reveals future impact of climate change on coastal marshes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study offers a glimpse into the possible impact of climate change on coastal wetlands 50 years or longer into the future. Scientists are usually forced to rely on computer models to project the long-term effects of rising seas, but an unexpected set of circumstances enabled a real-world experiment along the Gulf Coast.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Fundamental equation for superconducting quantum bits revised      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists have uncovered that Josephson tunnel junctions -- the fundamental building blocks of superconducting quantum computers -- are more complex than previously thought. Just like overtones in a musical instrument, harmonics are superimposed on the fundamental mode. As a consequence, corrections may lead to quantum bits that are 2 to 7 times more stable. The researchers support their findings with experimental evidence from multiple laboratories across the globe.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Researchers studying ocean transform faults, describe a previously unknown part of the geological carbon cycle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

This study reports widespread mineral carbonation of mantle rocks in an oceanic transform fueled by magmatic degassing of CO2. The findings describe a previously unknown part of the geological carbon cycle in transform faults that represent one of the three principal plate boundaries on Earth. The confluence of tectonically exhumed mantle rocks and CO2-rich alkaline basalt formed through limited extents of melting characteristic of the St. Paul's transform faults may be a pervasive feature at oceanic transform faults in general. Because transform faults have not been accounted for in previous estimates of global geological CO2 fluxes, the mass transfer of magmatic CO2 to the altered oceanic mantle and seawater may be larger than previously thought.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Mathematics: Statistics Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Researchers show classical computers can keep up with, and surpass, their quantum counterparts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has devised means for classical computing to mimic a quantum computing with far fewer resources than previously thought. The scientists' results show that classical computing can be reconfigured to perform faster and more accurate calculations than state-of-the-art quantum computers.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Technique could improve the sensitivity of quantum sensing devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique can control a larger number of microscopic defects in a diamond. These defects can be used as qubits for quantum sensing applications, and being able to control a greater number of qubits would improve the sensitivity of such devices.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Combining materials may support unique superconductivity for quantum computing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new fusion of materials, each with special electrical properties, has all the components required for a unique type of superconductivity that could provide the basis for more robust quantum computing.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Ice cores provide first documentation of rapid Antarctic ice loss in the past      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered the first direct evidence that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrunk suddenly and dramatically at the end of the Last Ice Age, around eight thousand years ago. The evidence, contained within an ice core, shows that in one location the ice sheet thinned by 450 meters -- that's more than the height of the Empire State Building -- in just under 200 years.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology
Published

Ancient rocks improve understanding of tectonic activity between earthquakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rocks once buried deep in ancient subduction zones -- where tectonic plates collide -- could help scientists make better predictions of how these zones behave during the years between major earthquakes, according to a research team.