Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Fossil overturns more than a century of knowledge about the origin of modern birds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Fossilized fragments of a skeleton, hidden within a rock the size of a grapefruit, have helped upend one of the longest-standing assumptions about the origins of modern birds.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

New quantum computing feat is a modern twist on a 150-year-old thought experiment      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research demonstrates a 20x improvement in resetting a quantum bit to its '0' state, using a modern version of the 'Maxwell's demon'.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Oldest Pterodactylus fossil found in Germany      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The oldest Pterodactylus specimen was found near Painten, Germany. The fossil is about one million years older than other Pterodactylus specimens. The specimen is a complete, well-preserved skeleton of a small-sized individual. With a 5-cm-long skull, it represents a rare 'sub-adult' individual.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Energy: Nuclear
Published

Quantum algorithm of the direct calculation of energy derivatives developed for molecular geometry optimization      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have successfully extended the quantum phase difference estimation algorithm, a general quantum algorithm for the direct calculations of energy gaps, to enable the direct calculation of energy differences between two different molecular geometries. This allows for the computation, based on the finite difference method, of energy derivatives with respect to nuclear coordinates in a single calculation.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

The entanglement advantage      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have demonstrated a way to entangle atoms to create a network of atomic clocks and accelerometers. The method has resulted in greater precision in measuring time and acceleration.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Achieving a quantum fiber      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the transport of two-photon quantum states of light through a phase-separated Anderson localization optical fiber.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Spin correlation between paired electrons demonstrated      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists have experimentally demonstrated for the first time that there is a negative correlation between the two spins of an entangled pair of electrons from a superconductor. For their study, the researchers used spin filters made of nanomagnets and quantum dots.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Quantum algorithms save time in the calculation of electron dynamics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Quantum computers promise significantly shorter computing times for complex problems. But there are still only a few quantum computers worldwide with a limited number of so-called qubits. However, quantum computer algorithms can already run on conventional servers that simulate a quantum computer. A team has succeeded in calculating the electron orbitals and their dynamic development using an example of a small molecule after a laser pulse excitation. In principle, the method is also suitable for investigating larger molecules that cannot be calculated using conventional methods.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: Quantum Computers Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

Microlaser chip adds new dimensions to quantum communication      (via sciencedaily.com) 

With only two levels of superposition, the qubits used in today's quantum communication technologies have limited storage space and low tolerance for interference. Engineering's hyperdimensional microlaser generates 'qudits,' photons with four simultaneous levels of information. The increase in dimension makes for robust quantum communication technology better suited for real-world applications.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Grid of quantum islands could reveal secrets for powerful technologies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created grids of tiny clumps of atoms known as quantum dots and studied what happens when electrons dive into these archipelagos of atomic islands. Measuring the behavior of electrons in these relatively simple setups promises deep insights into how electrons behave in complex real-world materials and could help researchers engineer devices that make possible powerful quantum computers and other innovative technologies.

Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Prehistoric predator? Artificial intelligence says no      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Artificial intelligence has revealed that prehistoric footprints thought to be made by a vicious dinosaur predator were in fact from a timid herbivore.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

New Scottish fossil sheds light on the origins of lizards      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A fossil discovery from Scotland has provided new information on the early evolution of lizards, during the time of the dinosaurs.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Fossil bird's skull reconstruction reveals a brain made for smelling and eyes made for daylight      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Piecing together the crushed skull of a fossil bird that lived alongside the dinosaurs helped researchers extrapolate what its brain would have looked like: big olfactory bulbs would have meant that this bird, the earliest known animal to eat fruit, had a better sense of smell than most modern birds. And the bones around its eye sockets revealed that it would have been better at seeing by day than at night.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Ostrich-like dinosaurs from Mississippi are among the world's largest at over 800 kilograms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Ostrich-like dinosaurs called ornithomimosaurs grew to enormous sizes in ancient eastern North America, according to a new study.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Dinosaur 'mummies' might not be as unusual as we think      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A process of desiccation and deflation explains why dinosaur 'mummies' aren't as exceptional as we might expect, according to a study.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Shaking the dinosaur family tree: How did 'bird-hipped' dinosaurs evolve?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have conducted a new analysis of the origins of 'bird-hipped' dinosaurs -- the group which includes iconic species such as Triceratops -- and found that they likely evolved from a group of animals known as silesaurs, which were first identified two decades ago.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Discovery of extinct prehistoric reptile that lived among dinosaurs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered a new extinct species of lizard-like reptile that belongs to the same ancient lineage as New Zealand's living tuatara. A team of scientists describe the new species Opisthiamimus gregori, which once inhabited Jurassic North America about 150 million years ago alongside dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Allosaurus. In life, this prehistoric reptile would have been about 16 centimeters (about 6 inches) from nose to tail -- and would fit curled up in the palm of an adult human hand -- and likely survived on a diet of insects and other invertebrates.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

What killed dinosaurs and other life on Earth?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Determining what killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period has long been the topic of debate, as scientists set out to determine what caused the five mass extinction events that reshaped life on planet Earth in a geological instant. Some scientists argue that comets or asteroids that crashed into Earth were the most likely agents of mass destruction, while others argue that large volcanic eruptions were the cause. A new study reports that volcanic activity appears to have been the key driver of mass extinctions.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Discovery and naming of Africa's oldest known dinosaur      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of paleontologists has discovered and named a new, early dinosaur. The skeleton -- incredibly, mostly intact -- was found over the course of two digs, in 2017 and 2019.

Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published

Fossils of giant sea lizard that ruled the oceans 66 million years ago discovered      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Fossils of a giant killer mosasaur have been discovered, along with the fossilized remains of its prey.