Scientists tap into open-access quantum computer to tease out quantum secrets

The rules of quantum mechanics describe how atoms and molecules act very differently from the world around us. Scientists have made progress toward teasing out these rules—essential for finding ways to make new molecules and better technology—but some are so complex that they evade experimental verification. With the advent of open-access quantum computers, scientists at the University of Chicago saw an opportunity to do a very unusual experiment to test some of these quantum principles.

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Strange fossil may be rare insect preserved in gemstone

IN A FIND unlike anything seen before, a piece of opal from the island of Java in Indonesia holds some remarkable cargo: a stunningly preserved insect that may be at least four to seven million years old. Previously, plenty of ancient insects have been found in amber, a gemstone made of fossilized tree resin. When animals became encased in the fresh resin, it entombs them rapidly enough to preserve the remains, often with exquisite detail.

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This Is Your Brain Off Facebook

The world’s most common digital habit is not easy to break, even in a fit of moral outrage over the privacy risks and political divisions Facebook has created, or amid concerns about how the habit might affect emotional health. Although four in 10 Facebook users say they have taken long breaks from it, the digital platform keeps growing. A recent study found that the average user would have to be paid $1,000 to $2,000 to be pried away for a year.

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One Of The Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working With The FBI

The move is sure to raise privacy concerns as law enforcement gains the ability to match DNA from crime scenes to a vast library of possible relatives.

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Self-driving cars will "cruise" to avoid paying to park

If you think traffic in city centers is bad now, just wait until self-driving cars emerge on the scene, cruising around to avoid paying hefty downtown parking fees.

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Actually, "It's colder than Mars" could be true year-round

Record-smashing cold temperatures have led to a wave of headlines highlighting how parts of the U.S. are now colder than Mars. In parts of media, this is now a near-yearly ritual: The Atlantic had a story on it in 2017, and even NASA’s Curiosity Rover tweeted it a few winters ago. But what does “colder than Mars” really mean? Does it mean your friends in the Midwest — assuming they survive the Polar Vortex — have conquered their first round of Martian training? Not quite.

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Chinese space station in Argentina is a ‘black box’

When China built a military-run space station in Argentina’s Patagonian region it promised to include a visitors’ center to explain the purpose of its powerful 16-story antenna. The center is now built — behind the 8-foot barbed wire fence that surrounds the entire space station compound. Visits are by appointment only.

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