COMPUTING

Two of Worlds Biggest Quantum Computers Made in China Charles Q. Choi | IEEE Spectrum scientists in China have tested two different quantum computers on what they say are more challenging tasks than [Googles] Sycamore faced and showed faster results. They note their work points to an unambiguous quantum computational advantage.i

Alternative Rocket Builder SpinLaunch Completes First Test Flight Michael Sheetz | CNBC The company is developing a launch system that uses kinetic energy as its primary method to get off the groundwith a vacuum-sealed centrifuge spinning the rocket at several times the speed of sound before releasing. This is about building a company and a space launch system that is going to enter into the commercial markets with a very high cadence and launch at the lowest cost in the industry, SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney told CNBC.

Scientists Build Tiny Robot That Could Deliver Drugs With Amazing Accuracy Julian Dossett | CNET [A] team of scientists at [ETH Zurich] has built a microrobot thats inspired by the movement of starfish larva. Their yet-to-be-named robot measures just a quarter of a millimeter across and swims through liquid by moving tiny surface hairs, or cilia, found on all kinds of microorganisms, including newborn starfish.

Wind and Solar Could Meet 85 Percent of Current Electricity Needs K. Holt | Engadget Windandsolar powercould meet around 85 percent of US electricity needs, according to a paper published inNature Communications. Batteries, capacity overbuilding and other storage options could increase that figure. A blend of wind and solar power should be enough to meet most of the current energy needs in advanced, industrialized nations, according to the study.

An E. Coli Biocomputer Solves a Maze by Sharing the Work Siobhan Roberts | MIT Technology Review this multitalented bacterium has a new trick: it can solve a classic computational maze problem using distributed computingdividing up the necessary calculations among different types of genetically engineered cells. This neat feat is a credit to synthetic biology, which aims to rig up biological circuitry much like electronic circuitry and to program cells as easily as computers.

Lidar Uncovers Hundreds of Lost Maya and Olmec Ruins Kiona N. Smith | Wired Over the last several years, lidar surveys have revealedtens of thousands of irrigation channels, causeways, and fortresses across Maya territory, which now spans the borders of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Infrared beams can penetrate dense foliage to measure the height of the ground, which often reveals features like long-abandoned canals or plazas.The results have shown that Maya civilization was more extensive, and more densely populated, than we previously realized.

The Long Search for a Computer That Speaks Your Mind Adam Rogers | Wired The trick is to use data from the brain to synthesize speech in real time so users can practice and the machine can learn. New brain computer interface systems are getting there. The endgame, probably half a decade away, will be some unification of accuracy and intelligibility with real-time audio. Thats the common direction all of the groups doing this are going towarddoing it in real time, Anumanchipalli says.i

AR Is Where the Real Metaverse Is Going to Happen Steven Levy | Wired iOur overarching goal is to help bring the metaverse to life, Mark Zuckerberg told his workforce in June. [Niantic CEO John] Hanke hates this idea. Hes read all the science fiction books and seen all the films that first imagined the metaverseall great fun, and allwrong. He believes that his vision, unlikevirtual reality, will make the real world better without encouraging people to totally check out of it.

Image Credit: Shubham Dhage / Unsplash

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This Week's Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through November 13) - Singularity Hub