Science

David Parker/Science Photo Library What is the difference between artificial intelligence and quantum computing? One is a sci-fi-sounding technology that has long promised to revolutionise our world, providing researchers can sort out a few technical wrinkles like the tendency to make errors. Actually, so is the other. And yet, while AI appears to have breathlessly and inescapably taken over, well, everything, the average person has had no experience with quantum computing. Does this matter? Practitioners in both fields are certainly guilty of hyping up their wares, but part of the problem for would-be quantum proponents is that the current generation of quantum computers is essentially useless. As we detail in our special report on the state of the industry (see “Quan...

Part of the KM3NeT neutrino detector on the seafloorKM3NeT A shockingly powerful neutrino that ripped through a new particle detector in the Mediterranean Sea has taken physicists by surprise, and it could be a first tantalising glimpse into some of the universe’s most cataclysmic events, such as the merging of supermassive black holes. Neutrinos, sometimes referred to as “ghost particles”, barely interact with most matter because they are nearly massless and have no electric charge. This means that neutrino detectors typically incorporate vast amounts of dense substance, such as water or ice, in the hopes that a powerful neutrino might knock into an atom and produce a shower of particles that reveal tell-tale signs of its existence. Damien Dornic at the Centre fo...

Ally Peccia, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, studies the origins of volcanic gases and the interactions between volcanoes and the climate. Peccia has also worked to integrate her passions for science and art through unique initiatives, including creating a “Field Guide” with scientists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art focused on volcano-related works and helping to organize the “Research as Art” event at Lamont this past fall. In her own ceramics practice, Peccia often incorporates volcanic themes and materials. In the Q&A below, Peccia reflects on her lifelong love of learning, the mentors who inspired her studies and the importance of fixing the “leaky pipeline” to leadership for women scientists. Courtesy of Ally Peccia How di...

The robotic arm at different stages of activationWei et al An origami-inspired robot arm made with material from cotton plants and pigs biodegrades when no longer needed. Such a soft robot could be further developed to carry out medical procedures inside the body and then pass safely through it. Soft robotics is a growing field because there are a number of applications where a hard, rigid device would be unsafe or unwelcome, such as when working in extremely tight spaces in machinery or in close proximity to – or even inside – people. Most experimental soft robots are made with synthetic materials such as silicon rubber. Now, Hanqing Jiang at Westlake University in Zhejiang, China, and his colleagues have created a simple version from cellulose derived from cotto...

How do you cook your eggs?The Daniel Heighton Food Collection/Alamy Cooking a perfect boiled egg takes at least half an hour, physicists have claimed, as they say the best method for a tasty and nutritious breakfast involves switching repeatedly between pans of different temperatures. As anyone who has ever struggled to get an egg to their liking will know, an even boil is difficult because the yolk and white cook at different temperatures. Cooking at a vigorous boil works for the white, which requires temperatures of 85°C (185°F) for optimum consistency, but can also result in a hard yolk, which only needs 65°C (149°F). Chefs have found immersing the egg in a water bath at a steady temperature of between 60°C and 70°C (140°F and 158°F) can lead to better cooked yolks,...