Science News related to Milestone in The Creation of Quantum Computer, Faster, Greener Way of Producing Carbon Spheres, Cheaper Water Filtration Through Desalination, Next-Generation Microelectronics, New Microscopy Technique With 7 Times Greater Sensitivity, Fluorescence Microscopy
Note: I do not write/own any of the science news bits (and cover picture) given here. The links on each of the news bits will redirect to the news source. The content given under each headline is a basic gist and not the full story.
Cover Picture Credit: Microsoft
1. Important Milestone in The Creation of a Quantum Computer
Source: Faculty of Science – University of Copenhagen
28 Dec 2020
In recent years, a collaboration of scientists has been exploring everyday transistors–that are present in billions in all our mobile phones—for their use as qubits. Researchers have found these industrially produced devices to be suitable as a qubit platform capable of moving to the second dimension, a significant step for a working quantum computer.
2. Faster, Greener Way of Producing Carbon Spheres Could Improve Carbon Capture Technology
Source: Swansea University
28 Dec 2020
A fast, green, and one-step method for producing porous carbon spheres, which are a vital component for carbon capture technology and for new ways of storing renewable energy, has been developed by researchers. The method produces spheres that have a good capacity for carbon capture, and it works effectively at a large scale.
3. Desalination Breakthrough Could Lead to Cheaper Water Filtration
Source: University of Texas at Austin
31 Dec 2020
Producing clean water at a lower cost could be on the horizon after researchers solved a complex problem that had baffled scientists for decades, until now. Desalination membranes remove salt and other chemicals from water, a process critical to the health of society, cleaning billions of gallons of water for agriculture, energy production, and drinking. The idea seems simple, but it contains complex intricacies that scientists are still trying to understand.
4. Stretching Diamond for Next-Generation Microelectronics
Source: City University of Hong Kong
1 Jan 2021
Diamond is the hardest material in nature. But out of many expectations, it also has great potential as an excellent electronic material. A research team has demonstrated for the first time the large, uniform tensile elastic straining of microfabricated diamond arrays through the nanomechanical approach. Their findings have shown the potential of strained diamonds as prime candidates for advanced functional devices in microelectronics, photonics, and quantum information technologies.
5. Seeing Live Cells With 7 Times Greater Sensitivity Using New Microscopy Technique
Source: University of Tokyo
1 Jan 2021
Experts in optical physics have developed a new way to see inside living cells in greater detail using existing microscopy technology and without needing to add stains or fluorescent dyes. The research team developed a technique to take two exposures to measure large and small changes in light phase separately and then seamlessly connect them to create a highly detailed final image.
6. Comb of a Lifetime: A New Method for Fluorescence Microscopy
Source: Institute of Post-LED Photonics, Tokushima University
2 Jan 2021
Researchers have developed a new fluorescence microscopy technique to measure both fluorescence intensity and lifetime. Their method does not require mechanical scanning of a focal point; instead, it produces images from all points in the sample simultaneously, enabling a more quantitative study of dynamic biological and chemical processes.
