How philosophy helps solve puzzles in chemistryAmong other things, this includes the logical analysis of arguments, the close examination of scientific concepts and their meanings, and the critical evaluation of approximations and idealisations.6 In fact, I should point out that pursuing a philosophical analysis of scientific problems is not an…
Tag: science
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Physicists Need to Be More Careful with How They Name ThingsTamer alternatives such as “quantum advantage,” “quantum computational supremacy” and even “quantum ascendancy” have been proposed, but none have managed to supplant Preskill’s original term. But the context of “quantum supremacy,” which Pinker neglects, is that of a historically white,…
The American Scholar: Order Amid ChaosDespite being his student, however, and sitting in awe of Feynman, Lightman went the other direction in life. Or rather, the sense that I am a self, something other than the massing of atoms and molecules, the tingling of neurons.” That’s especially true in the…
Quantum Mechanics, Free Will and the Game of LifeIn a 2009 paper, “The Strong Free Will Theorem,” Conway and Simon Kochen argue that quantum mechanics, plus relativity, provide grounds for belief in free will. Remote, apparently disconnected things can be “entangled,” influencing each other in mysterious ways, as if via…
Harvard scientist create trilayer graphene superconductorNow, in a literal twist, Harvard scientists have expanded on that by adding a third layer and rotating it, opening the door for continued advancements in graphene-based superconductivity. Most superconductors today, including the double-layered graphene system, work only at ultracold temperatures. If this is verified,…
Connecting Distant Qubits Just Brought Distributed Quantum Computing CloserLast year, startup Universal Quantum announced plans to build a modular quantum computer out of a network of many smaller units using trapped-ion qubits. Rather than relying on the superconducting qubits favored by industry leaders, the researchers used single rubidium atoms trapped…
Can Science Illuminate Our Inner Dark Matter?Thoughts are the contents of consciousness, including fears, fantasies, recollections, realizations, deliberations, decisions and all the other flora of subjective experience. I just released a new book, Pay Attention: Sex, Death, and Science, a stream-of-thought account of a day in my life. We see,…
Harvard scientists use trilayer graphene to observe more robust superconductivity“The more we understand, the better we have chance to increase the superconducting transition temperatures,” said Kim. Most superconductors today, including the double layered graphene structure, work only at ultracold temperatures. These superconductors are considered the holy grail of condensed matter…
Turbulence troubleThey hope to revolutionise inertial sensors, which continually calculate position and velocity to aid in the navigation of aircraft, submarines, ships, spacecraft and even smartphones. Although the quote is almost certainly fictional, it captures the sheer frustration many physicists feel about turbulence: the complex, chaotic, unpredictable flows in fluids….
A virtually unhackable quantum internet: is it possible or a shot in the dark?In 2020, the healthcare industry incurred the highest average data breach which was valued at $7.13 million, according to a report by IBM [4]. The Department of Energy is trying to build, according to its press conference…
