In the 196zeroes, an exotic phase of matter known as an excitonic insulator was proposed. Decades later, evidence for this phase was found in real materials. Recently, particular attention has centered on Ta2NiSe5 because an excitonic insulator phase may exist in this material at room temperatures. The substance is made up of the elements tantalum, nickel, and selenium, and has the…
Tag: lead
Electrons living on the edge
Scientists at the University of Tsukuba demonstrated the possibility of electrons moving as if they were massless when certain materials called “topological insulators” are irradiated with laser beams. This work may lead to a new class of highly efficient electronic devices and photonic crystals. …
Roku Plans To Produce Original Shows and Feature Films
Not content anymore with just streaming Hollywood’s old shows and movies, Roku is looking to produce originals: The company published a job listing for a lead production attorney, which spells out plans to build out an “expanding slate of original content.” From a report: This renewed push into originals comes just weeks after Roku acquired Quibi’s content library, for which the…
Two WHO Team Members Dispute Report China Wasn’t Cooperative for Covid-19 Investigation
Friday the New York Times (following up on reports from the Wall Street Journal) wrote that China had “refused to hand over” important raw data to a 14-member World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the coronavirus, reporting that “their Chinese counterparts were frustrated by the team’s persistent questioning and demands for data.” But Saturday two of those 14 team…
WHO Investigators Now Believe Coronavirus was ‘Circulating Widely’ in Wuhan in December
“Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) looking into the origins of coronavirus in China have discovered signs the outbreak was much wider in Wuhan in December 2019 than previously thought,” reports CNN, “and are urgently seeking access to hundreds of thousands of blood samples from the city that China has not so far let them examine.” The lead investigator for…
WHO Investigators Now Believe Cornavirus was ‘Circulating Widely’ in Wuhan in December
“Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) looking into the origins of coronavirus in China have discovered signs the outbreak was much wider in Wuhan in December 2019 than previously thought,” reports CNN, “and are urgently seeking access to hundreds of thousands of blood samples from the city that China has not so far let them examine.” The lead investigator for…
Should You Block Connections to Your Network From Foreign Countries?
Slashdot reader b-dayyy quotes the Linux Security blog: What if you could block connections to your network in real-time from countries around the world such as Russia, China and Brazil where the majority of cyberattacks originate? What if you could redirect connections to a single network based on their origin? As you can imagine, being able to control these things would…
New AI ‘Ramanujan Machine’ uncovers hidden patterns in numbers
A new artificially intelligent ‘Ramanujan Machine’ can generate hundreds of new mathematical conjectures, which might lead to new math proofs and theorems. Source: https://www.livescience.com/ramanujan-machine-created.html
Amazon Uses An App Called Mentor To Track and Discipline Delivery Drivers
Amazon has for years been using an app called “Mentor” to monitor and track delivery drivers’ behavior on the road. “The app, which Amazon bills as a tool to improve driver safety, generates a score each day that measures employees’ driving performance,” reports CNBC. From the report: Just like the AI-equipped cameras rolling out to contracted delivery companies, Mentor is framed…
Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All
In a 2018 paper, researchers said they found evidence of an elusive theorized particle. A closer look now suggests otherwise. From a report: In March 2018, Dutch physicist and Microsoft employee Leo Kouwenhoven published headline-grabbing new evidence that he had observed an elusive particle called a Majorana fermion. Microsoft hoped to harness Majorana particles to build a quantum computer, which promises…