Scientists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland have developed a powerful new tool for finding the next generation of materials needed for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing.

The significant breakthrough means that, for the first time, researchers have found a way to determine once and for all whether a material can effectively be used in certain quantum computing microchips.

Spring in the Arctic brings forth a plethora of peeps and downy hatchlings as millions of birds gather to raise their young. The same was true 73 million years ago, according to a paper featured on the cover of this week’s edition of the journal Science. The paper documents the earliest-known example of birds nesting in the polar regions.

A 10-story cold-formed steel-framed building will soon be put to the test on an earthquake simulator at the University of California San Diego to see how well it can withstand earthquakes. The UC San Diego shake table is the only outdoor facility of its kind in the world, and the only simulator capable of testing a building of this height. 

Stanford-led study finds small-scale tree cover in Costa Rica boosts biodiversity while limiting dangerous mosquito species

A new study in iScience integrated mathematical modeling with advanced imaging to discover that the physical shape of the fruit fly egg chamber, combined with chemical signals, significantly influences how cells move. Cell migration is critical in wound healing, immune responses, and cancer metastasis, so the work has potential to advance a range of medical treatments. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that actively considers the role of both chemical and structural signals in cell migration.

The Tijuana River flows from Baja California into the United States and discharges millions of gallons of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean every day, making it the dominant source of coastal pollution in the region. A new study from UC San Diego examines how pollutants in wastewater travel and are transmitted in the atmosphere through coastal aerosols. In the study, researchers found that a mixture of illicit drugs, drug metabolites, and chemicals from tires and personal care products aerosolize from wastewater and are detectable in both air and water.

University of Utah engineers have developed a multifunctional, reconfigurable component for an optical computing system that could be a game changer in electronics.