A pioneering team of scientists at Simon Fraser University have created a new type of silicon-based quantum device controlled both optically and electrically, marking the latest breakthrough in the global quantum computing race.

Published in the journal Nature Photonics, researchers at the SFU Silicon Quantum Technology Lab and leading Canada-based quantum company Photonic Inc. reveal new diode nanocavity devices for electrical control over silicon colour centre qubits.

The devices have achieved the first-ever demonstration of an electrically-injected single-photon source in silicon. The breakthrough clears another hurdle toward building a quantum computer – which has enormous potential to provide computing power well beyond that of today’s supercomputers and advance fields like chemistry, materials science, medicine and cybersecurity.

Chemical engineering researchers team up to make medicine production faster, cleaner and more reliable with smarter catalyst design.

Researchers at the ESRF - the European Synchrotron-, together with CNRS, ENS Lyon and the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, have unveiled how Atlantic Bluefin tuna transforms the toxic form of mercury into less harmful forms. Their study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, shows that the tuna’s edible muscle contains not only toxic methylmercury, but also mercury bound in stable, non-toxic compounds.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in partnership with and with funding support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics, has reached a historic milestone in satellite servicing technology, completing on Sept. 5 a critical round of space-readiness testing on a robotic spacecraft designed to extend and upgrade satellites already in orbit.

Strips of land planted with flowers between fields are the most popular environmental measure in agriculture. They attract pollinators such as butterflies and wild bees, look beautiful and can be achieved quickly. However, the goal of creating and maintaining a structurally diverse and therefore particularly species-rich landscape will not be achieved if flower strips are the only measure taken. Researchers at the University of Göttingen have described how agricultural landscapes need to be designed to accommodate many species and to ensure other social and ecological functions such as providing nature for human recreation and climate protection. The perspective article was published in the journal Biological Conservation.

Global warming poses a growing threat to human health and work performance. Currently, about 3.6 billion people worldwide live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. From 2000 to 2019, more than 480,000 heat-related deaths occurred globally each year. Extreme heat also impairs focus and productivity and worsens mood by elevating stress hormones and disrupting sleep. In response to the increasing frequency of heat waves, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) scholars are developing next-generation personal cooling solutions that push the limits of conventional clothing and promote sustainability.