Nanosheet-based electronics could be one drop away

Scientists at Japan's Nagoya University and the National Institute for Materials Science have found that a simple one-drop approach is cheaper and faster for tiling functional nanosheets together in a single layer. If the process, described in the journal ACS Nano, can be scaled up, it could advance development of next-generation oxide electronics.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-nanosheet-based-electronics.html

Using the SYK model to examine the fast-charging process of quantum batteries

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, an exactly solvable model devised by Subir Sachdev and Jinwu Ye, has recently proved useful for understanding the characteristics of different types of matter. As it describes quantum matter without quasiparticles and is simultaneously a holographic version of a quantum black hole, it has so far been adopted by both condensed matter and high-energy physicists.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-syk-fast-charging-quantum-batteries.html

A model that can create unique Chinese calligraphy art

Over the past few years, computer scientists have developed increasingly advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which can tackle a wide variety of tasks. This includes generative adversarial networks (GANs), machine-learning models that can learn to generate new data, including text, audio files or images. Some of these models can also be tailored for creative purposes, for instance, to create unique drawings, songs or poems.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-unique-chinese-calligraphy-art.html

Researchers develop new method to revamp and minimize yeast genome

Researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a method termed SCRaMbLE-based genome compaction (SGC) to revamp and minimize the yeast genome.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-method-revamp-minimize-yeast-genome.html

Researchers achieve on-demand storage in integrated solid-state quantum memory

Researchers from CAS Key Laboratory of Quantum Information of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have demonstrated on-demand storage of photonic qubits in an integrated solid-state quantum memory for the first time. This work was published in Physics Review Letters.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-on-demand-storage-solid-state-quantum-memory.html

Chinese researchers obtain the most complete type Ia supernova template

Type Ia supernovae, as cosmological distance indicators, have led to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Nevertheless, the nature of their progenitors and explosion mechanisms remain unsolved mysteries.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-chinese-ia-supernova-template.html

Entangling electrons with heat

A joint group of scientists from Finland, Russia, China and the U.S. has demonstrated that temperature difference can be used to entangle pairs of electrons in superconducting structures. The experimental discovery, published in Nature Communications, promises powerful applications in quantum devices, bringing us one step closer to applications of the second quantum revolution.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-entangling-electrons.html

High-speed atomic force microscopy visualizes cell protein factories

Ribosomes are the complexes of ribonucleoproteins at the heart of protein synthesis in cells. However, in the absence of conclusive evidence, how these complexes operate has been open to debate. Now, Hirotatsu Imai and Noriyuki Kodera at Kanazawa University, alongside Toshio Uchiumi at Niigata University in Japan, show visualizations of the structural dynamics and factor pooling that take place at ribosome stalk proteins as they build new proteins.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-high-speed-atomic-microscopy-visualizes-cell.html

CO2 levels this year '50 percent higher than 18th century'

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will this year reach levels 50 percent higher than before the industrial revolution because of manmade emissions, Britain's Met Office predicted on Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-co2-year-percent-higher-18th.html

Uber and Lyft increase average vehicle ownership in urban areas

The landscape of individual transportation has changed drastically since the rise of rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft. Where before, getting from A to B required you to either take public transportation, locate a taxi, or own your own private vehicle, being able to call yourself a ride with the push of a button has made going through life without owning a car much more feasible—and in some cases, even desirable.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-uber-lyft-average-vehicle-ownership.html

German car output, sales post historic slump in 2020: data

Germany's key car market plunged in 2020 to its lowest levels since reunification, data showed Friday, with output and sales down dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-german-car-output-sales-historic.html

New analysis highlights importance of groundwater discharge into oceans

An invisible flow of groundwater seeps into the ocean along coastlines all over the world. Scientists have tended to disregard its contributions to ocean chemistry, focusing on the far greater volumes of water and dissolved material entering the sea from rivers and streams, but a new study finds groundwater discharge plays a more significant role than had been thought.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-analysis-highlights-importance-groundwater-discharge.html

Engineers find antioxidants improve nanoscale visualization of polymers

Reactive molecules, such as free radicals, can be produced in the body after exposure to certain environments or substances and go on to cause cell damage. Antioxidants can minimize this damage by interacting with the radicals before they affect cells.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-antioxidants-nanoscale-visualization-polymers.html

Bats with white-nose syndrome prefer suboptimal habitats despite the consequences

Since 2006, a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome has caused sharp declines in bat populations across the eastern United States. The fungus that causes the disease, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, thrives in subterranean habitats where bats hibernate over the winter months.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-white-nose-syndrome-suboptimal-habitats-consequences.html

Big tech show, now virtual, aims for digital connections

Forced by the pandemic to go online, the massive annual gathering for the technology industry normally held in Las Vegas still wants to be a place for connections, even if virtual.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-big-tech-virtual-aims-digital.html

Boeing to pay $2.5 bn to settle US fraud charges after MAX crashes

US prosecutors on Thursday hit Boeing with $2.5 billion in fines, settling a criminal charge over claims the company defrauded regulators overseeing the 737 MAX, which was grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-boeing-bn-fraud-max.html

The ex-cop behind China's largest gay dating app

Browsing the internet as a young policeman in China, Ma Baoli recalls the sheer volume of web pages telling him he was a pervert, diseased and in need of treatment—simply because he was gay.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-ex-cop-china-largest-gay-dating.html

2020 ties 2016 as hottest year on record

2020 has tied 2016 as the hottest year on record, the European Union's climate monitoring service said Friday, keeping Earth on a global warming fast track that could devastate large swathes of humanity.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-ties-hottest-year.html

Samsung Electronics forecasts 25.7% jump in Q4 operating profit

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics flagged a jump of more than 25 percent in fourth-quarter operating profit Friday, with pandemic-induced working from home driving demand for devices powered by its chips.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-samsung-electronics-q4-profit.html

Hyundai shares soar on Apple car talks reports

Shares in South Korean automaker Hyundai soared Friday on the back of reports it was in talks with Apple for a joint project to manufacture self-driving electric vehicles.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-hyundai-soar-apple-car.html

Deal reached on project to protect lakes from invasive fish

Michigan, Illinois and a federal agency have agreed on funding the next phase of an initiative to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes by strengthening defenses on a Chicago-area waterway, officials said Thursday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-lakes-invasive-fish.html

Australia sweltered through its 4th-hottest year in 2020

Australia sweltered through its fourth-hottest year on record last year despite the recent return of the usually cooling La Nina climate pattern, the nation's weather bureau said on Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-australia-sweltered-4th-hottest-year.html

When salespeople advocate for sellers and customers

Researchers from Oklahoma State University, University of Missouri, Iowa State University, and University of Georgia published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that investigates the question of how salespeople should balance advocacy for the seller with advocacy for the customer.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-01-salespeople-advocate-sellers-customers.html