New Atlas

Computers Audio available

Harvard system could store data in organic molecules for millennia

Michael Irving May 2, 2019

The world's data has to be stored somewhere, and huge servers take up heaps of physical space and require huge amounts of energy. Now, Harvard researchers have developed a new system for reading and writing information with organic molecules, which could sit stable and secure for thousands of years.

Harvard researchers have developed a new system for reading and writing data to organic molecules

Good Thinking

BMW and Microsoft launch open platform to fast-track manufacturing innovation

Paul Ridden April 2, 2019

Noting that complex, proprietary systems can hinder productivity and profitability, BMW and Microsoft have announced the Open Manufacturing Platform. The idea is to set up an open technology framework and cross-industry community to accelerate automotive and manufacturing sector developments.

The OMP has been set up to encourage technology development collaboration in the manufacturing industries

Computers Audio available

Intel's next-gen supercomputer to usher in exascale era in 2021

Michael Irving March 18, 2019

Intel and the US Department of Energy will deliver the world’s first exascale supercomputer in 2021, boosting many different fields of research. Named Aurora, the new system will be a thousand times more powerful than the petascale generation that began in 2008 and is still in wide use today.

Intel's new supercomputer, named Aurora, will be the first of a new generation of exascale systems ...

Science

High-tech fixes for our food supply headline IBM's annual 5 in 5 list

Michael Irving February 11, 2019

IBM’s annual 5 in 5 list is here. This time, all five technologies in this year’s list are designed to fix problems in every step of the food supply chain, from seed to your plate.

IBM's 5 in 5 list for 2019 focuses on technology that will improve the food supply ...

Telecommunications

Tiny device speeds up the internet 100 times over by reading "twisted" light

Michael Irving October 24, 2018

Fiber optics allows for ultra-fast communication systems, and more data can be crammed in by "twisting" the light. Now, Australian researchers have developed a device to decode beams that’s small enough to fit over the end of a fiber optic cable.

Australian researchers have developed a device that can decode information from "twisted" light through fiber optics

Science Audio available

The AI solution for diagnosing early cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer’s disease

Rich Haridy October 4, 2018

A big challenge facing Alzheimer’s and dementia researchers today is finding a way to identify patients suffering from the earliest stages of cognitive decline. New research is suggesting that AI could be the key to accurately predicting those patients most at risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

An AI system is being developed to predict whether a person will suffer cognitive decline up ...

Computers

Intel stacks up the world's densest solid state drive

Michael Irving August 8, 2018

Intel has unveiled what it calls the world’s densest solid state drive (SSD), packing 32 TB into a device the size of an old 12-inch ruler. The development should help data centers get more bang for their buck, cutting the cost of cooling and making more efficient use of the physical space.

Intel has unveiled the P4500, the world's densest SSD that crams 32 TB into a 12-inch ...

VR

VR firefighter training simulator keeps Big Data close to its chest

Michael Irving July 31, 2018

Training firefighters can be dangerous, costly and time-consuming. To help train firefighters more often and more easily, a new virtual reality simulator called the FLAIM Trainer has been developed, made up of an HTC Vive VR headset, haptics systems and a vest that tracks the trainee’s vital signs.

A new version of the FLAIM VR firefighter simulator has been developed

Environment

Nature turning nocturnal in response to human activity

Michael Irving June 18, 2018

How does human activity impact the creatures we currently share the planet with? A new study has found that mammals across the globe are increasingly turning nocturnal, in a bid to avoid contact with us pesky humans.

A comprehensive new study has found that human disturbance is making mammals increasingly turn nocturnal

Physics

Entanglement "on demand" sets the stage for quantum internet

Michael Irving June 13, 2018

In a quantum network, information is passed instantly between nodes that have been entangled, and are unhackable since any unauthorized observation of the data will scramble it. Delft scientists have now overcome a hurdle to that technology, by generating quantum links faster than they deteriorate.

Researchers at TU Delft have developed a new technique for generating quantum entanglement links on demand, ...