A research paper outlining NASA’s investigation into the propellantless EM Drive has been leaked, and their conclusion is that the controversial engine does indeed work. The paper hasn’t been submitted for peer review yet, meaning it still requires external verification, but it is now part of a number of independent studies that suggest that the EM Drive could legitimately revolutionize space travel.
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Researchers at NASA have developed a new substance that generates minute amounts of electricity, for use in a bandage that takes advantage of an electrically-based healing process. This new substance, a polymer called polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), produces a mild electrical current when pressure or heat, such as body heat, is applied to it.
“This method utilizes generated low level electrical stimulation to promote the wound healing process while simultaneously protecting it from infection,” according to NASA.
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Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a method of freezing and storing light, an important step on the road to developing quantum computers. Most switches used in quantum computing experiments are made up of trapped ions or semiconductor particles, suspended in a state of quantum superposition. Photons, however, could interface much more efficiently with fiber optic networks, without the need for a way to translate the information between the qubit — the quantum-computing equivalent of a classical computer bit — and the computer’s network or interface.
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Because of the physical limitations of silicon-based circuitry, there is an upper limit to how powerful a modern computer can be made. In response to this, researchers have been looking into other mediums to build faster and more powerful computers from, including using quantum-based processors, and neurological chips based on human brain cells. Another promising idea, based on DNA, plans to utilize the otherwise naturally-occurring computer of genetics.
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