Surprising Science — October 9, 2010

Superfast Quantum Computers

“Quantum entanglement—a bizarre instantaneous link between particles—has been proven to occur.” Understanding the phenomenon may result in much faster computers.

bigthinkeditor

“Physicists have long been puzzled over a mystical link between particles called entanglement – and now they’ve established this bizarre connection in a new experiment. When two or more particles are entangled, they retain a connection even if separated across an entire galaxy. If an action is performed on one particle, its linked partner will also respond. … Probing entanglement like this will not just provide scientists with more information about the freaky ways our world works, but also help them understand behavior of entangled particles as ingredients for superfast quantum computers.”

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

The Price of GM Crops

“The first economic analysis of growing genetically modified crops on a wide scale has found that the biggest winners were the farmers who decided not to grow them.”