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Part of the quantum computer at Innsbruck University on which researchers did simulations using qutrits and ququints. Credit: C. Lackner/Univ. Innsbruck
Meet the qudits
The quantum equivalent of ‘bits’ in classical computing are ‘qubits’ — quantum objects that can exist in a combination of 0 and 1. Now researchers are producing the first applications of ‘qudits’: units of information that offer combinations of three or more simultaneous states. Researchers have now used ‘qutrits’ and ‘ququints’ — qudits with three and five states respectively — to simulate how high-energy quantum particles interact through an electromagnetic field. Such simulations of quantum fields are promising applications of quantum computers, because they could make predictions that are beyond the abilities of ordinary computers. But it’s early days, and “qudits are also more complicated to work with”, says experimental physicist Benjamin Brock.
Reference: Nature Physics paper
New dino gives two fingers to the norm
Fossils discovered in Mongolia have revealed an unusual new species of dinosaur. Duonychus tsogtbaatari falls into a group of giant-sloth-like dinosaurs called therizinosaurs, but with one unique feature: every therizinosaur discovered so far had three, clawed fingers; Duonychus, as its name suggests, only had two. The fossil’s remarkably-preserved claws were around 30 cm long, and researchers say the dinosaur wasn’t fully grown. “Therizinosaurs are some of the weirdest dinosaurs ever,” says palaeontologist Yoshitsugu Kobayashi. “It’s like evolution said, ‘Let’s try something totally new.’ And it worked.”
Exclusive: NIH to end COVID grants
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have begun cancelling billions of dollars of funding on research related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now that the pandemic is over, the grant funds are no longer necessary,” says an internal NIH document seen by Nature. But the disease is still infecting and killing people. And scientists say that studying how the pandemic unfurled is crucial to preventing the next one. Among the cancelled projects is work intended to develop broad-spectrum treatments that work against multiple types of virus. “To cancel the entire grant because a small portion involved SARS-CoV-2 is going to be dangerous,” says Jason McLellan, a structural virologist whose project was terminated.
Faculty sues over cuts at Columbia
Two organizations representing faculty at Columbia University have filed a lawsuit challenging the cancellation of US$400 million in research grants and contracts by the administration of US President Donald Trump. “The Trump administration’s threats and coercion at Columbia are part of a clear authoritarian playbook meant to crush academic freedom and critical research in American higher education,” says Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors.
Features & opinion
The hunt for the Hubble constant
A century ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble made groundbreaking observations showing that galaxies existed beyond the Milky Way — and they’re receding from Earth. Scientists have since been trying to discover the rate at which the Universe is expanding, known as the Hubble constant. But the most precise measurements of how fast galaxies are moving still don’t agree. Astrophysicist Wendy Freedman, who led a key project to measure the constant with the Hubble space telescope, outlines the history of the search and the opening of an exciting new chapter thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope.
Use microbes to fight climate change
Microbes could help us to combat climate change and preserve biodiversity, but they are being woefully underutilized, say a group that includes microbiologists and an economist. Genetically engineered microbes could capture carbon, make food production more sustainable and clean up pollution — if used responsibly. “We and other microbiologists are ready to partner with those focused on chemical and physical solutions to the climate crisis,” the authors write.
Seeking an ‘AlphaFold moment’ for RNA
Protein-structure-prediction tools such as AlphaFold have transformed biology. But RNA is a tougher nut to crack: it poses unique molecular challenges, and relatively few data are available to train computational models. So researchers have been getting creative, building a toolkit to aid the prediction of RNA structure that incorporates the latest developments in artificial intelligence.
