Quantum Memory Storage

In the typical computer, bits of information are stored as a string of 1s and 0s. In a quantum system, "qubits" of information can be stored in a "superposition state" in which they can be 1s and 0s at the same time. What does this mean? It means that said qubits of information could perform multiple calculations all at once, speeding up everything tremendously. The main problem scientists have run into with quantum memory is that it does not hold its memory for very long at room temperature. Previously, the "world-record" had been about 25 seconds at room temperature and 3 minutes under cryogenic conditions. A new experiment however was able to keep it going for 39 minutes at room temperature, crushing the old record. There are many obstacles still to overcome in reaching the goal of being able to harness quantum memory storage, but this is definitely a great start.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24934786

Domestic Dog Origins in Europe?

Scientists have been vigorously testing the DNA of various species of both dogs and wolves in an attempt to uncover the exact location in which the dog evolved from the wolf. The most recent studies point to Europe, almost 18,000 years ago. This contradicts earlier studies which show that the modern dog branched off in either the Middle East or Asia about 15,000 years ago. The only problem with either of these studies is that paleontologists have found distinctly dog-looking fossils dating back to about 30,000 years ago. It is a difficult task finding the origin due to the fact that there are so many off-breeds of dogs, and many have interbred back with wolves once more. Further research will be done in hopes to uncover the true evolutionary branch of dogs and wolves.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24946944

Astronomers Find Earth-like Planet in the Milky Way

Scientists have recently discovered a planet almost 400 million light years away that is similar to our home planet Earth. It is interesting because this planet is close in size, almost twice the mass, but made up of the same materials Earth is. The only problem with keeping life on Kepler 78b is that the planet only orbits its sun(which is also similar to ours) from less than 1 million miles away. The Earth orbits from a distance of about 93 million miles, a much safer distance for sustainable life. Kepler 78b's revolution or year also only takes about 8 1/2 hours, whereas Earth's lasts 365 days. Astronomers are fascinated by this discovery, some concluding that there may be many other planets similar to ours out there, with a fair chance that some could be in a similar orbit to ours also.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/science/space/astronomers-find-earthlike-planet-but-its-infernally-hot.html

Infant Math

Researchers have recently found that there could be a connection between an infant's early number sense and his or her later comprehension in mathematics. There was a test conducted with 46 6-month old babies in which each baby was set in front of two screens, each screen containing separate numbers of dots. One screen's number of dots changes while the other stays the same, just in different formats. The study shows that the babies payed more attention to the screen that changed in number than the one that stayed the same. Further studies were conducted when the babies were 3 1/2 years old in which a similar dots on the screen test was shown, and it concluded that the children that scored higher on the preference tests also scored higher on those tests. Future research may be done in order to better develop and understand the crucial years of learning and growth as a baby.

http://www.counselheal.com/articles/7311/20131023/infants-early-number-sense-is-vital-to-learning-math.htm

Standing vs. Sitting

Due to the advanced technology of our times, the average person is expected to spend about 19 hours a day sitting down and or laying down(sleeping). Recent studies have shown that prolonged sitting is actually damaging, slowing down heart rates and also decelerating the process of your body breaking down glucose. This leads to advanced risks of heart disease and diabetes. Researchers tested a group of people who normally work in an office all day and had them stand for 3 hours a day for a few weeks. They found that an average person burns about .7 calories extra per minute by standing. If someone were to persistently do this every day for an entire year, an extra 30,000 calories would be burned, an equivalent of 10 marathons!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24532996

Higgs Boson- The God Particle

The Higgs boson is a never seen before subatomic particle which is believed to be the source of mass to all of the universe. Scientists say that all matter is made up from the foundation elementary particles like quarks and electrons, however there is just one piece missing: Where does the mass come from? Recently, physicists working deep underground in Geneva, Switzerland believe they have discovered what seems to be the Higgs boson particle. In order to do this scientists have been smashing together subatomic particles(protons) at high energies, and sift through the even smaller particles that appear when they collide. Scientists say that it may not be the answer to all of the questions of the universe, but it will fill a huge gap that has been missing in physics for over 50 years.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/13/world/europe/higgs-boson-q-and-a/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

Real-Life Lightsabers

Recently a team of physicists from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been researching the use of photons in a quantum supercomputer. Through their studies, they may have found a way to create real-life lightsabers. They were blasting photons through a cloud of cooled rubidium and in the process they discovered that the photons which do not usually interact with one another, actually clumped together to form a molecule of photons. They did not discover how to actually create lightsabers, but they say it is the first step by understanding the physics of it. Scientists and Star Wars fans alike throughout the world are thrilled about it.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57605327/physicists-one-step-closer-to-creating-real-life-lightsabers/