How rocks remove CO2 from the atmosphere

Amazing stuff! Nature captures/binds much more CO2 than previously thought! Climate models are junk!

More evidence that global warming is a hoax and climate change is a religion!

We still know far too little about the highly complex natural phenomenon called climate! Climate change has become a major subject for demagogues and profiteers!

"Rocks can bind carbon dioxide — and much faster than previously thought. For a long time, it was assumed that the transformation of CO2 into carbonate rock depends on very slow, time-consuming processes. According to that view, the binding of CO2 injected industrially into the ground would take centuries. However, practical observations and theoretical calculations suggested that there may also be a much faster route from CO2 to carbonate, mediated by water acting somewhat like a catalyst. This suspected mechanism has now been demonstrated for the first time at TU Wien, using imaging techniques on the atomic scale. ...

The “bent” carbon dioxide molecule can then attach directly to the wollastonite, forming a stable bond — without the wollastonite having to dissolve first. “Without water, this is not possible, because the right docking site is missing,” says Giada Franceschi. “But even a tiny amount of water is enough to completely change the interaction between CO2 and wollastonite.” ..."

From the abstract:

"The carbonation of silicate minerals is a key process in the Earth’s carbon cycle and offers a promising avenue for long-term CO2 sequestration. However, the atomistic mechanisms by which CO2 is activated at silicate surfaces remain poorly understood, largely due to the intrinsic complexity and insulating nature of these materials.

To close this gap, wollastonite (CaSiO3) is used as a model system. Noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) with functionalized tips is combined with density functional theory (DFT) to investigate its lowest-energy (100) surface under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV).

Upon cleaving the mineral in UHV, water vapor is released from the sample and spontaneously readsorbs into a previously unreported, exceptionally stable configuration.

The resulting surface hydration layer promotes spontaneous CO2 chemisorption and the formation of surface carbonates with negligible kinetic barriers.

Our results offer atomic-scale evidence of gas–phase carbonation on a silicate mineral, revealing a water-assisted pathway for CO2 capture that bypasses aqueous mineral dissolution."

How rock removes CO2 from the atmosphere | EurekAlert! "A remarkable mineralogical mechanism has now been demonstrated at TU Wien: with the help of water, certain minerals can convert CO2 into solid carbonate very quickly."

Molecular Views of Mineral Carbonation: Reaction of CO2 with the Wollastonite (100) Surface (open access)

Credits: CO₂ verschwindet schneller im Gestein als gedacht

Graphical abstract

Energiewende: Hohe Kapazität, wenig Produktion

Empfehlenswert! Mehr schein als sein!

"In der festen Überzeugung, dann nicht mehr auf fossile Energieträger zurückgreifen zu müssen, die uns den konjunkturellen Aufschwung versauen. Doch so einfach ist die Sache nicht. Tatsächlich wurden die Kapazitäten, insbesondere die erneuerbaren, in der EU stark ausgebaut. Die paradoxe Entwicklung dabei ist nur, dass die Produktion nicht Schritt hält. Während sich die installierte Gesamtkapazität seit 2000 fast verdoppelt hat, verharrt die Erzeugung weitgehend auf der Stelle, wie unsere Grafik zeigt.

Der Grund liegt im System selbst. Erneuerbare Energien haben einen geringeren und vor allem stärker schwankenden Wirkungsgrad als fossile Kraftwerke. Die Sonne scheint nicht immer, der Wind weht nicht konstant."

Werden uns die Erneuerbaren retten? – Agenda Austria "Hätten wir doch nur die Energiewende stärker vorangetrieben! So oder so ähnlich schallt es im Zuge der abermaligen Energiekrise aus aller Munde."

Österreich AG: Wiener Sozialismus mit Sahne

Empfehlenswert!

"in kaum einem anderen Industrieland der Welt steht ein so großer Teil der Wirtschaft unter staatlicher Kontrolle wie in Österreich. Ein gutes Fünftel der Marktkapitalisierung gehört der öffentlichen Hand, wie eine Auswertung der Agenda Austria zeigt. Es ist der lange Schatten der Verstaatlichten. Was davon übrig ist, ist heute in der Österreichischen Beteiligungs AG (ÖBAG) geparkt. Ihr Portfolio ist knapp 30 Milliarden Euro wert. ...

Die ÖBAG wirft gute Dividenden ab. Trotzdem gibt es gute Gründe, das Ganze zu überdenken. „Das Portfolio der ÖBAG ist historisch gewachsen und aus heutiger Sicht purer Zufall. ..."

Österreich AG: Das teuerste Hobby der Republik

Alles muss raus! Österreich entdeckt die Privatisierung. "Die öffentliche Hand besitzt gewaltige Teile der österreichischen Wirtschaft. Zeitgemäß ist das nicht. Privatisierung ist das Gebot der Stunde. Am Ende gewinnen alle."

Österreich entdeckt die Privatisierung

Mal sehn was draus wird! Der Sozialismus in Österreich!

"... In keinem anderen EU-Land diesseits des ehemaligen Eisernen Vorhangs gehört ein so hoher Anteil der Wirtschaft der öffentlichen Hand wie in Österreich (vgl. Abbildung 1). Ein gutes Fünftel der Marktkapitalisierung ist unter staatlicher Kontrolle; das ist immerhin weniger als im chinesischen Staatskapitalismus, aber fast so viel wie im chronisch etatistisch geführten Argentinien (vor Javier Milei). Vor Österreich liegen fast nur ehemalige Ostblockländer, die in puncto Privatisierung noch Nachholbedarf haben, oder solche, an denen wir uns aus naheliegenden Gründen kein Vorbild nehmen sollten, wie Saudi-Arabien oder Kolumbien. In vergleichbaren EU-15 Ländern (orange dargestellt) stehen meist weit weniger als zehn Prozent der Marktkapitalisierung unter staatlicher Kontrolle. ..."

Alles muss raus! Österreich entdeckt die Privatisierung. – Agenda Austria "Die öffentliche Hand besitzt gewaltige Teile der österreichischen Wirtschaft. Zeitgemäß ist das nicht. Privatisierung ist das Gebot der Stunde. Am Ende gewinnen alle."

Abbildung 1: Staatsanteil

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Amazing stuff!

"At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized. ...

Now, a research team at TU Wien has shown that such materials can nevertheless exhibit topological properties—even though these have so far been explained using particle-like behavior. This demonstrates that topological states are more general than previously thought: two seemingly contradictory concepts turn out to be compatible. ...

However, there are also situations in which this picture appears to break down completely and the charge carriers lose their particle-like character. This seems to happen in the material composed of cerium, ruthenium and tin (CeRu₄Sn₆), which has now been investigated at TU Wien at extremely low temperatures. “Near absolute zero, it exhibits a specific type of quantum-critical behavior,” ... “The material fluctuates between two different states, as if it cannot decide which one it wants to adopt. In this fluctuating regime, the quasiparticle picture is thought to lose its meaning.” ...

Indeed, at extremely low temperatures—less than one degree above absolute zero. .. observed behavior that clearly indicates the presence of topological states: a spontaneous (anomalous) Hall effect. In the Hall effect, charge carriers are normally deflected by a magnetic field. However, this deflection can also arise from topological effects, even in the absence of any external magnetic field. What is particularly remarkable is that the charge carriers behave as if they were particles, even though the particle picture seems to fail in this material. ...

The team refers to the newly discovered state as an emergent topological semimetal  ... a new theoretical model capable of combining the phenomena of quantum criticality and topology.

“In fact, it turns out that a particle picture is not required to generate topological properties,” ... “The concept can indeed be generalized—the topological distinctions then emerge in a more abstract, mathematical way. And more than that: our experiments suggest that topological properties can even arise because particle-like states are absent.” ..."

From the abstract:

"The electronic topology of a material is generally described by its Bloch states and the associated band structure, and can be altered by electron–electron interactions.

In metallic systems, the interactions are usually treated through the concept of quasiparticles. Here we investigate what happens if no well-defined quasiparticles are present and show that a topological semimetal phase can emerge from the material’s quantum critical state.

Using the non-centrosymmetric heavy-fermion compound CeRu4Sn6, which is intrinsically quantum critical, we show that the topological phase exhibits a dome structure as a function of the magnetic field and pressure. To understand these results, we study a Weyl–Kondo semimetal model at a Kondo destruction quantum critical point.

Indeed, it exhibits features in the spectral function that can define topological crossings beyond the quasiparticle picture. Our results outline the importance of the interplay of quantum critical fluctuations and symmetry to search for other emergent topological phases."

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Quantum Physics: New State of Matter Discovered (original news release) "At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized."

Emergent topological semimetal from quantum criticality (open access)

Fig. 5: Kondo destruction quantum criticality nucleating a Weyl–Kondo semimetal.

Atmospheric and human body microplastic pollution may have been exaggerated by several orders of magnitude

Will the truth about so called microplastics finally come out! Cui bono from all this often repeated alarmism and hysteria about plastic?

Alert: Plastophobia is a serious disorder. Please seek immediate medical help! (Caution: satire)

What about all the benefits of plastics in our lives? What are the possible substitutes (how healthy are the substitutes)?

"Not only has human microplastic exposure likely been overstated, but new research from the University of Vienna finds that previous estimates of atmospheric microplastic pollution may have been exaggerated by “several orders of magnitude.” By comparing real-world environmental samples with widely used models, the researchers found that modeled atmospheric microplastic levels were 100 to 10,000 times higher than what measurements actually showed."

"“High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives…

The Guardian [???] has identified seven studies that have been challenged by researchers publishing criticism in the respective journals, while a recent analysis listed 18 studies that it said had not considered that some human tissue can produce measurements easily confused with the signal given by common plastics. ..."

"The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle out of the atmosphere and contaminate oceans and soils worldwide. A new study by the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Vienna estimates microplastic emissions from land-based and oceanic sources into the atmosphere based on global measurement data and model simulations. The results: over 20 times more microplastic particles are emitted on land than from the ocean. The study was recently published in Nature. ...

In previous studies, the ocean was often cited as the main source. ..."

From the abstract:

"Microplastics (MPs) are global pollutants, yet their atmospheric distribution is poorly understood. Although atmospheric MP measurements have become more abundant, estimates of emissions into the atmosphere vary by orders of magnitude.

Here we compile a global atmospheric MPs dataset and compare it with size-aligned MP model simulations.

Our model simulations show two to four orders of magnitude overestimation of the measured global median atmospheric MP concentrations.

Measured median concentrations over the ocean are 27 times lower than over the land (0.003 and 0.08 particles m−3, respectively). Applying a simple scaling method, we estimate that oceanic emissions are lower in number than land-based emissions.

The total global land-based and oceanic emissions are 6.1 × 1017 (1.3 × 1017 to 1.1 × 1018) particles year−1 and 2.6 × 1016 (2.7 × 1015 to 5.0 × 1016) particles year−1, respectively.

Our results indicate that fewer MP particles are emitted into the atmosphere than previously thought. Land sources dominate the number but not the mass emissions, indicating that MPs emission size distributions should be investigated further."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

Doubt Cast on “Microplastics Throughout Human Body”

‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body (behind paywall) "Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’"

Microplastics in the atmosphere: higher emissions from land areas than from the ocean (original news release) "Study reveals large discrepancies between emission estimates and measurements of microplastics in the atmosphere"

Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean (open access)

Fig. 2: Scaled bottom-up emissions and comparison with top-down and bottom-up estimates.

Woolly rhino genome recovered from Ice Age wolf stomach

What a headline! A stomach churner! 😊

"Researchers from the Center for Paleogenetics have managed to analyze the genome from a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros, recovered from a tissue sample found preserved inside the stomach of an ancient wolf.

The study, published in Genome Biology and Evolution, shows that woolly rhinos remained genetically healthy until the end of the last Ice Age. The species therefore probably died out due to a rapid collapse of the population, rather than a slow demographic decline. ..."

From the abstract:

"Using temporarily spaced high-coverage ancient genomes, we can assess population decline prior to extinction. However, finding suitable ancient remains for recovering this type of data is challenging.

Here, we sequenced a high-coverage genome from muscle tissue of a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)—a cold-adapted herbivore that went extinct ∼14,000-years ago—found inside a permafrost-preserved wolf's stomach.

We compared genome-wide diversity, inbreeding, genetic load, and population size changes in this sample with two other Late Pleistocene Siberian woolly rhinoceros. We found no evidence of population size decline, nor any genomic erosion, shortly prior to the species' demise. Given the few long homozygous segments, typically indicative of recent inbreeding, we infer a stable population size only a few centuries before extinction.

Thus, the woolly rhinoceros' extinction likely happened rapidly, during the Bølling–Allerød interstadial. This study demonstrates the ability to recover high-quality DNA from unlikely sources to elucidate species' extinction dynamics."

Woolly rhino genome recovered from Ice Age wolf stomach

Genome Shows no Recent Inbreeding in Near-Extinction Woolly Rhinoceros Sample Found in Ancient Wolf's Stomach (open access)

The Tumat-1 wolf puppy. Location: Vienna, Austria. Date: 2018

Fig. 1.Sample locations in northeast Siberia.

No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools

No wonder cow milk tastes so good! 😊

"About a decade ago, a baker in a small mountainous village in southern Austria noticed his cow doing something unusual. When Veronika had an itch, she would grab a stick in her mouth and use it to scratch her body. Over the years, the brown bovid’s technique improved. She could pick up objects as large as a broom or rake and move them around with her prehensile tongue, changing their length and orientation to ensure the best possible scratch.

The behavior isn’t just a clever trick: It’s the first documented case of tool use in cattle, scientists report today in Current Biology. And, it turns out, one of Veronika’s skills has only been seen in humans and chimpanzees. ..."

From the abstract:

"Imagine the tools a cow would make. This idea, humorously illustrated in Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoon, captures a widespread assumption: cows are neither problem-solvers nor tool users.

In science, as in culture, livestock species are often cognitively underestimated 😊, reinforced by their utilitarian role and persistent mind-denial biases associated with meat consumption.

Despite over 10,000 years of domestication, research on cattle cognition remains scarce and confined to applied contexts such as productivity and welfare.

Tool use, while rarely observed, offers a stringent test of cognitive flexibility. Defined as the manipulation of an external object to achieve a goal via a mechanical interface, tooling ranges from species-typical routines to innovative, problem-specific acts.

We report here our experimental demonstration of flexible egocentric tooling in a pet cow (Bos taurus), Veronika, who uses a deck brush to self-scratch. Across randomized trials, she preferred the bristled end but switched to the stick end when targeting softer lower-body areas. This adaptive deployment of tool features reveals multi-purpose tool use not previously reported in non-primate mammals. Our findings broaden the taxonomic scope of flexible tool use and invite a reassessment of livestock cognition."

No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools | Science | AAAS

Source

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Amazing stuff, however under extreme conditions! How esoteric is this research?

"At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized. ...

Even more modern approaches are based on this particle picture—such as the concept of topological states, whose discovery was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2016. However, there are materials in which the particle picture completely breaks down ... In such cases, it no longer makes sense to think of electrons as small particles with a well-defined position or a unique velocity.

Now, a research team at TU Wien has shown that such materials can nevertheless exhibit topological properties—even though these have so far been explained using particle-like behavior. This demonstrates that topological states are more general than previously thought: two seemingly contradictory concepts turn out to be compatible. ...

the charge carriers [electrons] lose their particle-like character. This seems to happen in the material composed of cerium, ruthenium and tin (CeRu₄Sn₆), which has now been investigated at TU Wien at extremely low temperatures. “Near absolute zero, it exhibits a specific type of quantum-critical behavior,”  ... “The material fluctuates between two different states, as if it cannot decide which one it wants to adopt. In this fluctuating regime, the quasiparticle picture is thought to lose its meaning.” ..."

From the abstract:

"The electronic topology of a material is generally described by its Bloch states and the associated band structure, and can be altered by electron–electron interactions.

In metallic systems, the interactions are usually treated through the concept of quasiparticles. Here we investigate what happens if no well-defined quasiparticles are present and show that a topological semimetal phase can emerge from the material’s quantum critical state.

Using the non-centrosymmetric heavy-fermion compound CeRu4Sn6, which is intrinsically quantum critical, we show that the topological phase exhibits a dome structure as a function of the magnetic field and pressure.

To understand these results, we study a Weyl–Kondo semimetal model at a Kondo destruction quantum critical point. Indeed, it exhibits features in the spectral function that can define topological crossings beyond the quasiparticle picture. Our results outline the importance of the interplay of quantum critical fluctuations and symmetry to search for other emergent topological phases."

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

Quantum Physics: New State of Matter Discovered (original news release) "At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized."

Emergent topological semimetal from quantum criticality (open access)

Fig. 5: Kondo destruction quantum criticality nucleating a Weyl–Kondo semimetal.

Industriestrom in Österreich und in der EU dreimal so teuer wie in den USA seit etwa 2023

Schlechte Nachrichten!

"... Die Regierung [Österreich] hat bereits mit dem Industriestrom-Bonus und den Rückerstattungen aus dem Standortabsicherungsgesetz das Scheckheft weit aufgemacht. Aber was ist langfristig der Plan? „Es qualifiziert sich wohl kaum als Strategie, Industriestrom auf ewig subventionieren zu wollen“ ..."

Industriestrom dreimal so teuer wie in den USA

Die oberen 10 Prozent der Einkommensbezieher zahlen die Hälfte der Lohnsteuer

So oder ähnlich ist das Verhältnis in den meisten westlichen Ländern!

Eine Form der staatlichen Enteignung, wie im Kommunismus nur subtiler und demokratisch legitimiert.

Die Lösung heisst flat tax, ein einheitlicher Steuersatz für alle Einkommen!

Die oberen 10 Prozent zahlen die Hälfte der Lohnsteuer

The End of Fossil Fuels? Another nuclear Fusion Breakthrough with Molly Gambhir

Very recommendable! Good news! When will nuclear fusion become commercialized? Perhaps as soon as 3-5 years from now! Forget about so called renewable energy, the scam of wind and solar power!

Modelling a star in a jar – in seconds (original news release) "Scientists have developed an AI tool which can simulate complex fusion plasma in seconds, helping to pave the way for the design of future fusion power plants."

"... Computer scientists and fusion experts have developed an AI model capable of creating complex five-dimensional (5D) plasma turbulence simulations within seconds and at a fraction of previous costs, paving the way for faster and more accurate design of future fusion power plants.

The team of scientists ... have developed an AI tool named GyroSwin, which can create simulations up to 1,000 times faster than traditional computational methods."

From the abstract:

"Nuclear fusion plays a pivotal role in the quest for reliable and sustainable energy production. A major roadblock to viable fusion power is understanding plasma turbulence, which significantly impairs plasma confinement, and is vital for next-generation reactor design. Plasma turbulence is governed by the nonlinear gyrokinetic equation, which evolves a 5D distribution function over time. Due to its high computational cost, reduced-order models are often employed in practice to approximate turbulent transport of energy. However, they omit nonlinear effects unique to the full 5D dynamics.

To tackle this, we introduce GyroSwin, the first scalable 5D neural surrogate that can model 5D nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations, thereby capturing the physical phenomena neglected by reduced models, while providing accurate estimates of turbulent heat transport.
GyroSwin
(i) extends hierarchical Vision Transformers to 5D,
(ii) introduces cross-attention and integration modules for latent 3D5D interactions between electrostatic potential fields and the distribution function, and
(iii) performs channelwise mode separation inspired by nonlinear physics.

We demonstrate that GyroSwin outperforms widely used reduced numerics on heat flux prediction, captures the turbulent energy cascade, and reduces the cost of fully resolved nonlinear gyrokinetics by three orders of magnitude while remaining physically verifiable.

GyroSwin shows promising scaling laws, tested up to one billion parameters, paving the way for scalable neural surrogates for gyrokinetic simulations of plasma turbulence."

GyroSwin: 5D Surrogates for Gyrokinetic Plasma Turbulence Simulations (open access)

SED Kanzlerin Angela Merkels Werk ist die Zerstörung Deutschlands und das Ende Europas, findet Gerald Grosz

Sehr empfehlenswert! Deutliche Worte! Hier ist mein kritischer blog post zur SED Kanzlerin Merkel.

Hinweis: Ich habe mir nicht das ganze Video angesehen.

Wie Österreich seinen Wirtschaftsstandort ruiniert

Empfehlenswert! Ähnliches trifft wohl auch auf den Nachbarn  Österreichs. die Bananenrepublik D zu!

Hinweis, Ich habe nicht den ganze Artikel gelesen!

"Österreichs Wirtschaft befindet sich im Sinkflug: Im aktuellen IMD-Wettbewerbsranking sind wir auf Platz 26 (von 69) abgerutscht, die Arbeitslosigkeit hat die Schwelle von 400.000 überschritten, ein großer Teil der Unternehmen schreibt nach exorbitanten Kostensteigerungen Verluste, Investitionen bleiben aus oder finden nur noch jenseits der Staatsgrenzen statt. Eine Besserung ist nicht in Sicht. Uns stehen Jahre der ökonomischen Stagnation bevor, während Staatsschulden, Preise und Bürokratiebelastung weiter steigen. ...

Der österreichische Ökonom Joseph Schumpeter erkannte einst hinter der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung den Prozess der „schöpferischen Zerstörung“: Neues entsteht, indem Altes verschwindet. Österreich verhindert diesen Prozess jedoch systematisch und klammert sich am Alten beharrlich fest. So wurden Unternehmen in Krisen übermäßig gestützt, Insolvenzen künstlich niedrig gehalten, Neugründungen blieben angesichts des Arbeitskräftemangels, der hohen Abgabenbelastung und des drohenden Bürokratieinfarkts unattraktiv. Ergebnis: Die geringste Unternehmensfluktuation in der gesamten EU. Jetzt fällt uns unsere Mentalität auf die Füße. Das IMD führt Österreich bei „Attitudes & Values“ auf einem haarsträubenden 53. Platz, zwischen Nigeria und der Mongolei. ...

Österreich verliert an Attraktivität für Investoren, weil hohe Defizite, steigende Staatsausgaben und fehlende Einsparungen das Vertrauen in die Politik untergraben. Jeder Investor weiß: Das Defizit von heute ist die Steuererhöhung von morgen. ..."

Wie Österreich seinen Wirtschaftsstandort kaputtrepariert

Wie Österreich seinen Standort kaputtrepariert und was jetzt passieren muss. (policy brief) "Damit die österreichische Wirtschaft wieder wachsen kann, ist Veränderung nötig. Das Stichwort lautet: schöpferische Zerstörung."

Ten-ion system brings us a step closer to large-scale qubit registers

Good news!

"Researchers in Austria have entangled matter-based qubits with photonic qubits in a ten-ion system. The technique is scalable to larger ion-qubit registers, paving the way for the creation of larger and more complex quantum networks. ..."

"... To make such a network possible, so-called quantum network nodes — that can store quantum information and share it via light particles – are needed. In their latest work, the ... team ... demonstrated such a node using a string of ten calcium ions in a prototype quantum computer. By carefully adjusting electric fields, the ions were moved one by one into an optical cavity. There, a finely tuned laser pulse triggered the emission of a single photon whose polarization was entangled with the ion’s state. ..."

From the abstract:

"Establishing networks of quantum processors offers a path to scalable quantum computing and applications in communication and sensing. This requires first developing efficient interfaces between photons and multiqubit registers.

In this Letter, we show how to entangle each individual matter qubit in a register of ten to a separate traveling photon. The qubits are encoded in a string of cotrapped atomic ions.

By switching the trap confinement, ions are brought one at a time into the waist of an optical cavity and emit a photon via a laser-driven cavity-mediated Raman transition.

The result is a train of photonic qubits, each near-maximally entangled by their polarization with a different ion qubit in the string. An average ion-photon Bell state fidelity of 92% is achieved, for an average probability for detecting each single photon of 9%.

The technique is directly scalable to larger ion-qubit registers and opens up the near-term possibility of entangling distributed networks of trapped-ion quantum processors, sensing arrays, and clocks."

Ten-ion system brings us a step closer to large-scale qubit registers – Physics World

Pow­er­ful nodes for quan­tum net­works (original news release) "Researchers at the University of Innsbruck have created a system in which individual qubits — stored in trapped calcium ions — are each entangled with separate photons. Demonstrating this method for a register of up to 10 qubits, the team has shown an easily scalable approach that opens new possibilities for linking quantum computers and quantum sensors."

Photon-Interfaced Ten-Qubit Register of Trapped Ions (open access)

One by one, each ion-qubit is moved into an optical cavity, where mirrors efficiently collect the photons emitted by the ion-qubit. Each photon emerges entangled with its ion-qubit, forming a deep quantum link.

Pigeons sense Earth’s magnetic field in an entirely new way

Amazing stuff! When will humans be able to do some magnetoreception?

"... It's now proved that a wide variety of animals detect magnetic fields. This sensory ability helps birds and insects migrate and turtles remember the locations of rich feeding areas.

There are two widely discussed mechanisms.

One is better established: Light-sensitive proteins, called cryptochromes, inside the retina have so-called quantum spin states that respond to magnetic fields, revealing the direction of a field and giving the animals a visual indication of which way is north or south.

The other mechanism is less well demonstrated. Tiny iron-rich crystals, comprised of the mineral magnetite, rotate in the magnetic fields in ways that could stimulate cellular receptors, providing a signal to nerves that could be interpreted to understand the direction of magnetic field lines. Some scientists claim these crystals exist near nerves in the noses of trout and birds’ beaks, but their existence remains controversial. ..."

"... observed robust activation in a brain region called the vestibular nucleus, which is connected to the inner ear. Genetic analysis of inner ear tissue revealed cells with highly sensitive electric sensors. ..."

From the abstract:

"How animals detect the Earth’s magnetic field remains a mystery in sensory biology. Despite extensive behavioral evidence, the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms responsible for magnetic sensing remain elusive.

Adopting an unbiased approach we employ whole brain activity mapping, tissue clearing, and light sheet microscopy to identify neuronal populations activated by magnetic stimuli in the pigeon (Columba livia).

We demonstrate robust, light-independent bilateral neuronal activation in the medial vestibular nuclei and the caudal mesopallium.

Single-cell RNA sequencing of the semicircular cristae revealed specialized type II hair cells that express the molecular machinery necessary for the detection of magnetic stimuli by electromagnetic induction.

Our data supports a model whereby electro-magnetic input from the semicircular canals activates a vestibular-mesopallial circuit within the pigeon brain."

Pigeons sense Earth’s magnetic field in an entirely new way | Science | AAAS "Specialized hair cells pick electric currents induced by magnetism"

Elusive sensory organ: Pigeons detect magnetic fields through inner ear (original news release)

A global screen for magnetically induced neuronal activity in the pigeon brain (no public access)

Wie Österreich seinen Wohnungsmarkt ruiniert hat seit über 100 Jahren

Mit Sicherheit bestehen da deutliche Parallelen zum Wohnungsmarkt in der Bananenrepublik D!

Die Interventionsspirale staatlicher Eingriffe! Viele Politiker sind naiv und lernen selten etwas hinzu.

"eine Botschaft war Vizekanzler Andreas Babler im ORF-Sommergespräch im August ganz wichtig: Aufgabe der Politik sei es, einzugreifen. Und mit der Mietpreisbremse für den freien Markt tue man nun genau das. Erstmals, so betonte Babler, greife man damit selbst in die Mieten im bislang weitgehend unregulierten Segment ein. Ab 2026 sollen sie auch dort nicht mehr um die volle Inflationsrate angehoben werden können, wenn diese mehr als drei Prozent beträgt.

Erstmals? Österreich verfügt bereits über 100 Jahre Erfahrung mit Mietpreisregulierung ...

Obwohl die Mieten in Österreich vergleichsweise leistbar sind, kommt nun der Holzhammer der Mietpreisbremse für alle. Zum Glück müssen wir uns um die Investoren keine Sorgen machen. Zwar werden ihre Kalkulationen nicht mehr aufgehen, wenn sie befürchten müssen – und das müssen sie –, dass in den nächsten 30 Jahren noch einmal eine Inflationskrise kommt. Aber dann investieren sie eben heute in London, Frankfurt oder Warschau. In Wien wird es dann in einigen Jahren heißen: Es gibt zu wenige Wohnungen! Es wurde zu wenig gebaut! ..."

Wie Österreich seinen Wohnungsmarkt ruiniert

Wie Österreich seit 1917 seinen Wohnungsmarkt systematisch ruiniert. (Studie) "Die Mietpreisbremse für den freien Markt wird kommen. Und mit ihr eine ganze Reihe an unbeabsichtigten Nebenwirkungen. In Österreich haben wir über 100 Jahre Erfahrung mit Mietpreiseingriffen. Nur gelernt haben wir nichts daraus."

Vizekanzler Andreas Babler (vielleicht auch ein Babbler) Laut seinem Facebook Portrait  gibt er vor Weitblick zu haben, dieser Kurzsichtige! (schlechte Fotoqualität noch dazu)

New Breakthrough Drug (lipid dao) May Solve Many Types of Cancer

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

Auch die Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften gendered und fördert diversity

Wer hätte das gedacht! 😊 Auch in Wien ist DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) angekommen!

Die Akademie offeriert "Lectures zu Gender & Diversity"

"... Wirkungsvolle Maßnahmen zur Förderung von Frauen und dem Umgang mit Ungleichheit bedürfen solider theoretischer Grundlagen [???]. Die internationale Gender- und Diversitätsforschung liefert dazu seit Jahrzehnten wissenschaftlich fundierte Konzepte [???] und Handlungsvorlagen. ..."

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Austria military just ditched Microsoft Office for open-source LibreOffice

Good news!

"... key takeaways

• Austria's military has switched from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice.
• The move was all about digital sovereignty, not cost savings.
• Other governments are moving away from Microsoft to protect their citizens' privacy.

..."

This European military just ditched Microsoft for open-source LibreOffice - here's why | ZDNET "It's not about the cost savings, either. Many government organizations are replacing Microsoft software for a more important reason."