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Stay informed with commentary and opinion pieces on the latest issues in science, technology, health and the environment, written by expert 91av journalists and world-leading researchers and thinkers.

Quantum computer circuitry illustration. Conventional computers store information as 'bits', with each transistor holding either a 1 or a 0. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which operate according to two principles of quantum physics. One of the principles, supposition, allows a qubit to store a 1 and a 0 at the same time. This means two qubits can hold four values at once. The second principle, entanglement, means that the state of one qubit can depend on the state of another. As you expand the number of qubits, the machine becomes exponentially more powerful.

Technology

Why AI firms should follow the example of quantum computing research

While artificial intelligence and quantum computing insiders have both been guilty of hyping up their products, only the latter group appears to still be applying proper scientific rigour to their field

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2YJ64RA . Benedetta Cappa Marinetti (Benedetta) (Rome 1897 - Venice 1977) Velocit? di motoscafo, 1919-1924 Oil on canvas, 70 x 110 cm

Society

How futurism took an abrupt right turn in the 20th century

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Society

Why an increasing belief in alien visitations is a real-world problem

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2SA3JYH Various Artificial Intelligence mobile apps, DeepSeek open-source large language models app on January 28, 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Technology

DeepSeek has burst the AI hype bubble – now all bets are off

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Space

These interstellar spaceship designs are wildly impractical

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F7WX9A Adult Eurasian Lynx / Eurasischer Luchs ( Lynx lynx ) rests on a pretty thin branch, looks alert.

Environment

Rewild the UK with lynx soon? Not a cat in hell’s chance, sadly

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 29: Pro Affirmative Action supporters and and counter protestors shout at each outside of the Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday, June 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. In a 6-3 vote, Supreme Court Justices ruled that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional, setting precedent for affirmative action in other universities and colleges. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Society

Building a true meritocracy means removing barriers, not ignoring them

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GJ9N8T DARK NEBULA

Physics

Why we should talk about invisible matter, not dark matter

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Mind

The human sense of smell is quite good, and matters more than you know

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Health

Wake up to the bigger picture on how to get a better night’s sleep

We often obsess about nighttime routines for good sleep, but mounting evidence shows that what we do during our waking hours is also important – a more holistic view that could ease the modern pressure to create a perfect environment for when our heads hit the pillow

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Technology

Could spider silk be the answer to sustainable fashion?

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Health

What’s next in the fight against malaria?

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Environment

Are we entering a dangerous new phase of climate change?

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Humans

Ancient humans understood the future and the past pretty much as we do

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