Technology Tuesday: September 6
Welcome to Technology Tuesday! Every week The Job Shop Blog will bring you our 5 top science and technology news stories from around the web.
This week: NASA is designing a submarine to explore Titan’s oceans, an alternate approach to quantum computing, the HPV vaccine is working, a new molecule that regenerates bone tissue, and year long “Mars Mission” comes to a close.
NASA is Designing a Submarine to Explore Titan’s Oceans
NASA is working on sending a submarine into the depths of the Kraken Mare — the largest ocean on Saturn’s moon Titan.
There are really two big reasons why we want to go to Titan. Number one: “to determine if hydrocarbon-based life is possible on Titan,” said Jason Hartwig, a NASA cryogenics engineer, in a presentation at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium in Raleigh on Wednesday.
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Researchers Use Microwave Signals for Quantum Computing
In the race to create practical quantum computers, researchers have been focusing on optical systems. For instance, researchers from MIT recently made an important step towards quantum computing by developing a prototype chip that can trap ions in an electric field, and using built-in optics, direct laser light towards each of them.
Researchers at Aalto University have demonstrated how microwave signals can be used to code information for quantum computing, possibly creating an approach different from optical systems.
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HPV Vaccine Cuts Infection Rates by 90% in Countries With High Levels of Immunization
A recent review of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is has found that in the 10 years since its original release, the infection rate of HPV has been lowered by up to 90 percent in countries with high levels of immunization.
The review found that with more than 187 million doses of the vaccine administered in 130 countries around the world, the number of HPV infections fell by up to 90 percent in some areas, with similar decreases in genital warts and cervical abnormalities also being reported.
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Scientists Discover a New Molecule that Regenerates Bone Tissue
The incidence of bone disorders, particularly in populations where aging is tied to rising obesity rates and poor physical activity, has been increasing steadily— so much so that it is expected to double in the coming years.
Researchers from California discover the key to simplifying the creation of engineered bones: adenosine. This naturally occurring molecule can be injected into bone tissue to coax human pluripotent stem cells to regenerate.
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NASA “Mars Mission” Ended After 1 Year
It has been a year since Christiane Heinicke has had an egg. Or been in a car. Or gone outside without a spacesuit.
Since last August, the German physicist has been living with five other people in a 1,200-square-foot, solar-powered dome on the side of a Hawaiian volcano in an experiment in Mars-like living. The project, known as the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS, ended Sunday.
Know any interesting stories we missed? Let us know in the comments!