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Category: computing

A third path to explain consciousness: Biological computationalism

Right now, the debate about consciousness often feels frozen between two entrenched positions. On one side sits computational functionalism, which treats cognition as something you can fully explain in terms of abstract information processing: get the right functional organization (regardless of the material it runs on) and you get consciousness.

On the other hand is biological naturalism, which insists that consciousness is inseparable from the distinctive properties of living brains and bodies: biology isn’t just a vehicle for cognition, it is part of what cognition is. Each camp captures something important, but the stalemate suggests that something is missing from the picture.

In our new paper, we argue for a third path: biological computationalism. The idea is deliberately provocative but, we think, clarifying. Our core claim is that the traditional computational paradigm is broken or at least badly mismatched to how real brains operate.

Scientists chart over 140,000 DNA loops to map human chromosomes in the nucleus

One of the most detailed 3D maps of how the human chromosomes are organized and folded within a cell’s nucleus is published in Nature.

Chromosomes are thread-like structures that carry a cell’s genetic information inside the nucleus. Rather than existing as loose strands or only as the familiar X-shapes seen in textbooks, chromosomes fold into specific three-dimensional forms. How they fold, the structures they form, and their placement play crucial roles in maintaining proper cellular functions, gene expression, and DNA replication.

The team involved in the 4D Nucleome Project, whose goal was to understand the 3D organization of human chromosomes in the nucleus and how it changes over time, identified over 140,000 DNA looping interactions in human embryonic stem cells and fibroblasts. They also presented computational methods that can predict genome folding solely from its DNA sequence, making it easier to determine how genetic variations—including those linked to disease—affect genome structure and function.

Where’s my qubit? Scientists develop technique to detect atom loss

Quiet quitting isn’t just for burned out employees. Atoms carrying information inside quantum computers, known as qubits, sometimes vanish silently from their posts. This problematic phenomenon, called atom loss, corrupts data and spoils calculations.

But Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico have for the first time demonstrated a practical way to detect these “leakage errors” for neutral atom platforms. This achievement removes a major roadblock for one branch of quantum computing, bringing scientists closer to realizing the technology’s full potential. Many experts believe quantum computers will help reveal truths about the universe that are impossible to glean with current technology.

“We can now detect the loss of an atom without disturbing its ,” said Yuan-Yu Jau, Sandia atomic physicist and principal investigator of the experiment team.

Low-threshold lasing from colloidal quantum dots under quasi-continuous-wave excitation

Researchers demonstrate quantum dot lasing using excitation by an electrically modulated (0.1–1% duty cycle), low-power continuous-wave laser diode, achieving lasing at a pump intensity just above 500 W cm−2 at 77 K and 3.6 kW cm−2 at room temperature.

Why quantum computers have memory problems over time

A team of Australian and international scientists has, for the first time, created a full picture of how errors unfold over time inside a quantum computer—a breakthrough that could help make future quantum machines far more reliable.

The researchers, led by Macquarie University’s Dr. Christina Giarmatzi, found that the tiny errors that plague quantum computers don’t just appear randomly. Instead, they can linger, evolve and even link together across different moments in time.

The team has made its experimental data and code openly available, and the full study is published in Quantum.

Einstein in a Chip: Hidden Geometry Bends Electrons Like Gravity

A team at UNIGE has uncovered a geometric structure once thought to be purely theoretical at the core of quantum materials, opening the door to major advances in future electronics. How can information be processed almost instantly, or electrical current flow without energy loss? To reach these g

Silicon atom processor links 11 qubits with more than 99% fidelity

In order to scale quantum computers, more qubits must be added and interconnected. However, prior attempts to do this have resulted in a loss of connection quality, or fidelity. But, a new study published in Nature details the design of a new kind of processor that overcomes this problem. The processor, developed by the company Silicon Quantum Computing, uses silicon—the main material used in classical computers—along with phosphorus atoms to link 11 qubits.

The new design uses precision-placed phosphorus atoms in isotopically purified silicon-28, which are arranged into two multi-nuclear spin registers. One register contains four phosphorus atoms, while the other contains five, and each register shares an electron spin. The two registers are linked by electron exchange interaction, allowing for non-local connectivity across the registers and 11 linked qubits.

Because of the placement of silicon and phosphorus in the periodic table, the design is referred to as the “14|15 platform.” This 11-qubit atom processor in silicon is the largest of its kind to date, marking a major accomplishment for quantum computing.

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