ScienceDaily: Computers & Math News

A new statistical tool for predicting protein function could help with tasks ranging from producing biofuels to improving crops to developing new disease treatments. Not only could it help with the difficult job of altering proteins in practically useful ways, but it also works by methods that are fully interpretable -- an advantage over conventional AI.

Researchers have developed a highly efficient organic bipolar transistor. The work opens up new perspectives for organic electronics -- both in data processing and transmission, as well as in medical technology applications.

Engineers devised a recipe for improving any autonomous robotic system. Their optimization code can automatically identify how and where to tweak a system to improve a robot's performance.

A camera system can see sound vibrations with such precision and detail that it can reconstruct the music of a single instrument in a band or orchestra. Even the most high-powered and directed microphones can't eliminate nearby sounds, ambient noise and the effect of acoustics when they capture audio. The novel system uses two cameras and a laser to sense high-speed, low-amplitude surface vibrations. These vibrations can be used to reconstruct sound, capturing isolated audio without inference or a microphone. 'We've invented a new way to see sound,' said Mark Sheinin, a post-doctoral research associate at the Illumination and Imaging Laboratory (ILIM) in the RI.

A new review investigates the search of Majorana fermions in iron-based superconductors. The elusive Majorana fermion, or 'angel particle' simultaneously behaves like a particle and an antiparticle -- and surprisingly remains stable rather than being self-destructive. Majorana fermions promise information and communications technology with zero resistance, addressing the rising energy consumption of modern electronics (already 8% of global electricity consumption), promising a sustainable future for computing. Majorana zero-energy modes in topological superconductors makes those exotic quantum materials the main candidate materials for realizing topological quantum computing.

Quantum computers are one of the key future technologies of the 21st century. Researchers have developed a new technology for manipulating light that can be used as a basis for future optical quantum computers.

Researchers have developed a way to help autonomous vehicles create 'memories' of previous experiences and use them in future navigation, especially during adverse weather conditions when the car cannot safely rely on its sensors.