☕️ Breakthrough in Entangling Light and Sound.

Good morning. I’m writing today’s Brew from a bus travelling from Sydney airport to Wollongong for the 2024 Dark Matter Particle Physics ARC (Australian Research Council) conference. I’ll be here all week talking (and drinking) with all the Aussie dark matter scientists. If there’s anything interesting I’ll be sure to share it during the week.

—Dylan J. Dance

SCIENCE

🔗 Quantum Leap: Innovative Breakthrough in Entangling Light and Sound. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute have made a major breakthrough in quantum entanglement by entangling photons with acoustic phonons using Brillouin scattering. This advancement enhances stability and allows for operation at higher temperatures, potentially expanding the applications of quantum technologies in real-world environments.

🌍 NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels. NASA has discovered a sudden decline in Earth's total freshwater reserves. Using data from GRACE satellites, scientists found that between 2015 and 2023, freshwater levels dropped significantly, equivalent to two and a half times the volume of Lake Erie. "The problem when you have extreme precipitation is the water ends up running off, instead of soaking in and replenishing groundwater," said NASA meteorologist Bosilovich. The reduction, driven by severe droughts, irrigation demands, and shifts in atmospheric jet streams, puts a growing strain on farmers and communities, heightening risks of famine and conflict.

🔢 A 41-Million-Digit Prime Number is the Biggest Ever Found—But Mathematicians' Search for Perfection Will Continue. A new prime number, with an astonishing 41 million digits, has been discovered by a volunteer with the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS). Dubbed M136279841, it is the largest known Mersenne prime. "Mersenne primes are rare indeed: the new record is more than 16 million digits larger than the previous one," said researcher John Voight. Such primes are rare and hold a connection to "perfect numbers," which have fascinated mathematicians for millennia.

🌿 Scientists Find Evidence of an Ancient Rainforest in Antarctica. Scientists have discovered amber in a sediment core recovered thousands of feet below the surface of the Antarctic, suggesting the existence of an ancient temperate rainforest during the Cretaceous Period, around 90 million years ago. "It was very exciting to realize that at some point in their history, all seven continents had climatic conditions allowing resin-producing trees to survive," said Johann Klages, lead researcher.

💎 New Research Unlocks the Secret to Low-Temperature Diamond Growth. Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have developed a new technique to grow diamonds at significantly lower temperatures. "If we want to implement diamond into silicon-based manufacturing, then we need to find a method of lower-temperature diamond growth," said lead researcher Yuri Barsukov. This could pave the way for integrating diamonds into microelectronics.

TECH

📞 Phone Provider Deploys "State-of-the-Art AI Granny" to Waste Scammers' Time. UK telecom company Virgin Media O2 has deployed an AI audio chatbot, affectionately called "AI Granny," designed to keep scammers on the line and waste their time. The chatbot, trained with the help of scambaiter Jim Browning, is able to mimic a confused elderly person and keep fraudsters occupied for up to 40 minutes, giving them bogus information about her family and knitting.

🛠️ Physicists Create the First Fully Mechanical Qubit. Researchers at ETH Zürich have built the world's first fully mechanical qubit. Unlike traditional qubits, this device uses a mechanical oscillator to store quantum information, potentially offering longer coherence times and fewer errors. "The result was a qubit with coherence times that were on average better than hybrid options," said lead researcher Yu Yang. This breakthrough could lead to more stable quantum computers in the future.

🌀 Groundbreaking 8-Photon Qubit Chip Accelerates Quantum Computing. South Korean researchers have developed a photonic quantum circuit chip that controls up to eight photons, marking a significant leap in quantum computing capabilities. The 8-photon chip enables complex quantum phenomena like multipartite entanglement, bringing us closer to more practical and scalable quantum computers.

🔋 New Family of Optimized Magnetic Fields Could Display Enhanced Fusion Plasma Confinement. Physicists at Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión-CIEMAT in Madrid have introduced a novel type of magnetic field to confine plasma in nuclear fusion devices. These "piecewise omnigenous" magnetic fields could simplify reactor designs and make fusion more attainable by minimizing complex equipment requirements. "Designing and building an omnigenous field is not easy. In some cases, it may require complicated and expensive coils, which could endanger the whole project," said researcher José Luis Velasco.

HEALTH

🍄 Clinical Trial: Mushroom Supplement May Halt Prostate Cancer Growth. Researchers at City of Hope have found that white button mushroom supplements may slow the progression of prostate cancer by reducing cancer-promoting immune cells. "This study suggests that ‘food as medicine’ treatments could eventually become normal, evidence-based cancer care," said senior author Shiuan Chen.

🧬 Can We Slow Down Aging? New Biomarker Shows Promise. A team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has identified immunoglobulin G (IgG) as a key marker and driver of aging. The buildup of IgG in tissues triggers aging processes, but a potential intervention using antisense oligonucleotides could slow aging and reduce tissue damage. "This landscape is a significant step forward, pinpointing the epicenters of aging within multiple organs," said Professor Liu.

🧪 Stanford’s New AI Tool Could Replace Costly Cancer Gene Tests. Stanford researchers have developed an AI-powered computational tool, named SEQUOIA, which can predict the activity of thousands of genes within tumor cells using standard microscopy images of biopsies. "This kind of software could be used to quickly identify gene signatures in patients’ tumors, speeding up clinical decision-making and saving the health care system thousands of dollars," said Olivier Gevaert, PhD, senior author and professor of biomedical data science at Stanford Medicine.

SPACE

🚀 It Sounds Like NASA's Moon Rocket Might Be Getting Canceled. NASA's troubled Space Launch System, initially developed to return astronauts to the Moon, is facing an uncertain future. The rocket has experienced major delays and budget overruns, with former NASA officials criticizing its viability. "The Artemis Program is excessively complex, unrealistically priced, and compromises crew safety," said former NASA administrator Michael Griffin. The agency may consider alternatives, including partnering with SpaceX for upcoming Moon missions.

🚨 Russia Says Potentially "Catastrophic" Leak in Space Station Isn't a Big Deal. Russia is downplaying a potentially "catastrophic" leak in the International Space Station, which NASA's inspector general recently warned about. "The Russians believe that continued operations are safe, but they can’t prove to our satisfaction that they are," said Bob Cabana, head of NASA's ISS Advisory Committee, underlining the ongoing safety concerns.

🛰️ China Shows Off Reusable Space Shuttle. China has unveiled its plans for a reusable shuttle, dubbed Haolong, aimed at supplying the Tiangong space station with cargo. This ambitious project is similar to NASA's retired Space Shuttle and could play a significant role in expanding China's space station over the next few years. "With a blunt-nosed fuselage and large, swept-back delta wings, it combines the characteristics of both spacecraft and aircraft," said Haolong chief designer Fang Yuangpen.

🔭 Astronomers Discover Two Galaxies Aligned in a Way Where Their Gravity Acts as a Compound Lens. In a stunning discovery, astronomers found two galaxies perfectly aligned to create a compound gravitational lens, magnifying light from a quasar behind them. "This compound lens could provide a more precise measurement of the Hubble constant," explained astronomer F. Dux. This rare phenomenon could help resolve debates over the precise value of the Hubble constant.

CLIMATE

🌍 Global Policies Could Eliminate 90% of Plastic Waste and 30% of Linked Carbon Emissions by 2050. A new study from the University of California outlines four key policies that could drastically reduce plastic waste and linked carbon emissions. "These upcoming negotiations in Busan are our one chance to come together as a planet and fix this problem," said Dr. Douglas McCauley, highlighting the urgency of implementing these solutions to tackle plastic pollution globally.

WORLD

🍷 Study Confirms Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails in Ancient Rituals
Researchers have discovered the first physical evidence that ancient Egyptians used hallucinogenic drinks in their rituals. Analyses of a 4th-century BCE mug showed traces of psychedelic substances. "This research teaches us about magic rituals in the Greco-Roman period in Egypt," said researcher Davide Tanasi. The findings shed light on the ceremonial practices of the time.

👽 New Pentagon Report on UFOs Includes Hundreds of New Incidents but No Evidence of Aliens. The Pentagon's latest report on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) reveals hundreds of new sightings, though none point to extraterrestrial origins. "It is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology," the authors of the report wrote. The report covers nearly 757 cases, many of which involve misidentified objects like drones or satellites. The findings emphasize the need for more transparency and investigation into UAPs.

🐀 Scientists Teach Rats to Drive Tiny Cars, Discover That They Love Revving the Engine. In an entertaining twist, researchers have found that rats trained to drive tiny cars enjoy the activity, even showing signs of excitement and anticipation before driving. "They remind us that planning, anticipating, and enjoying the ride may be key to a healthy brain," said neuroscientist Kelly Lambert. These findings hint at the importance of enrichment and anticipation for mental health in both animals and humans.

Thanks for reading!