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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 6, 2021:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Physics news
 | Study demonstrates the quenching of an antiferromagnet into high resistivity statesAntiferromagnetism is a type of magnetism in which parallel but opposing spins occur spontaneously within a material. Antiferromagnets, materials that exhibit antiferromagnetism, have advantageous characteristics that make them particularly promising for fabricating spintronic devices. |
 | A bit too much: Reducing the bit width of Ising models for quantum annealingGiven a list of cities and the distances between each pair of cities, how do you determine the shortest route that visits each city exactly once and returns to the starting location? This famous problem is called the 'traveling salesman problem' and is an example of a combinatorial optimization problem. Solving these problems using conventional computers can be very time-consuming, and special devices called 'quantum annealers' have been created for this purpose. |
 | The world's first integrated quantum communication networkChinese scientists have established the world's first integrated quantum communication network, combining over 700 optical fibers on the ground with two ground-to-satellite links to achieve quantum key distribution over a total distance of 4,600 kilometers for users across the country. The team, led by Jianwei Pan, Yuao Chen, Chengzhi Peng from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, reported in Nature their latest advances towards the global, practical application of such a network for future communications. |
 | Physicists observe competition between magnetic ordersThey are as thin as a hair, only a hundred thousand times thinner—so-called two-dimensional materials, consisting of a single layer of atoms, have been booming in research for years. They became known to a wider audience when two Russian-British scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for the discovery of graphene, a building block of graphite. The special feature of such materials is that they possess novel properties that can only be explained with the help of the laws of quantum mechanics and that may be relevant for enhanced technologies. Researchers at the University of Bonn (Germany) have now used ultracold atoms to gain new insights into previously unknown quantum phenomena. They found out that the magnetic orders between two coupled thin films of atoms compete with each other. The study has been published in the journal Nature. |
 | Nuclear fusion group calls for building a pilot plant by the 2040sThe main criticism about nuclear fusion has been that its vast potential as a commercial source of energy has always been just out of reach. |
Astronomy and Space news
 | Supergiant eclipsing binary IGR J18027–2016 investigated in detailUsing data from ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Swift spacecraft, astronomers have conducted a detailed temporal and spectral study of an eclipsing supergiant X-ray binary known as IGR J18027–2016. Results of this research provide important insights into the properties of this system. The study was published December 28 on arXiv.org. |
 | Study of nebula IRAS 00500+6713 suggests its central star is unlike any seen beforeA team of researchers from Potsdam University and Kazan Federal University has found evidence of a previously unknown kind of star in nebula IRAS 00500+6713. In their paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the group describes their study of the nebula and its central star and what they believe it represents. |
Technology news
 | Teaching AI agents to type on a Braille keyboardIn recent years, computer scientists have developed artificial intelligence-based techniques that can complete a wide variety of tasks. Some of these techniques are designed to artificially replicate the human senses, particularly vision, audition and touch. |
 | Apple proposes new wireless charging ecosystemApple is eyeing a better way to charge your devices. |
 | New module for OpenAI GPT-3 creates unique images from textA team of researchers at OpenAI, a San Francisco artificial intelligence development company, has added a new module to its GPT-3 autoregressive language model. Called DALL·E, the module excerpts text with multiple characteristics, analyzes it and then draws a picture based on what it believes was described. On their webpage describing the new module, the team at OpenAI describe it as "a simple decoder-only transformer" and note that they plan to provide more details about its architecture and how it can be used as they learn more about it themselves. |
 | Mighty morphing 3-D printingEngineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have created a new shape-changing or "morphing" 3-D printing nozzle that was featured as a Frontispiece in the January 5th issue of the journal Advanced Materials Technologies. |
 | Machine learning at the speed of light: New paper demonstrates use of photonic structures for AIAs we enter the next chapter of the digital age, data traffic continues to grow exponentially. To further enhance artificial intelligence and machine learning, computers will need the ability to process vast amounts of data as quickly and as efficiently as possible. |
 | UK watchdog investigates chip maker Nvidia's takeover of ArmBritish regulators are investigating graphics chip maker Nvidia's $40 billion purchase of chip designer Arm over concerns about its effect on competition. |
 | A better pen-and-ink system for drawing flexible circuitsConductive ink is a great tool for printing flexible electronic circuits on surfaces. But these inks can be costly, they do not work on some materials, and devices to apply them can plug up. Now, scientists report in ACS Applied Electronic Materials that they have developed inexpensive conductive inks for clog-free ballpoint pens that can allow users to "write" circuits almost anywhere—even on human skin. |
 | California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could helpSometime next summer, there's a decent chance a heat wave will bake the American West, and California's power grid will again be stretched to its limits. |
 | Samsung bringing 'bigger and bigger' TVs to market to meet stay-at-home demands of coronavirus pandemicSamsung kicked off the 2021 CES trade show Wednesday with a showcase of new televisions meant to address changes in home life brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. |
 | Apple touts $1.8 bn in holiday sales at App StoreApple on Wednesday said a dizzying $1.8 billion was spent on digital goods and services at its App Store between Christmas Eve and the end of December. |
 | Trump widens US ban on Chinese apps as his term nears endPresident Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps including Alipay and WeChat Pay in an escalation of a trade war that has been unfolding through most of his term. |
 | Apple ties exec bonuses to social, environmental valuesApple is making environmental and social values factors it will weigh when calculating bonuses for top executives, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday. |
 | UK car sales crash to almost 30-year lowBritish new car sales crashed to the lowest level for almost three decades in 2020, with demand ravaged by chronic coronavirus fallout and Brexit uncertainty, industry data showed Wednesday. |
 | NYSE to delist 3 Chinese telecom firms in new reversalThe New York Stock Exchange reversed course again Wednesday saying it would delist three Chinese telecom equities from trading due to new US government guidance. |
 | Amazon commits $2 billion for affordable housing around hubsAmazon said Wednesday it was committing $2 billion to help create more affordable housing in the area around its second headquarters near the US capital and other hubs of the tech and retail giant. |
 | Delta Air Lines to connect aircraft with Viasat-powered in-flight InternetCarlsbad, Calif., satellite Internet provider Viasat said Tuesday that it has landed a contract to deliver in-flight Internet connectivity to more than 300 Delta Air Lines aircraft starting this summer. |
 | Ford says Q4 sales fall on lingering COVID-19 hitFord reported a drop in fourth-quarter US auto sales Wednesday, citing the extended effects from a COVID-19 production shutdown that hit the supply of their most popular vehicle in the American market. |
 | Canada's WestJet planning to return 737 MAX to service in JanuaryCanadian airline WestJet said Wednesday it plans to return its passenger fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to the skies this month, nearly two years ago after their worldwide grounding following two crashes that killed 346 people. |
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