New silicon photonics will cut data center power by up to 50% and increase supercomputer speed

New optical modulators (the device that encodes digital information onto a light signal) use 100 times less energy than commercial modulators and the research modulators are only 5% of the size of the commercial devices. The new on chip photonic devices use much cheaper starting material, the new technique’s use of standard manufacturing processes means …

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US Army will make two technology demonstrators for next generation armor vehicles by 2022

2022 will be the year of decision for the Army’s nascent Next Generation Combat Vehicle, officials told the Association of the US Army conference here today. That’s when “at least two” NGCV demonstrators get field-tested by real troops. Those soldiers’ feedback, in turn, will inform Army leaders’ decision: whether to fund a full-up program to …

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China’s Type 001a carrier has nearly finished construction and should launch from drydock in early 2017

China’s domestic 001a aircraft carrier is nearly complete and could be ready for sea trials by early 2017 The carrier now awaits only the installation of its superstructure – also known as the “island” of an aircraft carrier. This part houses the bridge of the ship, its aviation facilities, and its radar and electronic warfare …

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China has a new long range bomber program

The head of the Chinese air force, Ma Xiaotian, stated that China is developing a new long-range bomber. “We are now developing a new generation of long-range bomber, and you’ll see it in the future,” Ma told the Global Times without elaborating. China has been ramping up research into advanced new military equipment, including submarines, …

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Quantum Simulator ‘Entangles’ Hundreds of Ions

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have “entangled” or linked together the properties of up to 219 beryllium ions (charged atoms) to create a quantum simulator. The simulator is designed to model and mimic complex physics phenomena in a way that is impossible with conventional machines, even supercomputers. The techniques could …

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IARPA crowd prediction moving to commercial spinoff and lessons on making better predictions

You can pre-register for beta testing of a commercial crowd prediction spinoff of the IARPA Good Judgement project. The Good Judgment Project out-performed all other research teams in geopolitical forecasting. The Good Judgment Project was a four-year research study organized as part of a government-sponsored forecasting tournament. Thousands of people around the world predict global …

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Japanese construction giant Obayashi says they will build a 60,000 mile long space elevator by 2050

The Japanese construction giant Obayashi says they will build a space elevator that will reach 96,000 kilometres into space. Robotic cars powered by magnetic linear motors will carry people and cargo to a newly-built space station, at a fraction of the cost of rockets. It will take seven days to get there. Using a space …

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Paul March is providing more information about the NASA EMDrive Experiments

Paul March works at NASA on the EMDrive, Cannae drive experiments. He is providing information about the experiments on the NASA spaceflight forum. How High RF issues are being managed Please note that the entire RF system including its voltage controlled oscillator, phased locked loop, RF amplifier, RF coupler and coaxial transmission lines are hard …

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First 500 GHz Photon Switch Built which is more than ten times faster than before

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have built the first 500 Gigahertz (GHz) photon switch. “Our switch is more than an order of magnitude faster than any previously published result to date,” said UC San Diego electrical and computer engineering professor Stojan Radic. “That exceeds the speed of the fastest lightwave information channels …

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India’s economy getting back on track with 5.7% GDP growth in first quarter

[Hindustan Times] The Indian economy expanded at its fastest pace in two-and-a-half years in the quarter ending June on the back of a turnaround in manufacturing as sentiment was boosted by the Narendra Modi government’s measures to help recover from the longest slump in a quarter of a century. Data released on Friday showed gross …

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Genetically modified T cells induced complete remissions in 88 percent of advanced leukemia patients treated

Investigators from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have reported more encouraging news about one of the most exciting methods of cancer treatment today. The largest clinical study ever conducted to date of patients with advanced leukemia found that 88 percent achieved complete remissions after being treated with genetically modified versions of their own immune cells. …

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