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“The biggest task right now that most scientists and engineers working in the quantum computing field are concerned with is demonstrating the utility and practicality of quantum computing for different real-world applications.

Assistant professor of computer science Tirthak Patel on Google’s Willow, a new quantum chip that can outperform supercomputers.

Fortune Magazine, December 11, 2024

The Countdown

Five stories that excite us

5 Quantum material could support magnetic switching Scientists have unlocked a quantum “miracle material” that traps information in a single dimension using magnetism. Chromium sulfide bromide could supercharge quantum tech—storing data in light, sound, electrons, and spin. It's a magnetic switchboard for the quantum age, reshaping the future of computing and communication. https://eng.rice.edu/miraclematerial	4 New microbes in Earth’s deep soil could purify water Buried 70 feet underground, scientists uncovered a new super-microbe that naturally purifies water. Dominating deep soil ecosystems, CSP1-3 could hold the key to cleaning the world’s drinking water—no filters, just biology. It's a microbial breakthrough from Earth's last frontier with the power to fight pollution at its source. https://eng.rice.edu/purifiedwater	3 Bee-inspired flying robot aids in search and rescue Smaller than a raindrop and bumblebee-inspired, the world’s tiniest wireless flying robot can hover, dart, and strike with precision. Powered by magnetic fields, it’s a high-speed micro marvel that could one day pollinate crops, inspect tight spaces—or even perform surgery from inside the human body. https://eng.rice.edu/flyingrobot	2 Abandoned nuclear plant finds second life as sound lab Once a doomed nuclear plant, the Satsop site now houses the world’s quietest room—an acoustics lab inside a blast-proof dome. Here, speakers, airplanes, and even movie scenes are tested in silence, thanks to walls 10 feet thick and chambers that can measure a whisper—or a sonic boom. https://eng.rice.edu/soundlab
			1 Light activates world's smallest pacemaker Smaller than a grain of rice, this light-powered pacemaker fits in a syringe, regulates heartbeats, and dissolves when done—no wires, batteries, or surgery required. Designed for fragile newborns, it delivers life-saving pulses, then vanishes without a trace, transforming care for patients needing short-term cardiac support. https://eng.rice.edu/tinypacemaker