It
often ends up that the information you need
is just beyond your immediate reach, but probably
sits at the ready in the mind of an unidentified
friend of a friend of a friend. Extending
the capabilities of ubiquitous communications
tools like instant messaging and email could
make that information easier to come by. Full
story
Quantum
crypto network debuts
Quantum cryptography has been extended beyond
point-to-point links with a six-node network under
the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The network
is the first step toward bringing the potentially
perfect security of quantum cryptography to the
Internet.
Teleport
lifts quantum computing
Two research teams have been able to teleport
the quantum states of atoms on demand, providing
a reliable and stable method of transmitting quantum
information. In addition to bringing teleportation
to the realm of matter, the feat boosts the prospects
for building quantum computers that employ trapped
ions, quantum particles that live long enough to
carry out multiple computations.
Probabilities
ease genetic logic
Genetic algorithms are turning out to be
useful for optimizing designs and solving problems.
Parallel processing would help, but passing information
about the many individuals that make up a population
back and forth among processors cuts the efficiency.
Exchanging probabilities about the population rather
than information about individuals speeds the process.
