CO2 Highpoint & Quantum Computing

Carbon Dioxide Highpoint

Right now it’s more important than ever to protect the environment. In honor of Earth Week, think about everything you do that might harm the environment around you. One of these things may be contributing to the excess amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. According to The New York Times, there has been a recent alarming rise in carbon dioxide levels, reaching 419 parts per million in 2023, 50% higher than pre-Industrial Revolution levels. According to the article, these statistics emphasize the urgent need to reduce emissions to limit global warming. And, despite efforts to increase clean energy, fossil fuel emissions remain high. These past few years have seen record-high temperatures, and we need to take the immediate action needed to prevent climate change.

Quantum Computers & AI

According to Scientific American, there is potential for quantum computers to be able to run AI models such as transformers. Transformers, a type of deep learning model inspired by the human brain's neural networks, have been instrumental in powering chatbots like ChatGPT. Researchers are now exploring the possibility of running transformers on quantum computers, which could potentially solve extremely complex problems in several disciplines, that current AI hardware is unable to solve. According to the same article, Quantum computers with hundreds of qubits (the basic unit of information in quantum computing) would be necessary for scalability, but issues such as interference and errors pose obstacles. Despite these obstacles, scientists are working towards a hybrid approach where quantum transformers work with regular machine learning systems. Using this, quantum computers may be able to perform trillions of calculations every second to solve complex tasks.

How Will AI Be Used in Gene Editing?

It seems like AI applications are being tested everywhere to see their viability as a tool. One of these applications is gene editing. According to The New York Times, generative AI technology is now being used to create blueprints for “microscopic mechanisms” capable of editing human DNA, particularly through a gene editing method called CRISPR (“clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”). Developed by a Berkeley startup called Profluent, this AI technology analyzes extensive amounts of biological data to design gene editors. One of these editors, called OpenCRISPR-1, has already been used to edit human DNA and is open-source; meaning it is available for open experimentation by others. While this new technology holds potential, the article notes that the technology is still in its early stages and has yet to undergo clinical trials. It might be a little longer before we see this technology widely being used in laboratories around the world!

Reconnection with the Voyager 1

According to Scientific American, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977 and now traveling through interstellar space, experienced months of communication issues starting in November 2023. Now, engineers have just recently restored clear communication in April 2024, overcoming a chip failure in the spacecraft's computer system. Despite Voyager 1’s age and failures, it continues to provide valuable scientific data, although its lifespan is now limited. The article states that NASA remains committed to maximizing the spacecraft's contributions to space exploration and hopes to collect even more data in the future.

Hacked U.S. Water System

How scary would it be if someone hacked into your water system like a computer? In the future, it might be something straight out of A Thousand Sun’s “Bug” Episode. According to The Washington Post, A water system hack in Muleshoe, Texas, caught the attention of cybersecurity experts when a group with Russian ties, called the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), posted a video manipulating water-control systems. The incident, possibly linked to the Russian hacking group Sandworm, raised concerns about Russia targeting U.S. critical infrastructure. While no major damage occurred, experts worry about potential future attacks. As reported by the article, the incident caused affected towns to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the need for effective measures to protect critical infrastructure.