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Tuesday December 4, 2012 Daily edition   News and Blog Headlines How to build a million-qubit quantum computer Studies of gene regulation in brain development may lead to new treatment of mental disorders Most of the harmful mutations in people arose in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years Origin of intelligence and mental illness linked to ancient genetic accident Assessing network security analysts’ abilities to prevent ‘cyber Pearl Harbor’ A roadmap for metabolic reprogramming of aging A reconfigurable miniature robot Researchers create versatile 3D nanostructures using DNA ‘bricks’ Latest News How to build a million-qubit quantum computer December 4, 2012   A team led by Princeton‘s Associate Professor of Physics Jason Petta has developed a new method that could eventually allow engineers to build a working quantum computer consisting of millions of quantum bits (qubits). Quantum computers take advantage of the strange behaviors of subatomic particles like electrons. By harnessing electrons as they spin, scientists could use the particles … more… Studies of gene regulation in brain development may lead to new treatment of mental disorders December 4, 2012   A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and the Institut Pasteur, Paris has come up with a novel way to describe brain development. The findings could lead to new drug designs for mental disorders such as autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. In the paper, the researchers identified the hierarchical tree of two … more… Most of the harmful mutations in people arose in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years December 4, 2012   The human genome has been busy over the past 5,000 years. Human populations have grown exponentially, and new genetic mutations arise with each generation, says Nature News. Humans now have a vast abundance of rare genetic variants in the protein-encoding sections of the genome. A study published in Nature now helps to clarify when many of … more… Origin of intelligence and mental illness linked to ancient genetic accident December 4, 2012   Researchers have identified the moment in history when the genes that enabled us to think and reason evolved. This point 500 million years ago provided our ability to learn complex skills, analyze situations and have flexibility in the way in which we think. According to Professor Seth Grant of the University of Edinburgh, who led … more… Assessing network security analysts’ abilities to prevent ‘cyber Pearl Harbor’ December 4, 2012   U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned that the United States is facing the possibility of a “cyber-Pearl Harbor” and is increasingly vulnerable to foreign computer hackers who could disrupt the government, utility, transportation, and financial networks. Key to protecting online operations is a high degree of “cyber security awareness,” according to human factors/ergonomics researchers … more… A roadmap for metabolic reprogramming of aging December 4, 2012   To survey previously uncharted territory, a team of researchers at UW-Madison has created an “atlas” that maps more than 1,500 unique landmarks within mitochondria that could provide clues to the metabolic connections between caloric restriction and aging. The map, as well as the techniques used to create it, could lead to a better understanding of … more… A reconfigurable miniature robot December 4, 2012   MIT scientists have designed a little device called a “milli-motein” (millimeter-sized components and a motorized design inspired by proteins, which naturally fold themselves into incredibly complex shapes) that may be a harbinger of future devices that could fold themselves up into almost any shape imaginable. The device was conceived by Neil Gershenfeld, head of MIT’s … more… Researchers create versatile 3D nanostructures using DNA ‘bricks’ December 4, 2012   Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have created more than 100 three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures using DNA building blocks that function like Lego bricks — a major advance from the two-dimensional (2D) structures the same team built a few months ago. The new method is the next step toward using … more… New VIDEOS Geordie Rose – D-Wave Quantum Computing – A Eureka Moment Visit KurzweilAI.net You are currently subscribed to the KurzweilAI.net newsletter as *|EMAIL|* To unsubscribe, please click here. To change your email preferences, please click here. *|LIST:ADDRESS|*.