Quantum entanglement, the spooky action at a distance that promises to be so useful for things like high-powered computing and security, is generally considered a function of the tiny world. It's easy - OK, not easy, but relatively practical nowadays - to take two particles or two microscopic things and intertwine their fates. Now for the first time, scientists have accomplished quantum entanglement on the macro scale, entangling two millimetre-sized diamonds.
We've spent a lot of time talking about quantum stuff lately. Some is just cool for its own sake, some of it could genuinely revolutionise the way we do things, but either way, quantum mechanics has already shown it can be applied to a range of practical uses. Add one more to the list - a US defence firm has come up with the idea of using photons to create highly-dense and principally unbreakable communications.
You know you're in the future when people start talking about electronics that can rewire themselves on the fly. A team at Northwester University in the United States have developed a new nanomaterial that can move and redirect electrons through itself, which, while not quite allowing your phone to transform into a laptop at a moment's notice, still may open a door to adaptable electronics.
Previous
