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People
tend to do worse under stress but the opposite
is true for silicon. Forcing silicon's atoms
to spread out lowers its resistance to electrons,
which speeds up current flowing through it.
If IBM can reproduce its research results
on the manufacturing line, chipmakers will
have another way to speed up computers.
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Artificial
synapses copy brain dynamics
The brain's synapses aren't simple switches that
turn on and off one after the other. The timing
and strength of neural signals is much more subtle
than that, which is probably why artificial neural
networks pale in comparison to the real thing. But
that may be changing as researchers get a better
understanding of how the brain works.
DNA
device detects light signals
Researchers are tapping the ability of DNA's four
bases to connect to themselves and each other to
make a range of electronic devices. A team in Italy
has found a way to turn a base into a semiconducting
film that carries electric current when light shines
on it.
Lightwaves
channel atoms to make chips
It's hard to imagine light pushing matter around,
but when the matter in question is a vapor of atoms
and the lightwaves are the right frequency, light
rules. Rain two types of atoms down through a standing
lightwave and you can make one type land everywhere
and the other only where the light sends it.
Process
promises better LCD production
If you are reading this on a liquid crystal display,
one step in the process of making your screen involved
rubbing it with a piece of velvet. This antiquated
and imprecise technique could be on its way out,
to be replaced by decidedly high-tech ion guns.
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