24 October 2019: Quantum supremacy and ancient mammals

This week, a milestone in quantum computing, and rethinking early mammals.In this episode:00:43 A quantum computing milestoneA quantum computer is reported to have achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ – performing an operation that’s essentially impossible for classical computers. Research Article: Arute et al.; News and Views: Quantum computing takes flight; Editorial: A precarious milestone for quantum computing; News: Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim08:24 Research HighlightsThe world’s speediest ants, and the world’s loudest birdsong. Research Highlight: A land-speed record for ants set in Saharan dunes; Research Highlight: A bird’s ear-splitting shriek smashes the record for loudest song10:19 The mammals that lived with the dinosaursPaleontologists are shifting their view of the Mesozoic era mammals. News Feature: How the earliest mammals thrived alongside dinosaurs18:00 News ChatA Russian researcher’s plans to edit human embryos, and ‘prime editing’ - a more accurate gene editing system. News: Russian ‘CRISPR-baby’ scientist has started editing genes in human eggs with goal of altering deaf gene; News: Super-precise new CRISPR tool could tackle a plethora of genetic diseases Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.