In Case You Missed It!

The curator of flies at the Museum of Natural History in London says that tor each person on earth, there are an estimated 17 million flies.  Sounds a little high to me.

Another subject: I hear that quantum computers will transform the world.  OK, good, so what is a quantum computer?  A simple explanation: Today’s computers store information as ‘bits,’ with each transistor holding either a 1 or a 0.  A quantum computer uses a ‘qubit’ which can store a 1 and a 0 at the same time. 

This means two qubits can hold four values at once.  So as you expand the number of qubits, the machine becomes exponentially more powerful.  I think I get it, but an example would help.  Say a computer wants to find its way through a maze.  It will try one path and get blocked and then try another and another and another.  A quantum computer will try all paths at the same time.

Moving on to some medical stuff:

The heavier you are, the more likely you will be to develop an often fatal cancer.  I see, obesity isn’t healthy.  Why am I not surprised?

A new shingles vaccine is said to be an improvement.  Smells like someone is going to make a lot of money.

There’s a new recommendation for what is an acceptable blood pressure – lower than before.  Smells like someone is going to make a lot of money.

In Africa, ultrasounds are being used to entice women who are only a few months pregnant to receive care.  “You will be able to see your baby,” the ads say.  This is a good thing for both the mother and child.

When is our sense of smell at its best?  A recent study has concluded that our nose works best in the hours before we go to sleep.  Am I the only one that finds this is only marginally interesting?