Google’s quantum record falls

Welcome once more to New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best stories in science and technology. Today we’re covering quantum computers, AI mind reading, and the all important question of how to tell time on the moon.

Google's claim of quantum supremacy has been completely smashed

Quantum computers offer the promise of solving certain problems much faster than any ordinary computer – but in practice, it seems we are struggling to find an actual use for them, as this story demonstrates. Back in 2019, Google claimed to have achieved “quantum supremacy” by solving a problem that would take even the best supercomputer 10,000 years to crack – but now a team has come along and done it in seconds .

Mind-reading AI recreates what you're looking at with amazing accuracy

The past few years have seen a number of efforts combining artificial intelligence and neuroscience in an effort to, effectively, read minds. This is one of the best efforts yet, feeding brain scans to an AI that is able to reproduce the images a monkey is looking at with incredible accuracy .

Time ticks faster on the moon by 57 microseconds per Earth day

What time is it on the moon? It’s not a question that generally concerns us, but as lunar exploration ramps up, it’s one NASA is thinking about – having been tasked by the White House to define a timezone on the moon. Now, calculations show just how time flows differently on the moon , thanks to Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

More from New Scientist

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Jacob Aron, News Editor