- Sabine's Newsletter
- Posts
- Quantum Fraud, Shooting Drones, Pretty Faces, and an Unsuccessful Multiverse Quash
Quantum Fraud, Shooting Drones, Pretty Faces, and an Unsuccessful Multiverse Quash
This week’s science bits from SWTG
Sabine Hossenfelder
January 29, 2025
|
Another Quantum Computing Company Accused of Fraud
Screenshot of Quantum Computing Inc Website.
An anonymous report on Scribd (an online document-sharing platform) alleges that the publicly traded company Quantum Computing Inc (Nasdaq: QUBT) deliberately deceives investors. According to its website, the company produces photonic components that, while not quantum computers themselves, are elements of some quantum computing approaches.
The report claims, among other things, that QUBT lied about its relation with NASA: Instead of having won two NASA contracts and four subcontracts, they have, according to NASA themselves, merely one contract valued at $26,000. The report also claims that QUBT has repeatedly signed fake deals just to put out press releases, presumably to the end of pumping their stocks, and that QUBT claimed to have opened a foundry when they just leased a small space for an R&D lab. You can read the full report here.
Two years ago, another publicly traded quantum computing company, IONQ, was accused of deceiving investors over the maturity (or existence) of their quantum devices. They have been more careful with their press releases since.
This episode of Science News is about a group of physicists who claim that a key motivation for the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is unnecessary. They seem to think that the many worlds interpretation is necessary for conservation laws (energy, momentum, angular momentum) to be fulfilled. This is all nonsense, but quantum mechanics does indeed have a problem with conservation laws. This video comes with a quiz, which you can take here.
You can now create and share your own quizzes on QuizWithIt – for free! Just set up an account and creator profile and you are good to go. Create quizzes to go with websites, videos, blogposts, podcasts, or as standalone. Your audience can support you by subscribing to your content, which allows them to collect points by taking your quizzes. Each quiz has a unique URL, can be embedded into websites or newsletter, and be shared on X, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Plus, we are constantly fixing bugs to improve the user experience. Happy quizzing!
A month ago, headlines were full of reports about drone sightings in the United States. What received far less attention is that unidentified drones have been spotted in Germany, too: At a U.S. military base, but also near big infrastructure, such as the BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, which I see out of my office window. The suspects most often named are Russians. The German cabinet has now authorized the military to shoot down such drones, though the law still needs to be approved by the government.
Partnered with Planet Wild
Do your part to save the planet and see your impact in monthly videos! You’re not alone in this: You will become part of a community of 12,000 members. Join today if you want to protect animals, oceans and forests. Get a new video on the 15th of each month. — First month is free. What are you waiting for? 🌍
Facial Attractiveness Probably Not Linked to Health
A review of studies on the link between facial attractiveness and health found that, contrary to the popular narrative, people with more symmetrical or otherwise visually appealing faces are not in any measurable way healthier than the rest of us mediocre-looking folks. Yet another popular science myth that should be buried. Paper here.
Your daily AI dose
Mindstream is the HubSpot Media Network’s hottest new property. Stay on top of AI, learn how to apply it… and actually enjoy reading. Imagine that.
Our small team of actual humans spends their whole day creating a newsletter that’s loved by over 150,000 readers. Why not give us a try?