Quantum mechanics and human consciousness, developing technologies for brain-inspired computation

02/04/21 • 27 min

Do quantum effects such as entanglement and coherence play a role in consciousness? In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, Betony Adams of the Center for Quantum Technology at South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal talks about recent developments in the burgeoning and contentious field of quantum biophysics.

Also in this week’s podcast is Giacomo Indiveri, who is professor at the Institute of Neuroinformatics at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich and editor-in-chief of the new journal Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering. Indiveri explains how researchers are developing new neuromorphic technologies that mimic how information is processed by the nervous system. He also talks about his own research on developing neuromorphic cognitive systems using very large scale integrated circuits and chats about the scope and aims of the new journal.

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Nanophotonic biosensor tests for COVID-19, hot topics in medical physics

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we meet Laura Lechuga, who is coordinating the EU-funded CONVAT programme to develop a nanophotonic biosensor for detecting the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Based at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology near Barcelona, Lechuga explains how the biosensor works and talks abouts its benefits compared to existing coronavirus tests.

Also in this week’s episode is medical physicist Katia Parodi of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, who is the new editor-in-chief of the journal Physics in Medicine & Biology. Parodi talks about her plans for the journal and identifies hot topics in medical physics such as artificial intelligence. She also chats about some of her current research interests including range verification for particle therapy

Next Episode

How sidewinder snakes slither sideways, the challenges of creating sustainable infrastructure

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast we meet physicist Jennifer Rieser who has just moved from the Georgia Institute of Technology to Emory University, where she studies how snakes use tiny structures on their undersides to help propel themselves. Rieser talks about her recent research that suggests that microscopic pits on the bellies of sidewinder snakes help the reptiles achieve their sidewinding motion.

Also on hand is Arpad Horvath of the University of California, Berkeley who is founding editor-in-chief of the new journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. He chats about the challenges of designing infrastructure that is environmentally sustainable. He also talks about the scope of the new journal and his plans for its future.

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