New Security Protocol Shields Data from Attackers during Cloud-Based Computation

Light securing a data pathway between a computer and a cloud-based computing platform
Caption: MIT researchers have developed a security protocol that leverages the quantum properties of light to guarantee that data sent to and from a cloud server remain secure during deep learning computations.
Credit: Christine Daniloff, MIT; iStock

The technique leverages quantum properties of light to guarantee security while preserving the accuracy of a deep-learning model. Researchers developed a technique guaranteeing that data remain secure during multiparty, cloud-based computation. This method, which leverages the quantum properties of light, could enable organizations like hospitals or financial companies to use deep learning to securely analyze confidential patient or customer data.

Deep-learning models are being used in many fields, from health care diagnostics to financi...

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Scientists Discover Planet Orbiting Closest Single Star to our Sun

Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting Barnard’s star, the closest single star to our sun. On this newly discovered exoplanet, which has at least half the mass of Venus, a year lasts just over three Earth days. The team’s observations also hint at the existence of three more exoplanet candidates, in various orbits around the star.

Located just six light-years away, Barnard’s star is the second-closest stellar system—after Alpha Centauri’s three-star group—and the closest individual star to us. Owing to its proximity, it is a primary target in the search for Earth-like exoplanets. Despite a promising detection back in 2018, no planet orbiting Barnard’s star had been confirmed until now.

The...

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‘Squeezing’ Increased Accuracy of Quantum Measurements

Tohoku University’s Dr. Le Bin Ho has explored how quantum squeezing can improve measurement precision in complex quantum systems, with potential applications in quantum sensing, imaging, and radar technologies. These findings may lead to advancements in areas like GPS accuracy and early disease detection through more sensitive biosensors.

Quantum squeezing is a concept in quantum physics where the uncertainty in one aspect of a system is reduced while the uncertainty in another related aspect is increased. Imagine squeezing a round balloon filled with air. In its normal state, the balloon is perfectly spherical. When you squeeze one side, it gets flattened and stretched out in the other direction...

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Our Cosmic Neighborhood May be 10x Larger

The Cosmicflows team has been studying the movements of 56,000 galaxies, revealing a potential shift in the scale of our galactic basin of attraction. A team of international researchers guided by astronomers at University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy is challenging our understanding of the universe with groundbreaking findings that suggest our cosmic neighborhood may be far larger than previously thought.

A decade ago, the team concluded that our galaxy, the Milky Way, resides within a massive basin of attraction called Laniākea, stretching 500 million light-years across.

However, new data suggests that this understanding may only scratch the surface.

There is now a 60% probability that we are part of an even grander structure, potentially 10 times larger in volume, ...

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