Tag Archives: University of Edinburgh

Gene-edited pork coming to Canadian consumers—soon (maybe)

There was a bit of online excitement over the possibility that gene-edited pork would be entering the Canadian market soon. Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada have a public consultation focused on the risk assessment process regarding the entry of gene-edited pigs into Canada’s food system. Before giving a link to the relevant government website, I have some information.

Factual

The best outline I could find was in Hailey Bennett’s July 10, 2025 article “US meat could soon be gene-edited. Here’s what that means” for British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Science Focus, Note 1: Bennett seems unaware that gene-edited pork may reach the Canadian market first; Note 2: Links have been removed,

From hot dogs to crispy bacon, US food staples could be made of gene-edited meat as early as 2026. Yes, really: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the farming of a specific kind of genetically enhanced pig. And regulators around the world may not be far behind.

So, should we be worried? Will this pork truly be safe to eat? And just how ethical is it to create these pigs?

The first thing you should know: not every gene-edited animal will be directly spawned from a lab. Rather, such livestock are merely bred from animals whose DNA was edited early on – often at the single-cell or fertilised egg stage [also known as germline editing] – to give them beneficial traits.

And no, this gene editing isn’t about making pork taste better –it’s about protecting pigs from disease.

For instance, British company Genus has now farmed pigs with a genetic tweak that makes them resistant to PRRS (Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome), a virus that attacks pigs’ immune cells. PRRS is a major threat: it can kill piglets, trigger miscarriages in pregnant sows, and weaken pigs’ immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to other infections.

These genetically enhanced pigs are even less of a novelty when you consider there is no effective vaccine for PRRS.

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How heavily are these pigs being altered – and at what cost to their welfare? They’re fair questions. But in reality, the change is surprisingly minimal.

To stop the PRRS virus in its tracks, scientists snipped out a small section of pig DNA – part of the CD163 protein, which the virus uses to enter pig cells.

Pigs with the edited gene are resistant to almost all known strains of PRRS but are otherwise, Genus claims, “the same as conventional pigs”. And despite initial concerns that the virus could evolve to recognise and avoid the edited protein, that hasn’t happened so far.

According to Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, who worked with Genus to develop the original gene-edited pigs, the natural CD163 protein they edited is “like nine beads on a string.” The edit removes only bead number five.

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As Tait-Burkard explains, the edit is one that could also be naturally present in some pigs. “The chances are that there’s a pig somewhere in the world that’s resistant to this virus,” she says. “But we just don’t have the time to naturally breed this in. That’s where we have to start using biotechnology to integrate it into the breeding herd.”

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In the 1990s and 2000s, genetically modified (GM) crops generated headlines and consumer concern about ‘Frankenfoods’. Ultimately, though, many GM crops were approved and the majority of scientists consider them safe to eat. These modified crops often carry foreign DNA – ‘Bt’ corn, for example, contains a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, enabling it to make a protein that kills insect pests.

The current generation of CRISPR-edited food products, by contrast, only contain changes that could naturally occur within the species. Scientists aren’t inventing entirely new kinds of pigs.

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Bennett’s July 10, 2025 article does a good job of covering the topic but I advise supplementing it with other pieces.

Canada and the gene-edited pig

Sylvain Charlebois’ July 3, 2025 article “Transparency is paramount as gene-edited pork approaches market launch” for Canadian Grocer takes what can seem like abstract questions about gene-edited pigs and applies them to real life issues, Note: I have two “[sic?]’s” as I have been unable to confirm when gene-edited pork is likely to enter the Canadian market. At a guess, Charlebois is saying that Canadian consumers are likely to get the products later in 2025,

In April [2025], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the commercial distribution of pigs genetically edited with CRISPR technology to resist porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a costly and widespread disease in pork production. These pigs are expected to enter the American market in 2026 [sic?]. Yet, Canadian consumers could start seeing gene-edited pork products in stores—unlabeled and unannounced—as early as next year [sic?].

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Canada imported more than US$850 million worth of U.S. pork last year, according to the National Pork Producers Council. So, regardless of Canadian regulatory decisions, gene-edited meat is coming. And yet, no label will tell you whether your pork chop or bacon came from a genetically altered animal.

That lack of transparency is precisely what Quebec-based duBreton, North America’s leading organic pork producer, is warning against. The company argues that gene editing is incompatible with organic and humane production standards—and more importantly, with informed consumer choice. Whether or not gene-edited meat poses a food safety risk isn’t the central issue. The issue is whether consumers have the right to know how their food was produced.

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… GM [genetic modification] technology has long been accepted in grain production. Genetically modified ingredients—largely from corn, canola and soy—are now commonplace in processed foods. These technologies have contributed to yield stability and lower input costs for farmers. But even in grains, labeling remains inconsistent, and the average consumer still doesn’t know which products contain modified ingredients.

What’s different in livestock is the emotional and ethical connection people have with animals and meat. A pork chop isn’t just a commodity—it represents values tied to animal welfare, sustainability and trust in the food system. That’s why gene editing in livestock raises more scrutiny than it has in crop science.

To be clear, gene editing isn’t inherently a bad thing. …

The failure isn’t scientific—it’s strategic. Rather than building a transparent narrative around innovation, the industry has often opted for silence, leaving the public to fill in the blanks. That vacuum has been seized by special interest groups, some of which traffic in fear and misinformation. The “Frankenfood” rhetoric may have been overblown, but it did shine a light on an ethical principle we should not ignore: consumers deserve to know.

Labeling gene-edited products is not about fear—it’s about trust. Informed choice is the cornerstone of any credible food policy. Consumers don’t need to be protected from innovation, but they do need to be respected. The question is not whether gene-edited meat should exist, it’s whether its presence should be hidden.

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Public engagement/consultation

Gwendolyn Blue’s (professor, University of Calgary) July 10, 2025 essay for The Conversation suggested more and better public consultation should be part of the process, Note: Links have been removed,

The Canadian government is currently considering approving the entry of gene-edited pigs into the food system.

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These pigs are resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a horrible and sometimes fatal disease that affects pigs worldwide. PRRS has significant economic, food security and animal welfare implications.

The United States Food and Drug Administration [FDA] recently greenlit the commercial production of gene-edited pigs. Will the Canadian government follow suit?

AquAdvantage and EnviroPig

In 2016, Canada approved the first transgenic animal for human consumption — an Atlantic salmon called AquAdvantage salmon that contains DNA from other species of fish.

This approval came more than 25 years after the genetically modified fish was created by scientists at Memorial University in Newfoundland. The approval and commercialization of AquAdvantage salmon faced strong public opposition on both sides of the border, including protests, supermarket boycotts and court battles. In 2024, the company that produced AquAdvantage salmon announced that it was shutting down its operations [emphases mine].

In 2012, the Canadian government approved the manufacture of a transgenic pig known by its trade name, EnviroPig. Created by scientists at the University of Guelph, EnviroPigs released less phosphorus than conventionally bred pigs.

EnviroPig did not make it to market; the same year, the University of Guelph ended the EnviroPig project. Funding for the project had been suspended, in part because of consumer concerns.

Government regulation

Some researchers argue that government regulation of gene-edited animals should be less restrictive than for transgenic techniques. Gene editing introduces genetic changes that can occur with conventional animal breeding that is not subject to regulation. Gene-edited crops in Canada are treated the same as conventionally bred crops.

Others insist that stringent government regulation is necessary for gene editing to identify potential problems and ensure that laws keep up with industry and scientific ambition. Regulation plays a vital role in minimizing risk, encouraging public involvement and building trust.

Social science research has, for decades, demonstrated that resistance to biotechnology is not because of the public’s lack of knowledge [emphasis mine], as is often argued by biotechnology proponents. Public resistance to biotechnology is better understood as a rejection of potential harms imposed by governments and industry without public input and consent [emphasis mine].

Ethical, moral, cultural and political concerns

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Similar to the U.S., Canada does not have specific gene technology regulation. Rather, the federal government relies on pre-existing environmental and food safety legislation. Canadian regulatory agencies use a risk, novelty and product-based approach to assess animal biotechnology. From a regulatory standpoint, distinctions between technical processes — like transgenic modification versus gene editing — are less important than the safety of the final product.

The Canadian government has recently updated its federal environmental and health regulations. This includes introducing mandatory public consultations for animals (vertebrates, specifically) created using biotechnology.

…

… regulatory and academic debates about the gene editing of animals are largely informed by scientists and industry proponents with considerably less input from the public, Indigenous communities and social sciences and humanities researchers.

Consulting the public

From a social standpoint, the process by which gene editing is assessed matters as much as the safety of the final product. Inclusive public engagement is essential to ensure that the production of gene-edited food animals aligns with societal needs and values.

Reactions to gene technologies are based on underlying values and beliefs, and sustained opportunities for public reflection and deliberation are vital for responsible innovation.

Important questions should be addressed: Who will reap the benefits of gene-editing techniques? Who will bear the costs and harms? What are the potential implications, including hard-to-anticipate social and political changes? How should decision-making proceed to ensure that Canadians have sufficient opportunities for input?

Currently, for the gene-edited pigs, members of the public can submit comments to the government until July 20, 2025.

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Measured optimism and a lot of enthusiasm (two articles)

Geralyn Wichers’s April 3, 2025 article for The Western Producer provided more details and measured optimism,

Canadian consumers are largely fine with pork from gene-edited pigs — at least once the science and benefits are explained to them.

That’s according to new research from genetic development company PIC (Pig Improvement Company), which is using gene editing technology to develop a pig resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

A survey found that, after consumers read a description of gene editing in food and the PRRS-resistant pig, 49 per cent indicated positive or very positive sentiments, 38 per cent were neutral while 14 per cent were negative or very negative.

“Even though we’ve seen a lot of investments in things like vaccines and improved biosecurity, the problem is getting worse, not better,” said Banks Baker, PIC’s global director of product sustainability.

North America’s pork producers have been dealing with PRRS since the late 1980s. The viral disease causes respiratory issues in all ages of pigs. In breeding animals, though, it can derail reproductive performance.

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A 2024 study by University of Guelph researcher Lynn Marchand estimated the annual cost of PRRS to a benchmark Manitoban 1,200-sow farrow-to-finish farm could be $588,709 to $631,602 [Manitoba is a province in Canada].

In January 2024, Ontario saw more severe cases of PRRS than it had in two years, veterinarian Dr. Ryan Tenbergen recently told attendees at the South Western Ontario Pork Conference. New strains of the disease, infecting more easily and severely, were also popping up in the United States.

The industry argues that genetically modified organisms have garnered a reputation for being unsafe and unhealthy, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. Further, they argue, gene editing is different.

Genetic modification typically refers to adding genetic information from an outside source, whereas gene editing generally involves making small changes to the organism’s existing genome.

“GMO has had a long shadow,” said Marisa Pooley, PIC’s director of communications.

“We have used it as a case study to make sure that we’re putting the consumer at the centre of this.”

Consumers identified reducing animal illness and antibiotic use reduction as factors that would motivate them to purchase gene-edited pork.

They seemed to like the idea that gene editing could help farmers raise healthier animals more sustainably and to grow crops better able to withstand climate change. The idea that gene editing can be used to cure human diseases such as sickle cell anemia and cancer also improved feelings.

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John Greig’s May 29, 20s5 article had details not in the other articles and presented a more impatient attitude,

The approval in the United States for food use of pigs gene edited to resist Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS, will be a good test for Canada’s year-old approval process for gene editing.

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I’ve talked to farmers who have dealt with PRRS outbreaks, and many herds in Canada have battled it over the past 35 years. The level of abortion and respiratory stress the disease causes is hard to watch for the people who care for the pigs every day.

The Canadian industry is now skilled at managing and eliminating the disease once it’s in a production system, but it takes one biosecurity break before it is back again.

A gene-edited solution to reducing PRRS would be a tremendous win for animal welfare, the mental health of farm workers, and farm business productivity and profitability [emphasis mine].

I’m interested to see how quickly the gene-edited pigs are approved for food use in Canada [emphasis mine]. It will be an interesting test case, as genetic modification of livestock is something the public has not accepted, despite the potential improvements in animal welfare and food safety.

Canada created a process that follows much of the rest of the world in approving gene editing through conventional approval processes when the expression of the gene is not novel. Gene editing works by turning on and off already-existing genes within an organism.

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There’s momentum in Canada to catch up to the rest of the world in speed of approval of new agriculture technologies [emphasis mine], as government and industry push to improve the country’s lagging productivity.

The successful discovery of the gene edit is a win for a swine genetics sector that has undergone significant consolidation in the past decade to the point where there are only a handful of swine genetics companies.

The consolidation was driven by the rise of big data analytics and the need to invest in technologies like gene editing.

The PRRS resistance gene editing process was developed by GenusPIC, itself a merger of two large breeding companies, Genus and Pig Improvement Corporation (PIC). Unfortunately, unlike the dairy sector where Semex, a Canadian company, is one of the major players in genetics, there are no more Canadian swine genetics companies of any scale. Alliance Genetics was acquired by Danbred in 2022 and Genesus, the last independent Canadian swine genetics company has been through a receivership process and is now under new ownership.

Regarding approval for new agricultural technologies, I wish Greig had specified or given examples. The gene-edited pork that was the topic of his article raises the question: how could Canada be trailing the rest of the world where gene-edited pork is concerned since no other country (to my knowledge) has approved it for the consumer market? Assuming it’s approved.

The public consultation link (now closed)

For the curious, here’s what the Consultations on certain living organisms new to Canada webpage looked like,

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Open consultations

Share your thoughts: Participate in the risk assessment process for four lines of Gene Edited Pigs [emphasis mine]

The New Substances program, is seeking comments, including scientific information and test data that could inform the risk assessment process for four lines of gene edited pigs notified by Genus PLC on April 22nd, 2025. This consultation is open from June 20, 2025, to July 20, 2025 [emphasis mine]

NSN Numbers: 22051, 22196-22198

Substance designation of the organisms:

A gene edited Sus scrofa domesticus, Landrace descended from the L02 line, lacking a binding site for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV)

A gene edited Sus scrofa domesticus, Large White descended from the L03 line, lacking a binding site for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV)

A gene edited Sus scrofa domesticus, mix breed of Pietrain, Large White, Hampshire and Durocs descended from the L65 line, lacking a binding site for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV)

A gene edited Sus scrofa domesticus, Duroc descended from the L800 line, lacking a binding site for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV)

Subject to consultation requirements under section 108.1 of CEPA: Yes, the organism is a vertebrate.

Activity: The notified organisms are four genetically edited domestic breeds of pigs (scientific name, Sus scrofa domesticus) which include:

Landrace

Large White

Mix of Pietrain, Large White, Hampshire and Duroc

Duroc

They are notified for use in breeding with commercially raised pigs used for pork production.

Genetic modifications: All four lines of pigs have had their genomes edited to remove a binding site for the virus that causes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome PRRS. No new genetic material has been introduced to the notified organisms.

The gene editing is intended to remove the binding site for PRRS. Without this binding site, the virus is unable to bind and infect the host organism. PRRS is a highly contagious viral infection that is considered to be one of the most significant diseases in commercially raised pigs around the world. Currently, there is no effective treatment program for acute PRRS. The removal of the binding site for the PRRS virus from the notified organisms makes these pigs resistant to infection by the virus.

Exposure: According to the notifier, the pigs will be used for conventional breeding in commercial pig production systems in the same manner as non-edited pigs, to generate PRRS virus-resistant pig offspring for food and feed product use. The usage includes the import of animals derived from the edited pigs into production facilities in Canada. The notifier plans to maintain the animals under confinement and have described the biosafety and biosecurity procedures to be used at these facilities. There are no plans for any introduction into the environment outside production facilities

Waiver of information requirement: No waiver was requested.

Privacy Act Notice Statement

The personal information is collected under the authority of section 5 of the Department of the Environment Act and subsection 7(1) of the Financial Administration Act.

The New Substances Program, jointly administered by ECCC and Health Canada, is undertaking public consultation that could inform the risk assessment process for the four lines gene edited pigs. The information is collected, used and disclosed for the purpose of evaluating the potential risks posed by the gene edited organisms to the environment and human health. Information collected by ECCC will be retained by the department and shared with Health Canada for the purposes of the evaluation. Your participation and decision to provide any information is voluntary.

The personal information created, held or collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada is protected under the Privacy Act. Information from this consultation will be used, disclosed and retained in accordance with the conditions listed in the Personal Information Bank Outreach Activities PSU 938.

Any questions or comments regarding this privacy notice may be directed to ECCC’s Access to Information and Privacy Division at ECATIP-ECAIPRP@ec.gc.ca. If you are not satisfied that your privacy has been adequately respected, you have the right to file a complaint. You may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada by calling their information center at 1-800-282-1376 or by visiting their contact page.

Request for Confidentiality under CEPA

Please provide information in English or French. Your information may be summarized and published in part or in full. Pursuant to section 313 of CEPA, any person who provides information in response to New Substance Notification 22051, 22196, 22197, and 22198 may submit, with the information, a request that it be treated as confidential. A request for confidentiality must indicate which specific information or data should be treated as confidential, and it must be submitted with reasons taking into account the criteria referred to in subsection 313(2) of CEPA.

Include your name, affiliation, telephone number, e-mail and mailing address and use the following format in the title of your submission: Public Participation: [NSN number(s)] – [Substance Designation].

Join in: how to participate

All interested parties are invited to provide comments, including scientific information and test data related to potential risks to the environment or human health from the four lines of gene edited pigs. This information will be considered as part of the department’s assessment of the organism’s potential risks to the environment or human health, which is ongoing. A summary of the public comments received as well as the New Substances Program’s responses will be published once the evaluation has been completed.

By mail

Send us a letter with your comments and input to the address in the contact information below.

By email

Send an email to substances@ec.gc.ca with your comments and input.

Who is the focus of this consultation

We would like to hear from:

Indigenous peoples

provincial, territorial and local governments

industry stakeholders and association members

non-governmental organizations

general public

Key questions for discussion

All people in Canada are invited to provide comments, including scientific information and test data that could inform the risk assessment process. Information that may inform the risk assessment process could include:

environmental fate information

ecological effects information

human health effects information or

exposure information (including sources and routes of exposure)

Related information

New substances: Living organisms

New Substances Notification Regulations (Organisms)

Contact us

Science and Technology Branch
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Place Vincent Massey, 351 St. Joseph Blvd
Gatineau QC K1A 0H3
Telephone: 1-800-567-1999 (Toll Free in Canada) or 1-819-938-3232 (Outside of Canada)
E-mail: substances@ec.gc.ca

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Odds and sods

The Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) ran an online panel “Navigating Geopolitical Shifts: Canada’s Innovation Strategy for Agriculture and Agrifood Sector” on May 21, 2025, which may or may not have included discussion of gene-editing. They have posted the video of the May 21, 2025 session (1.5 hours) online (or, should you be interested in some other session, you can check here)..

The salmon mentioned in Blue’s essay was featured in a May 20, 2016 posting here when consumption of the product was approved. I’ve also got this November 28, 2018 posting “Agriculture and gene editing … shades of the AquAdvantage salmon.”

It’s a golden world

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I have a number of stories concerning gold where researchers seemed to have had an extraordinarily rich set of findings within the last month. One of these is especially interesting in light of what I published yesterday (August 11, 2025 “Turning lead into gold (for approximately a microsecond“) about an event in May 2025.

I will be providing my usual citations and links but will not be tagging all the researchers (there are far too many) other than those mentioned in the news releases.

Two from SLAC (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California)

While both projects took place at SLAC, there’s virtually no crossover between the team members and the findings are of an entirely different nature.

Defying the limits and surviving the entropy catastrophe

An August 11, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily announces that physics limits have been defied,

Scientists have simultaneously broken a temperature record, overturned a long-held theory and utilized a new laser spectroscopy method for dense plasmas in a groundbreaking article published on July 23 in the journal Nature.

In their research article, “Superheating gold beyond the predicted entropy catastrophe threshold,” physicists revealed they were able to heat gold to over 19,000 Kelvin (33,740 degrees Fahrenheit), over 14 times its melting point, without it losing its solid, crystalline structure.

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A July 23, 2025 University of Nevada news release, which originated the news item, delves further into the topic,

“This is possibly the hottest crystalline material ever recorded,” Thomas White, lead author and Clemons-Magee Endowed Professor in Physics at the University of Nevada, Reno said.

This result overturns the long-held theoretical limit known as the entropy catastrophe. The entropy catastrophe theory states that solids cannot remain stable above approximately three times their melting temperature without spontaneously melting. The melting point of gold, 1,337 Kelvin (1,947 degrees Fahrenheit), was far more than tripled in this experiment utilizing an extremely powerful laser at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

“I was expecting the gold to heat quite significantly before melting, but I wasn’t expecting a fourteen-fold temperature increase,” White said.

To heat the gold, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Oxford, Queen’s University Belfast, the European XFEL and the University of Warwick designed an experiment to heat a thin gold foil using a laser fired for 50 quadrillionths of a second (one millionth of a billionth). The speed with which the gold was heated seems to be the reason the gold remained solid. The findings suggest that the limit of superheating solids may be far higher – or nonexistent – if heating occurs quickly enough. The new methods used in this study open the field of high energy density physics to more exploration, including in areas of planetary physics and fusion energy research.

White and his team expected that the gold would melt at its melting point, but to measure the temperature inside the gold foil, they would need a very special thermometer.

“We used the Linac Coherent Light Source, a 3-kilometer-long X-ray laser at SLAC, as essentially the world’s largest thermometer,” White said. “This allowed us to measure the temperature inside the dense plasma for the first time, something that hasn’t been possible before.”

“This development paves the way for temperature diagnostics across a broad range of high-energy-density environments,” Bob Nagler, staff scientist at SLAC and coauthor on the paper, said. “In particular, it offers the only direct method currently available for probing the temperature of warm dense states encountered during the implosion phase of inertial fusion energy experiments. As such, it is poised to make a transformative contribution to our understanding and control of fusion-relevant plasma conditions.”

Along with the experimental designers, the research article is the result of a decade of work and collaboration between Columbia University, Princeton University, the University of Padova and the University of California, Merced.

“It’s extremely exciting to have these results out in the world, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what strides we can make in the field with these new methods,” White said.

The research, funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration, will open new doors in studies of superheated materials.

“The National Nuclear Security Administrations’ Academics Program is a proud supporter of the groundbreaking innovation and continued learning that Dr. White and his team are leading for furthering future critical research areas beneficial to the Nuclear Security Enterprise,” Jahleel Hudson, director at the Techology and Partnerships Office of the NNSA said.

White and his colleagues returned to the Linac Coherent Light Source in July to measure the temperature inside hot compressed iron and are using those results to gain insights into the interiors of planets.

Several of White’s graduate students and one undergraduate student were coauthors on the study, including doctoral student Travis Griffin, undergraduate student Hunter Stramel, Daniel Haden, a former postdoctoral scholar in White’s lab, Jacob Molina, a former undergraduate student currently pursuing his doctoral degree at Princeton University and Landon Morrison, a former undergraduate student pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Oxford. Jeremy Iratcabal, research assistant professor in the Department of Physics, was also a coauthor on the paper.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such cutting-edge science using billion-dollar experimental platforms alongside world-class collaborators,” Griffin said. “This discovery highlights the power of this technique, and I’m excited by the possibilities it opens for the future of high-energy-density physics and fusion research. After graduation, I’ll be continuing this work as a staff scientist at the European XFEL.”

SLAC issued a July 23, 2025 news release (by Erin Woodward) of its own and UK’s University of Warwick also issued a July 23, 2025.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Superheating gold beyond the predicted entropy catastrophe threshold by Thomas G. White, Travis D. Griffin, Daniel Haden, Hae Ja Lee, Eric Galtier, Eric Cunningham, Dimitri Khaghani, Adrien Descamps, Lennart Wollenweber, Ben Armentrout, Carson Convery, Karen Appel, Luke B. Fletcher, Sebastian Goede, J. B. Hastings, Jeremy Iratcabal, Emma E. McBride, Jacob Molina, Giulio Monaco, Landon Morrison, Hunter Stramel, Sameen Yunus, Ulf Zastrau, Siegfried H. Glenzer, Gianluca Gregori, Dirk O. Gericke & Bob Nagler. Nature volume 643, pages 950–954 (2025) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09253-y Published: 23 July 2025 Issue Date: 24 July 2025

This paper is open access.

Gold’s secret chemistry

An August 11, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily announces how researchers at SLAC unexpectedly created gold hydride,

Scientists at SLAC unexpectedly created gold hydride, a compound of gold and hydrogen, while studying diamond formation under extreme pressure and heat. This discovery challenges gold’s reputation as a chemically unreactive metal and opens doors to studying dense hydrogen, which could help us understand planetary interiors and fusion processes. The results also suggest that extreme conditions can produce exotic, previously unknown compounds, offering exciting opportunities for future high-pressure chemistry research.

Serendipitously and for the first time, an international research team led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory formed solid binary gold hydride, a compound made exclusively of gold and hydrogen atoms.

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An August 4, 2025 SLAC news release by Chris Patrick, which originated the news release, provides more details, Note: Links have been removed,

The researchers were studying how long it takes hydrocarbons, compounds made of carbon and hydrogen, to form diamonds under extremely high pressure and heat. In their experiments at the European XFEL (X-ray Free-Electron Laser) in Germany, the team studied the effect of those extreme conditions in hydrocarbon samples with an embedded gold foil, which was meant to absorb the X-rays and heat the weakly absorbing hydrocarbons. To their surprise, they not only saw the formation of diamonds, but also discovered the formation of gold hydride.

“It was unexpected because gold is typically chemically very boring and unreactive – that’s why we use it as an X-ray absorber in these experiments,” said Mungo Frost, staff scientist at SLAC who led the study. “These results suggest there’s potentially a lot of new chemistry to be discovered at extreme conditions where the effects of temperature and pressure start competing with conventional chemistry, and you can form these exotic compounds.”

The results, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, provide a glimpse of how the rules of chemistry change under extreme conditions like those found inside certain planets or hydrogen-fusing stars.

Studying dense hydrogen

In their experiment, the researchers first squeezed their hydrocarbon samples to pressures greater than those within Earth’s mantle using a diamond anvil cell. Then, they heated the samples to over 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit by hitting them repeatedly with X-ray pulses from the European XFEL. The team recorded and analyzed how the X-rays scattered off the samples, which allowed them to resolve the structural transformations within.

As expected, the recorded scattering patterns showed that the carbon atoms had formed a diamond structure. But the team also saw unexpected signals that were due to hydrogen atoms reacting with the gold foil to form gold hydride.

Under the extreme conditions created in the study, the researchers found hydrogen to be in a dense, “superionic” state, where the hydrogen atoms flowed freely through the gold’s rigid atomic lattice, increasing the conductivity of the gold hydride.

Hydrogen, which is the lightest element of the periodic table, is tricky to study with X-rays because it scatters X-rays only weakly. Here, however, the superionic hydrogen interacted with the much heavier gold atoms, and the team was able to observe hydrogen’s impact on how the gold lattice scattered X-rays. “We can use the gold lattice as a witness for what the hydrogen is doing,” Mungo said.

The gold hydride offers a way to study dense atomic hydrogen under conditions that might also apply to other situations that are experimentally not directly accessible. For example, dense hydrogen makes up the interiors of certain planets, so studying it in the lab could teach us more about those foreign worlds. It could also provide new insights into nuclear fusion processes inside stars like our sun and help develop technology to harness fusion energy here on Earth.

Exploring new chemistry

In addition to paving the way for studies of dense hydrogen, the research also offers an avenue for exploring new chemistry. Gold, which is commonly regarded as an unreactive metal, was found to form a stable hydride at extremely high pressure and temperature. In fact, it appears to be only stable at those extreme conditions as when it cools down, the gold and hydrogen separate. The simulations also showed that more hydrogen could fit in the gold lattice at higher pressure.

The simulation framework could also be extended beyond gold hydride. “It’s important that we can experimentally produce and model these states under these extreme conditions,” said Siegfried Glenzer, High Energy Density Division director and professor for photon science at SLAC and the study’s principal investigator. “These simulation tools could be applied to model other exotic material properties in extreme conditions.”

The team also included researchers from Rostock University, DESY, European XFEL, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Frankfurt University and Bayreuth University, all in Germany; the University of Edinburgh, UK; the Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford University and the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES). Parts of this work were supported by the DOE Office of Science.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Synthesis of Gold Hydride at High Pressure and High Temperature by Mungo Frost, Kilian Abraham, Alexander F. Goncharov, R. Stewart McWilliams, Rachel J. Husband, Michal Andrzejewski, Karen Appel, Carsten Baehtz, Armin Bergermann, Danielle Brown, Elena Bykova, Anna Celeste, Eric Edmund, Nicholas J. Hartley, Konstantin Glazyrin, Heinz Graafsma, Nicolas Jaisle, Zuzana Konôpková, Torsten Laurus, Yu Lin, Bernhard Massani, Maximilian Schörner, Maximilian Schulze, Cornelius Strohm, Minxue Tang, Zena Younes, Gerd Steinle-Neumann, Ronald Redmer, Siegfried H. Glenzer. Angewandte Chemie International Edition DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202505811 First published: 04 August 2025

This paper is behind a paywall.

Gold and a quantum revolution?

An August 11, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily announces joint research from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and Colorado State University,

The efficiency of quantum computers, sensors and other applications often relies on the properties of electrons, including how they are spinning. One of the most accurate systems for high performance quantum applications relies on tapping into the spin properties of electrons of atoms trapped in a gas, but these systems are difficult to scale up for use in larger quantum devices like quantum computers. Now, a team of researchers from Penn State and Colorado State has demonstrated how a gold cluster can mimic these gaseous, trapped atoms, allowing scientists to take advantage of these spin properties in a system that can be easily scaled up.

…

A July 22, 2025 Penn State news release (also on EurekAlert) by Gail McCormick, which originated the news item, reveals more about the work which resulted in two published papers, Note: Links have been removed,

“For the first time, we show that gold nanoclusters have the same key spin properties as the current state-of-the-art methods for quantum information systems,” said Ken Knappenberger, department head and professor of chemistry in the Penn State Eberly College of Science and leader of the research team. “Excitingly, we can also manipulate an important property called spin polarization in these clusters, which is usually fixed in a material. These clusters can be easily synthesized in relatively large quantities, making this work a promising proof-of-concept that gold clusters could be used to support a variety of quantum applications.”

Two papers describing the gold clusters and confirming their spin properties appeared in ACS Central Science, ACS Central Science and The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

“An electron’s spin not only influences important chemical reactions, but also quantum applications like computation and sensing,” said Nate Smith, graduate student in chemistry in the Penn State Eberly College of Science and first author of one of the papers. “The direction an electron spins and its alignment with respect to other electrons in the system can directly impact the accuracy and longevity of quantum information systems.”

Much like the Earth spins around its axis, which is tilted with respect to the sun, an electron can spin around its axis, which can be tilted with respect to its nucleus. But unlike Earth, an electron can spin clockwise or counterclockwise. When many electrons in a material are spinning in the same direction and their tilts are aligned, the electrons are considered correlated, and the material is said to have a high degree of spin polarization.

“Materials with electrons that are highly correlated, with a high degree of spin polarization, can maintain this correlation for a much longer time, and thus remain accurate for much longer,” Smith said.

The current state-of-the-art system for high accuracy and low error in quantum information systems involve trapped atomic ions — atoms with an electric charge — in a gaseous state. This system allows electrons to be excited to different energy levels, called Rydberg states, which have very specific spin polarizations that can last for a long period of time. It also allows for the superposition of electrons, with electrons existing in multiple states simultaneously until they are measured, which is a key property for quantum systems.

“These trapped gaseous ions are by nature dilute, which makes them very difficult to scale up,” Knappenberger said. “The condensed phase required for a solid material, by definition, packs atoms together, losing that dilute nature. So, scaling up provides all the right electronic ingredients, but these systems become very sensitive to interference from the environment. The environment basically scrambles all the information that you encoded into the system, so the rate of error becomes very high. In this study, we found that gold clusters can mimic all the best properties of the trapped gaseous ions with the benefit of scalability.”

Scientists have heavily studied gold nanostructures for their potential use in optical technology, sensing, therapeutics and to speed up chemical reactions, but less is known about their magnetic and spin-dependent properties. In the current studies, the researchers specifically explored monolayer-protected clusters, which have a core of gold and are surrounded by other molecules called ligands. The researchers can precisely control the construction of these clusters and can synthesize relatively large amounts at one time.

“These clusters are referred to as super atoms, because their electronic character is like that of an atom, and now we know their spin properties are also similar,” Smith said. “We identified 19 distinguishable and unique Rydberg-like spin-polarized states that mimic the super-positions that we could do in the trapped, gas-phase dilute ions. This means the clusters have the key properties needed to carry out spin-based operations.”

The researchers determined the spin polarization of the gold clusters using a similar method used with traditional atoms. While one type of gold cluster had 7% spin polarization, a cluster with different a ligand approached 40% spin polarization, which Knappenberger said is competitive with some of the leading two-dimensional quantum materials.

“This tells us that the spin properties of the electron are intimately related to the vibrations of the ligands,” Knappenberger said. “Traditionally, quantum materials have a fixed value of spin polarization that cannot be significantly changed, but our results suggest we can modify the ligand of these gold clusters to tune this property widely.”

The research team plans to explore how different structures within the ligands impact spin polarization and how they could be manipulated to fine tune spin properties.

“The quantum field is generally dominated by researchers in physics and materials science, and here we see the opportunity for chemists to use our synthesis skills to design materials with tunable results,” Knappenberger said. “This is a new frontier in quantum information science.”

In addition to Smith and Knappenberger, the research team includes Juniper Foxley, graduate student in chemistry at Penn State; Patrick Herbert, who earned a doctoral degree in chemistry at Penn State in 2019; Jane Knappenberger, researcher in the Penn State Eberly College of Science; as well as Marcus Tofanelli and Christopher Ackerson at Colorado State

Funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the U.S. National Science Foundation supported this research.

At Penn State, researchers are solving real problems that impact the health, safety and quality of life of people across the commonwealth, the nation and around the world.

For decades, federal support for research has fueled innovation that makes our country safer, our industries more competitive and our economy stronger. Recent federal funding cuts threaten this progress.

Learn more about the implications of federal funding cuts to our future at Research or Regress. [Research or Regress can found here]

Here are links to and citation for the paper,

The Influence of Passivating Ligand Identity on Au25(SR)18 Spin-Polarized Emission by Nathanael L. Smith, Patrick J. Herbert, Marcus A. Tofanelli, Jane A. Knappenberger, Christopher J. Ackerson, Kenneth L. Knappenberger Jr. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2025, 16, 20, 5168–5172 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c00723 Published May 15, 2025 Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society

This paper is behind a paywall.

Diverse Superatomic Magnetic and Spin Properties of Au144(SC8H9)60 Clusters by Juniper Foxley, Marcus Tofanelli, Jane A. Knappenberger, Christopher J. Ackerson, Kenneth L. Knappenberger Jr ACS Central Science 2025, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.5c00139
Published May 29, 2025 © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0 .

This paper is open access.

Lead into gold, the second time around

There are reasons why news releases are issued twice and/or months after a research paper was published. Whoever is scanning for news may have missed it or it was a big news day and science was not top of mind or e.g., a number of teams are publishing research in your field and are generating a lot of interest and you hope your institution will benefit from it.

This August 11, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily resuscitates a story from May 2025,

Nuclear physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider recently made headlines by achieving the centuries-old dream of alchemists (and nightmare of precious-metals investors): They transformed lead into gold.

At least for a fraction of a second. The scientists reported their results in Physical Reviews.

The accomplishment at the Large Hadron Collider, the 17-mile particle accelerator buried under the French-Swiss border, happened within a sophisticated and sensitive detector called ALICE, a scientific instrument roughly the size of a McMansion.

…

A July 30, 2025 University of Kansas news release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the August 11, 2025 news item, adds new details about the work, Note: A link has been removed,

It was scientists from the University of Kansas, working on the ALICE experiment, who developed the technique that tracked “ultra-peripheral” collisions between protons and ions that made gold in the LHC.

“Usually in collider experiments, we make the particles crash into each other to produce lots of debris,” said Daniel Tapia Takaki, professor of physics and leader of KU’s group at ALICE. “But in ultra-peripheral collisions, we’re interested in what happens when the particles don’t hit each other. These are near misses. The ions pass close enough to interact — but without touching. There’s no physical overlap.”

The ions racing around the LHC tunnel are heavy nuclei with many protons, each generating powerful electric fields. When accelerated, these charged ions emit photons — they shine light.

“When you accelerate an electric charge to near light speeds, it starts shining,” Tapia Takaki said. “One ion can shine light that essentially takes a picture of the other. When that light is energetic enough, it can probe deep inside the other nucleus, like a high-energy flashbulb.”

The KU researcher said during these UPC “flashes” surprising interactions can occur, including the rate event that sparked worldwide attention.

“Sometimes, the photons from both ions interact with each other — what we call photon-photon collisions,” he said. “These events are incredibly clean, with almost nothing else produced. They contrast with typical collisions where we see sprays of particles flying everywhere.”

However, the ALICE detector and the LHC were designed to collect data on head-on collisions that result in messy sprays of particles.

“These clean interactions were hard to detect with earlier setups,” Tapia Takaki said. “Our group at KU pioneered new techniques to study them. We built up this expertise years ago when it was not a popular subject.”

These methods allowed for the news-making discovery that the LHC team transmuted lead into gold momentarily via ultra-peripheral collisions where lead ions lose three protons (turning the speck of lead into a gold speck) for a fraction of a second.

Tapia Takaki’s KU co-authors on the paper are graduate student Anna Binoy; graduate student Amrit Gautam; postdoctoral researcher Tommaso Isidori; postdoctoral research assistant Anisa Khatun; and research scientist Nicola Minafra.

The KU team at the LHC ALICE experiment plans to continue studying the ultra-peripheral collisions. Tapia Takaki said that while the creation of gold fascinated the public, the potential of understanding the interactions goes deeper.

“This light is so energetic, it can knock protons out of the nucleus,” he said. “Sometimes one, sometimes two, three or even four protons. We can see these ejected protons directly with our detectors.”

Each proton removed changes the elements: One gives thallium, two gives mercury, three gives gold.

“These new nuclei are very short-lived,” he said. “They decay quickly, but not always immediately. Sometimes they travel along the beamline and hit parts of the collider — triggering safety systems.”

That’s why this research matters beyond the headlines.

“With proposals for future colliders even larger than the LHC — some up to 100 kilometers in Europe and China — you need to understand these nuclear byproducts,” Tapia Takaki said. “This ‘alchemy’ may be crucial for designing the next generation of machines.”

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics.

Here’s a new link and citation, which includes each team member’s name, for the paper,

Proton emission in ultraperipheral Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV by S. Acharya, A. Agarwal, G. Aglieri Rinella, L. Aglietta, M. Agnello, N. Agrawal, Z. Ahammed, S. Ahmad, S. U. Ahn, I. Ahuja, A. Akindinov, V. Akishina, M. Al-Turany, D. Aleksandrov, B. Alessandro, H. M. Alfanda, R. Alfaro Molina, B. Ali, A. Alici, N. Alizadehvandchali, A. Alkin, J. Alme, G. Alocco, T. Alt, A. R. Altamura, I. Altsybeev, J. R. Alvarado, C. O. R. Alvarez, M. N. Anaam, C. Andrei, N. Andreou, A. Andronic, E. Andronov, V. Anguelov, F. Antinori, P. Antonioli, N. Apadula, L. Aphecetche, H. Appelshäuser, C. Arata, S. Arcelli, R. Arnaldi, J. G. M. C. A. Arneiro, I. C. Arsene, M. Arslandok, A. Augustinus, R. Averbeck, D. Averyanov, M. D. Azmi, H. Baba, A. Badalà, J. Bae, Y. Bae, Y. W. Baek, X. Bai, R. Bailhache, Y. Bailung, R. Bala, A. Baldisseri, B. Balis, Z. Banoo, V. Barbasova, F. Barile, L. Barioglio, M. Barlou, B. Barman, G. G. Barnaföldi, L. S. Barnby, E. Barreau, V. Barret, L. Barreto, C. Bartels, K. Barth, E. Bartsch, N. Bastid, S. Basu, G. Batigne, D. Battistini, B. Batyunya, D. Bauri, J. L. Bazo Alba, I. G. Bearden, C. Beattie, P. Becht, D. Behera, I. Belikov, A. D. C. Bell Hechavarria, F. Bellini, R. Bellwied, S. Belokurova, L. G. E. Beltran, Y. A. V. Beltran, G. Bencedi, A. Bensaoula, S. Beole, Y. Berdnikov, A. Berdnikova, L. Bergmann, M. G. Besoiu, L. Betev, P. P. Bhaduri, A. Bhasin, B. Bhattacharjee, L. Bianchi, J. Bielčík, J. Bielčíková, A. P. Bigot, A. Bilandzic, A. Binoy, G. Biro, S. Biswas, N. Bize, J. T. Blair, D. Blau, M. B. Blidaru, N. Bluhme, C. Blume, F. Bock, T. Bodova, J. Bok, L. Boldizsár, M. Bombara, P. M. Bond, G. Bonomi, H. Borel, A. Borissov, A. G. Borquez Carcamo, E. Botta, Y. E. M. Bouziani, D. C. Brandibur, L. Bratrud, P. Braun-Munzinger, M. Bregant, M. Broz, G. E. Bruno, V. D. Buchakchiev, M. D. Buckland, D. Budnikov, H. Buesching, S. Bufalino, P. Buhler, N. Burmasov, Z. Buthelezi, A. Bylinkin, S. A. Bysiak, J. C. Cabanillas Noris, M. F. T. Cabrera, H. Caines, A. Caliva, E. Calvo Villar, J. M. M. Camacho, P. Camerini, F. D. M. Canedo, S. L. Cantway, M. Carabas, A. A. Carballo, F. Carnesecchi, R. Caron, L. A. D. Carvalho, J. Castillo Castellanos, M. Castoldi, F. Catalano, S. Cattaruzzi, R. Cerri, I. Chakaberia, P. Chakraborty, S. Chandra, S. Chapeland, M. Chartier, S. Chattopadhay, M. Chen, T. Cheng, C. Cheshkov, D. Chiappara, V. Chibante Barroso, D. D. Chinellato, E. S. Chizzali, J. Cho, S. Cho, P. Chochula, Z. A. Chochulska, D. Choudhury, S. Choudhury, P. Christakoglou, C. H. Christensen, P. Christiansen, T. Chujo, M. Ciacco, C. Cicalo, F. Cindolo, M. R. Ciupek, G. Clai, F. Colamaria, J. S. Colburn, D. Colella, A. Colelli, M. Colocci, M. Concas, G. Conesa Balbastre, Z. Conesa del Valle, G. Contin, J. G. Contreras, M. L. Coquet, P. Cortese, M. R. Cosentino, F. Costa, S. Costanza, P. Crochet, M. M. Czarnynoga, A. Dainese, G. Dange, M. C. Danisch, A. Danu, P. Das, S. Das, A. R. Dash, S. Dash, A. De Caro, G. de Cataldo, J. de Cuveland, A. De Falco, D. De Gruttola, N. De Marco, C. De Martin, S. De Pasquale, R. Deb, R. Del Grande, L. Dello Stritto, W. Deng, K. C. Devereaux, G. G. A. de Souza, P. Dhankher, D. Di Bari, A. Di Mauro, B. Di Ruzza, B. Diab, R. A. Diaz, Y. Ding, J. Ditzel, R. Divià, Ø. Djuvsland, U. Dmitrieva, A. Dobrin, B. Dönigus, J. M. Dubinski, A. Dubla, P. Dupieux, N. Dzalaiova, T. M. Eder, R. J. Ehlers, F. Eisenhut, R. Ejima, D. Elia, B. Erazmus, F. Ercolessi, B. Espagnon, G. Eulisse, D. Evans, S. Evdokimov, L. Fabbietti, M. Faggin, J. Faivre, F. Fan, W. Fan, A. Fantoni, M. Fasel, G. Feofilov, A. Fernández Téllez, L. Ferrandi, M. B. Ferrer, A. Ferrero, C. Ferrero, A. Ferretti, V. J. G. Feuillard, V. Filova, D. Finogeev, F. M. Fionda, E. Flatland, F. Flor, A. N. Flores, S. Foertsch, I. Fokin, S. Fokin, U. Follo, E. Fragiacomo, E. Frajna, U. Fuchs, N. Funicello, C. Furget, A. Furs, T. Fusayasu, J. J. Gaardhøje, M. Gagliardi, A. M. Gago, T. Gahlaut, C. D. Galvan, S. Gami, D. R. Gangadharan, P. Ganoti, C. Garabatos, J. M. Garcia, T. García Chávez, E. Garcia-Solis, S. Garetti, C. Gargiulo, P. Gasik, H. M. Gaur, A. Gautam, M. B. Gay Ducati, M. Germain, R. A. Gernhaeuser, C. Ghosh, M. Giacalone, G. Gioachin, S. K. Giri, P. Giubellino, P. Giubilato, A. M. C. Glaenzer, P. Glässel, E. Glimos, D. J. Q. Goh, V. Gonzalez, P. Gordeev, M. Gorgon, K. Goswami, S. Gotovac, V. Grabski, L. K. Graczykowski, E. Grecka, A. Grelli, C. Grigoras, V. Grigoriev, S. Grigoryan, F. Grosa, J. F. Grosse-Oetringhaus, R. Grosso, D. Grund, N. A. Grunwald, G. G. Guardiano, R. Guernane, M. Guilbaud, K. Gulbrandsen, J. J. W. K. Gumprecht, T. Gündem, T. Gunji, W. Guo, A. Gupta, R. Gupta, R. Gupta, K. Gwizdziel, L. Gyulai, C. Hadjidakis, F. U. Haider, S. Haidlova, M. Haldar, H. Hamagaki, Y. Han, B. G. Hanley, R. Hannigan, J. Hansen, M. R. Haque, J. W. Harris, A. Harton, M. V. Hartung, H. Hassan, D. Hatzifotiadou, P. Hauer, L. B. Havener, E. Hellbär, H. Helstrup, M. Hemmer, T. Herman, S. G. Hernandez, G. Herrera Corral, S. Herrmann, K. F. Hetland, B. Heybeck, H. Hillemanns, B. Hippolyte, I. P. M. Hobus, F. W. Hoffmann, B. Hofman, M. Horst, A. Horzyk, Y. Hou, P. Hristov, P. Huhn, L. M. Huhta, T. J. Humanic, A. Hutson, D. Hutter, M. C. Hwang, R. Ilkaev, M. Inaba, G. M. Innocenti, M. Ippolitov, A. Isakov, T. Isidori, M. S. Islam, S. Iurchenko, M. Ivanov, M. Ivanov, V. Ivanov, K. E. Iversen, M. Jablonski, B. Jacak, N. Jacazio, P. M. Jacobs, S. Jadlovska, J. Jadlovsky, S. Jaelani, C. Jahnke, M. J. Jakubowska, M. A. Janik, T. Janson, S. Ji, S. Jia, T. Jiang, A. A. P. Jimenez, F. Jonas, D. M. Jones, J. M. Jowett, J. Jung, M. Jung, A. Junique, A. Jusko, J. Kaewjai, P. Kalinak, A. Kalweit, A. Karasu Uysal, D. Karatovic, N. Karatzenis, O. Karavichev, T. Karavicheva, E. Karpechev, M. J. Karwowska, U. Kebschull, M. Keil, B. Ketzer, J. Keul, S. S. Khade, A. M. Khan, S. Khan, A. Khanzadeev, Y. Kharlov, A. Khatun, A. Khuntia, Z. Khuranova, B. Kileng, B. Kim, C. Kim, D. J. 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This paper is open access. A PDF version is available here. h/t to ScienceDaily for the complete list of names

Quantum Potential, a report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) part one of two: The expert panel, the Canadian quantum scene and more

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It seems there’s a big international race to develop quantum technologies. Artificial intelligence and space exploration may get more publicity but quantum technologies appear to be rapidly reaching a point at which they will achieve the same level of public interest and recognition. (Or not, I’m not always successful with my predictions.) Meanwhile, interested Canadian science policy wonks can read the Council of Canadian Academies’ (CCA) report, Quantum Potential.

Usually, I would launch into a commentary about the report (which I should have gotten to months ago when it came out in November 2023) but first, the expert panel and, by extension, Canada’s quantum scene, which continues to fascinate me. Aside from a few miscellaneous comments at the end of part one, the great bulk of the report commentary is in part two [link to be added when part two published].

Canada’s quantum scene and the CCA’s expert panel

Things have changed since I first mentioned the then upcoming report on quantum technologies from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). There was a report title change and some personnel changes on the expert panel (for my original announcement, see the July 26, 2022 posting (scroll down to the “Quantum Technologies and the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA)” subhead).

Change #1

The Expert Panel on Quantum Technologies is now called the Expert Panel on the Responsible Adoption of Quantum Technologies. Second, Stephanie Simmons who was announced as a member of the expert panel is not listed as such in the report published November 2023. Instead she is listed on p. 12 in the PDF version or p. xii in the paper version as a peer reviewer. Between May 2022 when she was announced as a member of the expert panel and January 2023, she was appointed as co-chair of Canada’s new National Quantum Strategy. Here’s more from the Simon Fraser University (SFU) January 13, 2023 news release, Note 1: Simmons is still listed there as a member of the expert panel with its previous name. Note 2: Links have been removed,

SFU physicist Stephanie Simmons will help steer Canada’s new National Quantum Strategy as co-chair of its advisory council. The strategy, launched today by the federal government and supported by a $360 million commitment, will help shape the future of quantum technologies in Canada.

Simmons, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Silicon Quantum Technologies at SFU and is also founder and chief quantum officer at Photonic, will co-chair the council with physics and astronomy professor Raymond Laflamme, founding director of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo.

The role will mean working with top officials and experts in Canada and abroad to strengthen Canadian research, talent and commercialization.

The national strategy aims to reinforce Canada as a world leader in the continued development of technologies, including support for Canadian developers and early adopters of new quantum sensing technologies, and equipping the country with a secure quantum communications network and post-quantum cryptography capabilities.

The field of quantum technology is considered key to fueling Canada’s economy, long-term resilience and growth, especially as technologies mature and more sectors harness quantum capabilities.

Last fall, Simmons was recognized with a prestigious Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship, one of only six awarded nationally. The $250,000 fellowship is awarded by NSERC to academic researchers who focus on the natural sciences and engineering, to support their research as they become leaders in their fields.

Simmons works collaboratively with the Quantum Algorithms Institute (QAI), hosted at SFU’s Surrey campus. She was also recently appointed to the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Quantum Technologies.

Launch of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy

This Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED January 13, 2023 news release provides at least one small surprise,

Strategy will see major investments in quantum research, talent and commercialization

January 13, 2023 – Waterloo, Ontario

Quantum science and technologies are at the leading edge of research and innovation, with enormous potential for commercialization and game-changing advances, including more effective drug design, better climate forecasting, improved navigation and innovations in clean technologies. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the continued growth of this emerging sector as it helps drive Canada’s economy and supports highly skilled, well-paying jobs.

Today [January 13, 2023], the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the launch of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy, which will shape the future of quantum technologies in Canada and help create thousands of jobs. Backed by an investment of $360 million committed in Budget 2021, the strategy will amplify Canada’s existing global leadership in quantum research and grow Canada’s quantum technologies, companies and talent.

Minister Champagne was joined at the launch by Dr. Raymond Laflamme [emphasis mine], professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, and Dr. Stephanie Simmons [emphasis mine], associate professor in the Department of Physics and Canada Research Chair in Silicon Quantum Technologies at Simon Fraser University and founder and Chief Quantum Officer of Photonic Inc. Drs. Laflamme and Simmons [emphasis mine] will serve as co-chairs of a new Quantum Advisory Council, which will provide independent expert advice on the implementation of the strategy.

The National Quantum Strategy is driven by three missions in key quantum technology areas:

Computing hardware and software—to make Canada a world leader in the continued development, deployment and use of these technologies
Communications—to equip Canada with a national secure quantum communications network and post-quantum cryptography capabilities
Sensors—to support Canadian developers and early adopters of new quantum sensing technologies

The missions will be advanced through investments in three pillars:

Research—$141 million to support basic and applied research to realize new solutions and new innovations
Talent—$45 million to develop and retain quantum expertise and talent in Canada, as well as attract experts from within Canada and around the world, to build the quantum sector
Commercialization—$169 million to translate research into scalable commercial products and services that will benefit Canadians, our industries and the world

Efforts under the strategy are already under way. To reinforce Canada’s research strengths in quantum science and help develop a talent pipeline to support the growth of a strong quantum community, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is delivering an investment of $137.9 million through its Alliance grants and Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) grants.

Mitacs will deliver $40 million to support the attraction, training, retention and deployment of highly qualified personnel in quantum science and technology through innovation internship experiences and professional skills development.

The Quantum Research and Development Initiative (QRDI), a new $9 million program coordinated and administered by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), is being established to grow collaborative, federal quantum research and development. QRDI will bring government—offering expertise and infrastructure—and academic and industrial partners together to work on advancing quantum technologies under the three missions of the National Quantum Strategy.

To help translate quantum science and research into commercial innovations that generate economic benefits and support the adoption of made-in-Canada solutions by businesses, the NRC is receiving $50 million to expand the Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge program and roll out its Applied Quantum Computing Challenge program. As well, Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters are receiving $14 million to carry out activities as part of the Commercialization pillar.

In addition, the government’s flagship strategic procurement program, Innovative Solutions Canada, is receiving $35 million over seven years to help innovative Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises grow, scale up, develop intellectual property, export and create high-value jobs in the quantum sector.

The quantum sector is key to fuelling Canada’s economy, long-term resilience and growth, especially as technologies mature and more sectors harness quantum capabilities. Jobs will span research and science; hardware and software engineering and development, including data engineering; manufacturing; technical support; sales and marketing; and business operations. The government will continue working with Canada’s quantum community to ensure the success of not only the National Quantum Strategy but also the Canadian scientists and entrepreneurs who are well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.

…

Interesting that Raymond Laflamme remained chair on the panel while Simmons shifted to becoming a peer reviewer for the report. At a guess, it was too much work to do both so they somewhat split responsibilities. He did the heavy lifting with the expert panel while she did the heavy lifting with the national strategy.

As for Canada working with the United Kingdom to develop innovative quantum products and more, I wonder why the UK in particular. I must remember to look for hints as to why, when (or possibly if I have time) in another Council of Canadian Academies report, “Navigating Collaborative Futures,” published February 14, 2024 (Valentine’s Day, eh?).

Getting back to the ISED news release, I didn’t see anything pertaining to intellectual property (IP). It seems to be an odd gap. Perhaps it’s covered in the report, which I haven’t read yet.

Change #2

Jacqueline Bartlett, Associate Professor, Tech Sector, Faculty of Business, Memorial University of Newfoundland was added to the panel.

Change #3

Jacqueline Walsh, Instructor; Director, initio Technology & Innovation Law Clinic, Dalhousie University, is not listed as a member of the expert panel in the final report.

Summing it up

Stephanie Simmons a professor of physics drops off the expert panel and so did Jacqueline Walsh, law professor, Dalhousie University while Jacqueline Bartlett, a professor of law from Memorial University becomes a member of the panel for a net loss of one. So, the person with legal credentials is effectively replaced while the physicist is not.

I don’t recall seeing any other expert panels (for previous reports I’ve reviewed) losing members. Of course, the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has stepped up its production of reports considerably. and it’s understandable that there might be more attrition on the expert panels.

Still, I’m struggling to find a way to describe Canada’s quantum community and the best I can do is that it’s the most visibly volatile science community in the country.as observed in my July 26, 2022 posting (scroll down to the ‘Canadian quantum scene’ subhead).

Quantum Potential

In a November 20, 2023 Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) news release, The Expert Panel on the Responsible Adoption of Quantum Technologies announced the launch of its completed report,

Quantum technologies are poised to play a major role in Canada’s future, from its national security to its economic standing. While Canada is among the global leaders in quantum research, it nevertheless faces challenges in the adoption of these technologies as they approach market readiness. Quantum Potential, a new expert panel report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), outlines a responsible approach to quantum-technology adoption — a critical step toward ensuring Canada’s global competitiveness in the decades ahead.

“A century of quantum physics research propelled a technological revolution that now supports the foundations of modern society,” said Raymond Laflamme, chair of the Expert Panel on the Responsible Adoption of Quantum Technologies. “As quantum technologies emerge, it’s essential to think carefully about how policy should shape their adoption by end users — and how Canada might best navigate the accompanying challenges and opportunities.”

Quantum Potential considers quantum computing, sensing, and communications, three categories of quantum technology at varying levels of maturity. While these technologies may strengthen digital infrastructure, improve data security, and optimize processes across a range of economic sectors, they also pose significant risks, such as misuse by malicious actors. Risks associated with quantum technologies span ethical, legal, social, and policy realms; without sufficient consideration, they may compromise public trust in quantum technologies, limit research funding, and stifle innovation.

The adoption of quantum technologies in Canada may require programs designed to stimulate demand – including government procurement, pro-competition policies, and the cultivation of a quantum-ready workforce. To date, government support has encouraged the development of quantum technologies, with significantly less attention to stimulating technology diffusion and adoption.

As part of its assessment, the expert panel reviewed the Government of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy, released early this year. Quantum Potential spotlights ethical, legal, social, and policy issues posed by quantum technologies as critical considerations for their responsible adoption by public and private sectors across Canada.

“While the timeline for widespread adoption of quantum technologies may be unclear, Canada’s quantum readiness depends on our deepest consideration of the risks and benefits these technologies pose,” said Eric Meslin, President and CEO of the CCA. “Quantum Potential provides essential guidance toward a future shaped by a new wave of innovative technologies.”

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, and three other supporting federal departments asked the CCA to assess opportunities and challenges related to the adoption of quantum technologies in Canada. Quantum Potential explores the commercialization potential of quantum technologies, articulates Canada’s position within the global quantum value chain, and examines those conditions and policy levers that might promote their responsible adoption.

If you want the Main findings, there’s a graphic representation (one page) here.

Now for the report. (Yes, I’ve now read it.) For anyone who wants to read the whole report themselves, Quantum Potential was published November 2023.

Quick overview of the international aspects (two panel members) & the questions

There was some international input in the person of two expert panel members, Elham Kashefi, Professor of Quantum Computing, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh; Chief Scientist, UK National Quantum Computing Centre; Directeur de recherche au CNRS, LIP6 Sorbonne Université (Paris, France) and Mauritz Kop, Founding Director, Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum
Technology, Stanford University (Stanford, CA). Again, the main international inputs on an expert panel are from the UK (and, nominally, France) and the US.

Out of a total of 13 expert panel members, four are women. Only one is a physicist, one is a professor of quantum computing, and the other two are a professor of business and a business consultant, respectively. (It’s not great but the number of women on the expert panel seems to be a reflection of the numbers in the field. “When it comes to attracting women researchers to quantum fields in Canada, ‘there is huge competition for the relatively few female candidates in quantum technologies, but this has not necessarily translated into more women entering relevant programs of study’ [ISED, 2022d].” [p. 101 in the paper version and p. 129 in the PDF version]) As for geographical representation, that’s relatively even-handed although the far north (as almost always) is not represented. Perhaps with the founding of a university on traditional Inuit lands (see November 27, 2024 CBC story about Inuit Nunangat University), the lack of northern representation can be addressed in the future.

The peer reviewers include James Der Derian, Director/Professor, Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia) and Jacob Taylor, NIST Fellow, National Institute of Standards and Technology (Cambridge, MA). This time the international scene is represented by Australia and the US (again). Swapping out someone who represents the UK (and, nominally, France) with someone representing another Commonwealth country doesn’t seem all that exciting.

It can be difficult to find people who bring in diverse perspectives. It’s human nature, people tend to recommend others in their own circles and most of us do not have diverse networks. It would be nice if the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) could break out from a pattern (of over 10 years) of US-centrie and UK/Commonwealth-centric representation. However, there’s something else that may affect attempts to get a wider range of experiences represented on the panel, current geopolitical tensions.

I have never before seen a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) acknowledgement in a CCA report,

Unnamed officials of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) [from page xiv in the print version and page 14 in the PDF version]

As for the government departments that requested the report, two are identified: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) plus three other unidentified departments (p. xv of the paper version or p. 15 of the PDF version of the report).

Executive summary

Here’s one of the better executive summaries that I’ve seen in these reports, from Quantum Potential,

…

Answering the Charge

In light of current trends affecting the evolution of quantum technologies, what opportunities and challenges do these present in Canada?

Scientific and engineering obstacles currently impede the commercialization and adoption of most quantum technologies. Although existing quantum computing prototypes have scientific value and promise some computational advantage, large-scale quantum computing is unlikely to reach technological maturity in the next 10 years [emphasis mine]. Similarly, in the domain of quantum communications, quantum key distribution (QKD) needs to overcome significant limitations on distance, speed, and cost to reach the commercialization stage [emphasis mine]. In the near term, most efforts to strengthen the security of communications against decryption by quantum computers will likely prioritize classically based quantum-resistant cryptography (QRC). Among the different quantum technologies, sensors may be the closest to commercialization and adoption, but they still face a number of technical and cost-related challenges.

In light of these trends, any estimates that forecast the adoption timelines and economic benefits of quantum technologies are still speculative and can contribute to a hype narrative. While hype is not inherently bad [emphasis mine] (e.g., it can help drive research and development), a failure of quantum technologies to deliver on exaggerated or sensationalist promises could undermine public trust in innovation, reduce research funding, and deter end-users from adopting solutions that can be beneficial for their organizations. The extent to which the economic potential of commercially available quantum technologies is realized in Canada depends on the adopting sectors. Some sectors often cited as early adopters (e.g., pharmaceuticals, chemistry) make relatively small contributions to Canada’s gross domestic product [emphasis mine]. To better realize the economic potential of quantum technologies, diffusion and adoption strategies could target the applications of quantum in sectors of particular economic importance to Canada, such as natural resources and healthcare.

In addition to offering economic benefits, quantum technologies could enhance the security of infrastructure and data, improve the precision of measurements, and optimize and simulate various processes. QRC [quantum-resistant cryptography] and quantum sensors — two technologies that are closer to commercialization [emphases mine] — have applications in various sectors, including finance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. The main function of QRC (and QKD) in any sector is protecting the security of stored and transmitted data from decryption by a future quantum computer. The opportunities offered by quantum sensors, on the other hand, depend on their applications in different industries. They can be used, for example, to develop navigation systems for submarines (defence), to detect soil conditions (agriculture), to monitor the integrity of infrastructure (energy), and to detect and identify underground deposits without drilling or excavation (mining; oil and gas). The purported benefits of quantum computing lie in its ability to optimize and simulate processes and predict events [emphasis mine]. For example, quantum computers can be used to run simulations that could help researchers understand chemical reactions and design better catalysts, to optimize logistics and supply chain management in the transportation and defence sectors, and to develop more accurate predictictions [sic] and recommendations in the healthcare and finance sectors.

What are the enabling conditions to ensure broad access to and market readiness for quantum technologies in Canada?

International dependencies and the scarcity of components and materials can create bottlenecks in the path to market readiness for quantum technologies in Canada [emphasis mine]. Some raw materials (e.g., Rubidium-87, Calcium-43, Barium isotopes, Helium-3) and manufactured components required to fabricate quantum technologies (e.g., specialized nanofabrication and microfabrication techniques and materials, cryogenic devices) are scarce and can only be obtained from a handful of foreign suppliers. While a roadmapping process can help identify potential bottlenecks in the path to commercialization, the provenance of certain components or materials is unknown in some cases. International co-operation is instrumental in securing the supply chain for the production of quantum technologies in Canada. Domestic production of components used in many quantum technologies (e.g., photonics devices) could give Canadian quantum companies some leverage [emphasis mine] in global supply chains and international partnerships.

Quantum hubs encompassing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), business support services, and research institutes have emerged in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. They can rely on a number of technology transfer strategies — the sale or licensing of intellectual property, the establishment of companies, and the transfer of personnel from academia to industry — to advance the market readiness of quantum technologies. Promising technology transfer practices, however, are difficult to identify due to a lack of quantitative and qualitative data assessing their effectiveness. Moreover, clustered distribution of quantum expertise can lead to regional disparities. Some regions do not have quantum hubs and are absent from the commercialization pillar of the NQS. This can frustrate the diffusion of technologies across the country and exacerbate inequities among regions and communities.

What are the main socioeconomic, regulatory, and ethical challenges related to the adoption of quantum technologies in Canada?

The adoption of quantum technologies involves a number of interrelated ethical, legal, social, and policy implications (ELSPI). The panel analyzed these implications through an approach (Quantum ELSPI) that takes a pro-innovation stance on quantum technologies and seeks to maximize benefits and mitigate risks related to their adoption, which presents both new and familiar challenges. For example, the potential for quantum computing to decrypt frequently used
encryption systems presents privacy and national security risks on a scale never seen before. Malicious actors could use quantum computers to hack personal data and compromise the security of the infrastructure underpinning important societal functions, such as healthcare, financial, and industrial systems. Even if quantum technologies are used solely for legitimate purposes, some actors may exploit the inherent scientific complexity of quantum mechanics to facilitate the spread and public acceptance of misinformation about quantum technologies. This may erode public trust, limit research funding, slow the evolution of quantum technologies, and stifle technology adoption by end-users.

Some existing social and ethical challenges will be exacerbated by quantum technologies’ ability to optimize familiar processes, including surveillance, automated decision-making, and natural resource mining. To the extent that quantum-enabled automated decision-making systems are trained on bad data, they may amplify discriminatory practices against underrepresented and
racialized people and groups. Moreover, quantum-enhanced scrutiny and contextualization of information about people (also known as the process of sensemaking) can minimize privacy protections and optimize machine-learning instruments that commodify personal data. Finally, some types of quantum sensing present risks to privacy due to their ability to conduct remote searches and public surveillance. Privacy law may protect people against some forms of quantum-based surveillance, but legal reforms will be necessary to address the heightened risk of the identification of previously anonymized data (i.e., data re-identification) for the purposes of predictions, surveillance, and decision-making.

Limited access to quantum technologies can amplify the digital divide among people, regions, and countries. Big technology firms are establishing their dominance in the quantum sector, particularly in quantum computing, by acquiring smaller firms or offering quantum computing as a service. The concentration of quantum computing in the hands of only a few companies may lead to access disparities between economically advantaged and disadvantaged groups, and among users in different countries and regions of the world.

The abuse of market power by large quantum companies located in foreign jurisdictions is particularly relevant for Canada, whose economic growth relies on SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises]. Prohibitive costs and a lack of expertise prevent domestic SMEs from adopting innovative technological solutions to grow their business. Canada’s competition policy as well as various protections afforded by intellectual property law may enable major market players to achieve and maintain their dominance in the quantum sector, creating obstacles for Canadian SMEs willing to adopt quantum technologies.

A responsible approach to the adoption of quantum technologies within the framework of Quantum ELSPI consists of state-sanctioned and self-regulating measures that anticipate, prevent, and mitigate harms and risks. This approach draws on a historic analysis of policy responses to other innovations having a systemic impact on society (e.g., semiconductors, artificial intelligence, nuclear technology, nanotechnology), while recognizing the unique properties of quantum technologies. It aims to engage stakeholders, civil society, and international partners in the adoption process, and to address central aspects of that adoption, such as public perception, public trust, and regulatory gaps. Resulting measures and guardrails could include quantum impact assessments (comparable to algorithmic impact assessments), reforms to data protection and privacy law, balancing equitable and controlled access to certain quantum technologies, soft law mechanisms, and responsible research and innovation (including public engagement and education campaigns [emphasis mine]).

What does the current evidence and knowledge suggest regarding promising and leading practices that could be applied to drive and accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies in Canada?

Canada’s innovation policy has historically prioritized the supply side of the innovation process, minimizing the importance of demand-side strategies for technology diffusion and adoption by industry. In the domain of emerging technologies such as quantum, policies tend to prioritize supply-side instruments to a greater extent due to a relatively small number of technology applications and end-users. The adoption of quantum technologies by the public and private sectors may require policies and programs designed to stimulate the demand for innovation (Figure 1). These can include public-private co-operation (including government procurement and other specialized programs, as well as public-private partnerships), regulation, pro-competition oversight and policies, industry-led initiatives, and building a quantum-ready workforce for the adopting sectors. These instruments enable the government to determine the direction of innovation policy and use it to address ethical, socioeconomic, legal, and governance issues.

…

Evidence shows that government procurement is an important policy instrument to incentivize the adoption of new technologies, but existing procurement programs aimed at innovative SMEs are underutilized and do not meet their spending objectives. In addition to procurement, specialized government programs and agencies could facilitate the uptake of quantum technologies in various sectors. The experiences of foreign jurisdictions such as Finland and Germany demonstrate that technology diffusion is the key mandate of successful government programs. Moreover, the potential of government initiatives is contingent upon building strong inter-firm consortia and integrating advanced end-users into technology diffusion networks. Foreign jurisdictions leading in the quantum space (e.g., European Union, United States) are developing specialized industry associations or consortia. Domestically, Quantum Industry Canada unites both producers and users of quantum technologies to, among other things, facilitate the commercialization and adoption of quantum technologies by Canadian companies.

Hybrid cross-sectoral organizations involving governments, industry, and academia (also known as the triple-helix model) have been successful in facilitating technology adoption in some foreign jurisdictions, including Germany and the Netherlands. Such cross-sectoral collaborations can help identify applications for, and accelerate the adoption of, quantum technologies in specific
sectors and help raise awareness of the ELSPI aspects of technology adoption across multiple stakeholders. In Canada, collaborative efforts among academia, industry, and government in biomanufacturing and life sciences could serve as a model for a domestic approach to cross-sectoral partnerships in quantum technologies.

National as well as sector- and technology-specific roadmaps can help stakeholders identify and address various challenges impeding the adoption and commercialization of quantum technologies. In the panel’s opinion, the roadmapping process is one of the most promising technology adoption strategies contained in the NQS. The experiences of foreign jurisdictions (e.g., Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, European Union) show that the
development of national roadmaps usually involves different orders of government and focuses on opportunities for collaboration among stakeholders in the private sector and academia.

Another public-private collaborative approach to encouraging the uptake of quantum technologies is a sector-specific or government advisory board that facilitates discussions among various stakeholders — developers, users, governments, and academia. While government advisory boards (e.g., Quantum Advisory Council in Canada, National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee in the United States) tend to prioritize quantum technology development, alternative models could focus on technology adoption by providing financial assistance to co-operative projects designed by sector-specific boards to, among other things, develop adoption-supporting technological capabilities and infrastructure. This could help identify sector-specific strengths and weaknesses and cultivate relationships among stakeholders within the sector.

Quantum technology companies may implement some industry-led approaches to facilitate technology adoption. These include business-to-business partnerships among technology producers and end-users and the provision of professional support services (e.g., cloud-based quantum computing, education and training, customized applications). A key advantage of this approach is that it gives new or inexperienced end-users access to specialized technology and expertise in a cost- effective way, thereby promoting open innovation.

Many sectors often cited as potential adopters of quantum technologies (e.g., finance, telecommunications, mining, healthcare) are subject to federal and provincial/territorial regulation. Various regulatory interventions, including cybersecurity standards and data privacy rules, may incentivize the adoption of quantum technologies that ensure regulatory compliance. Policies that confer too much discretion on the administrative state, however, could have unintended chilling effects on privacy and human rights. Moreover, regulation cannot substitute for the important role of competition in driving quantum technology adoption. In sectors with high levels of vertical integration, such as telecommunications, pro-competition policy reforms and regulatory oversight could have a spillover effect that helps drive the adoption of quantum technologies.

In order to sell technologies internationally and embed themselves in global supply chains, domestic companies must comply with international technology standards. The lack of standardization is inhibiting the adoption of QRC. In some cases, select countries and the private sector can influence the standards- setting process to advance the international adoption of national or company-specific standards. A coordinated domestic approach is instrumental in ensuring Canada’s meaningful participation in international standards-setting forums.

Even though a variety of programs and instruments can stimulate the diffusion and adoption of quantum technologies, evidence demonstrates significant shortages in a quantum-ready workforce for both developing and adopting sectors. This shortage is likely to increase with the development of new applications and use cases, but there is a lack of reliable projections on personnel needs. Training and education as well as immigration are two complementary strategies to prepare, attract, and retain highly qualified personnel.

When it comes to education, training in quantum technology is largely offered at the graduate level. While some positions in the quantum industry require a PhD, many others (including engineers, software developers, and technicians) do not. A variety of alternative education and training opportunities (including programs offered at the undergraduate and college levels, work-integrated learning, programs for senior executives in the adopting sectors, and hands-on industry
training) can be considered when designing educational curricula. Information about skills needed in the adopting sectors could inform industry-focused programs. Strategies for developing a quantum workforce would benefit from prioritizing the recruitment of groups currently underrepresented in quantum-related disciplines (and in science, technology, engineering and math more broadly)

Canada also depends on immigration to build its quantum-ready workforce. Existing programs for foreign workers and international students (e.g., Global Talent Stream, Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee Program) can help attract and retain talent. Foreign-trained workers and international students, however, face a number of immigration-related obstacles, such as a lack of National Occupational Classification codes for quantum-based occupations, high tuition fees, immigration processing backlogs, and onerous study and work permit fees. Canada’s Express Entry program does not account for a variety of work experiences acquired by international students during their studies, thereby creating systemic barriers to international graduates seeking permanent residency. As an alternative, flexible and agile immigration programs, similar to ones that fuelled the development of the telecommunications sector in the 1990s, could give Canada a leg up when competing for the international talent necessary to stimulate technology adoption and shape quantum innovation on a global level. [pages xv – xxiii in the print version and pages 15 – 23 in the PDF version]

I’m happy to see mention of public engagement and education campaigns and I have thoughts but that’s for later in part two [link to be added when part two published] when I discuss the report.

Your garden as a ‘living artwork’ for insects

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Pollinator Pathmaker Eden Project Edition. Photo Royston Hunt. Courtesy Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg Ltd

I suppose you could call this a kind of citizen science as well as an art project. A September 11, 2024 news item on phys.org describes a new scientific art project designed for insects,

Gardens can become “living artworks” to help prevent the disastrous decline of pollinating insects, according to researchers working on a new project.

Pollinator Pathmaker is an artwork by Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg that uses an algorithm to generate unique planting designs that prioritize pollinators’ needs over human aesthetic tastes.

…

A September 11, 2024 University of Exeter press release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, provides more detail about the research project,

Originally commissioned by the Eden Project in Cornwall in 2021, the general public can access the artist’s online tool (www.pollinator.art) to design and plant their own living artwork for local pollinators.

While pollinators – including bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, ants and beetles – are the main audience, the results may also be appealing to humans.

Pollinator Pathmaker allows users to input the specific details of their garden, including size of plot, location conditions, soil type, and play with how the algorithm will “solve” the planting to optimise it for pollinator diversity, rather than how it looks to humans.

The new research project – led by the universities of Exeter and Edinburgh – has received funding from UK Research and Innovation as part of a new cross research council responsive mode scheme to support exciting interdisciplinary research.

The project aims to demonstrate how an artwork can help to drive innovative ecological conservation, by asking residents in the village of Constantine in Cornwall to plant a network of Pollinator Pathmaker living artworks in their gardens. These will become part of the multidisciplinary study.

“Pollinators are declining rapidly worldwide and – with urban and agricultural areas often hostile to them – gardens are increasingly vital refuges,” said Dr Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“Our research project brings together art, ecology, social science and philosophy to reimagine what gardens are, and what they’re for.

“By reflecting on fundamental questions like these, we will empower people to rethink the way they see gardens.

“We hope Pollinator Pathmaker will help to create connected networks of pollinator-friendly gardens across towns and cities.”

Good luck with the pollinators!

Gene editing to identify and change parts of chicken DNA and limit the spread of bird flu virus

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This news comes from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). From an October 10, 2023 news item on phys.org, Note: A link has been removed,

Scientists have used gene editing techniques to identify and change parts of chicken DNA that could limit the spread of the bird flu virus in the animals.
Researchers were able to restrict—but not completely block—the virus from infecting chickens by altering a small section of their DNA.
The birds showed no signs that the change in their DNA had any impact on their health or well-being.
The findings are an encouraging step forward, but experts highlight that further gene edits would be needed to produce a chicken population which cannot be infected by bird flu—one of the world’s most costly animal diseases.

An October 10, 2023 University of Edinburgh press release, which originated the news item, provides more detail about this research,

Gene editing
Scientists from University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and the Pirbright Institute bred the chickens using gene editing techniques to alter the section of DNA responsible for producing the protein ANP32A. During an infection, flu viruses hijack this molecule to help replicate themselves.
When the ANP32A gene-edited chickens were exposed to a normal dose of the H9N2-UDL strain of avian influenza virus – commonly known as bird flu – 9 out of 10 birds remained uninfected and there was no spread to other chickens.
Partial protection
The research team then exposed the gene-edited birds to an artificially high dose of avian influenza virus to further test their resilience.
When exposed to the high dose, half of the group – 5 out of 10 birds – became infected. However, the gene edit did provide some protection, with the amount of virus in the infected gene-edited chickens much lower than the level typically seen during infection in non-gene-edited chickens.
The gene edit also helped to limit onward spread of the virus to just one of four non-gene-edited chickens placed in the same incubator. There was no transmission to gene-edited birds.
Viral evolution
Scientists found that in the ANP32A gene-edited birds, the virus had adapted to enlist the support of two related proteins – ANP32B and ANP32E – to replicate.
Following lab tests, scientists found that some of the mutations enabled the virus to utilise the human version of ANP32, but its replication remained low in cell cultures from the human airway.
Experts say that additional genetic changes would be needed for the virus to infect and spread effectively in humans.
However, the findings demonstrate that the single ANP32A gene edit is not robust enough for application in the production of chickens, according to the team.
Gene editing
Scientists from University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and the Pirbright Institute bred the chickens using gene editing techniques to alter the section of DNA responsible for producing the protein ANP32A. During an infection, flu viruses hijack this molecule to help replicate themselves.
When the ANP32A gene-edited chickens were exposed to a normal dose of the H9N2-UDL strain of avian influenza virus – commonly known as bird flu – 9 out of 10 birds remained uninfected and there was no spread to other chickens.
Partial protection
The research team then exposed the gene-edited birds to an artificially high dose of avian influenza virus to further test their resilience.
When exposed to the high dose, half of the group – 5 out of 10 birds – became infected. However, the gene edit did provide some protection, with the amount of virus in the infected gene-edited chickens much lower than the level typically seen during infection in non-gene-edited chickens.
The gene edit also helped to limit onward spread of the virus to just one of four non-gene-edited chickens placed in the same incubator. There was no transmission to gene-edited birds.
Viral evolution
Scientists found that in the ANP32A gene-edited birds, the virus had adapted to enlist the support of two related proteins – ANP32B and ANP32E – to replicate.
Following lab tests, scientists found that some of the mutations enabled the virus to utilise the human version of ANP32, but its replication remained low in cell cultures from the human airway.
Experts say that additional genetic changes would be needed for the virus to infect and spread effectively in humans.
However, the findings demonstrate that the single ANP32A gene edit is not robust enough for application in the production of chickens, according to the team.
Further edits
To prevent the emergence of escape viruses – viruses that adapt to evade the gene edit and cause infection – the research team next targeted additional sections of DNA responsible for producing all three proteins – ANP32A, ANP32B and ANP32E – inside lab-grown chicken cells.
In cell cultures in the lab, growth of the virus was successfully blocked in cells with the three gene edits.
The next step will be to try to develop chickens with edits to all three genes. No birds have been produced yet.
The study highlights the importance of responsible gene editing and the need to be alert to the risks of driving viral evolution in unwanted directions if complete resistance is not achieved, experts say.
Bird flu is a major global threat, with a devastating impact in both farmed and wild bird populations. In the UK alone, the current outbreak of H5N1 bird flu has decimated seabird populations and cost the poultry industry more than £100 million in losses.
In rare instances, mutations in the bird flu virus allow it to infect people and cause serious illness. Efforts to control the spread of the disease are urgently needed.
“Bird flu is a great threat to bird populations. Vaccination against the virus poses a number of challenges, with significant practical and cost issues associated with vaccine deployment. Gene-editing offers a promising route towards permanent disease resistance, which could be passed down through generations, protecting poultry and reducing the risks to humans and wild birds. Our work shows that stopping the spread of avian influenza in chickens will need several simultaneous genetic changes.” Professor Mike McGrew, The study’s principal investigator, from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute
“This work is an exciting collaboration that fuses our expertise in virology with the world-leading genetic capability at the Roslin Institute. Although we haven’t yet got the perfect combination of gene edits to take this approach into the field, the results have told us a lot about how influenza virus functions inside the infected cell and how to slow its replication.” Professor Wendy Barclay, Imperial College London
The research was funded by UKRI-BBSRC, which also provides strategic funding to The Roslin Institute, and was supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service.

Ryan O’Hare’s October 10, 2023 Imperial College London (ICL) press release offers a slightly different perspective on the same work, Note: A link has been removed,

Scientists have successfully used gene editing techniques to limit the spread of bird flu in chickens.
In a UK first, researchers have been able to restrict, but not completely block, the avian influenza virus from infecting the birds by precisely altering a small section of their DNA.
The modified birds showed no signs that the change had any impact on the animals’ health or well-being.
But the researchers say that while the findings are encouraging, further gene edits would be needed to produce chickens which cannot be infected by bird flu.
The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and the Pirbright Institute, is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Professor Wendy Barclay, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, said: “This work is an exciting collaboration that fuses our expertise in virology with the world world-leading genetic capability at the Roslin Institute.
“Although we haven’t yet got the perfect combination of gene edits to take this approach into the field, the results have told us a lot about how influenza virus functions inside the infected cell and how to slow its replication.”
Global Threat
Bird flu is a major global threat, with a devastating impact in both farmed and wild bird populations. In the UK alone, the current outbreak of H5N1 bird flu has decimated seabird populations and cost the poultry industry more than £100 million in losses.
In the latest study, researchers aimed to test whether precise edits to the chicken’s genome could potentially generate birds which are resistant to the virus.
The team bred chickens with small edits to a gene called ANP32A. During an infection, influenza viruses hijack the ANP32A protein to help replicate themselves.
But when the gene-edited birds were exposed to a normal dose of virus (the H9N2 strain of avian influenza), 9 out of 10 birds remained uninfected and there was no spread to other chickens.
When the birds were exposed to an artificially high dose of virus, only half of them became infected. The single gene edit also provided some protection against transmission, with a much lower amount of virus in infected gene-edited birds compared to non-edited birds.
In addition, the edit also helped to limit onward spread of the virus to just one of four non-edited chickens placed in the same incubator. There was no transmission to gene-edited birds.
Triple edits
Analysis revealed that in the edited birds, the virus adapted to enlist the support of two related proteins to replicate – ANP32B and ANP32E.
Following lab tests, the researchers found some of the mutations may enable the virus to utilise the human version of ANP32, but replication remained low in cell cultures from the human airway. The researchers stress that additional genetic changes would be needed for the virus to have the potential to infect and spread effectively in humans.
According to the team, the findings demonstrate that a single gene edit is not robust enough to produce resistant chickens. To prevent the emergence of viruses able to adapt to the single edit, the team next used a triple edit to target additional proteins (ANP32A, ANP32B and ANP32E) in lab-grown chicken cells.
In cell cultures in the lab, growth of the virus was successfully blocked in cells with edits to all three genes. In future, researchers hope to develop chickens with this triple edit, but no birds have been produced at this stage.
According to the researchers, the study highlights the importance of responsible gene editing and the need to be alert to the risks of driving viral evolution in unwanted directions if complete resistance is not achieved, experts say.
Professor Mike McGrew, from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute and principal investigator of the study, said: “Bird flu is a great threat to bird populations. Vaccination against the virus poses a number of challenges, with significant practical and cost issues associated with vaccine deployment.
“Gene-editing offers a promising route towards permanent disease resistance, which could be passed down through generations, protecting poultry and reducing the risks to humans and wild birds. Our work shows that stopping the spread of avian influenza in chickens will need several simultaneous genetic changes.”

A non-gene-edited chicken (left) pictured next to an ANP32A gene-edited chicken (right). Image credit: Norrie Russell Courtesy: University of Edinburgh

There’s also an October 10, 2023 article by Jon Cohen for Science.org, which gives some idea of how much work it took to get to this point, Note: Links have been removed,

For 3 decades, Helen Sang has tinkered with the genomes of chickens to try to make the birds resistant to the flu viruses that periodically devastate flocks and raise fears of a human pandemic. Now, as an especially virulent strain of avian influenza sweeps through poultry and wild birds around the world, the geneticist at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute has her first solid success. Using the CRISPR gene editor and recent findings about what makes poultry vulnerable to flu, Sang and colleagues from three other institutions have created chickens that can resist real-life doses of avian flu viruses. “Sticking to it gets you somewhere in the end,” she says.
The result, published today [October 5, 2023] in Nature Communications, is “a long-awaited achievement,” says Jiří Hejnar, a virologist at the Czech Academy of Sciences’s Institute of Molecular Genetics whose group showed in 2020 that CRISPR-edited chickens could resist a cancer-causing virus. But farmers won’t be raising flu-proof chickens anytime soon. The edited birds still became infected when exposed to larger amounts of the flu virus. And the strategy raises a safety concern: chickens edited this way could, in theory, drive the evolution of flu variants better at infecting people. “What this showed is a proof of concept,” says Wendy Barclay, a virologist at Imperial College London who worked on the new study. “But we’re not there yet.”
…

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Creating resistance to avian influenza infection through genome editing of the ANP32 gene family by Alewo Idoko-Akoh, Daniel H. Goldhill, Carol M. Sheppard, Dagmara Bialy, Jessica L. Quantrill, Ksenia Sukhova, Jonathan C. Brown, Samuel Richardson, Ciara Campbell, Lorna Taylor, Adrian Sherman, Salik Nazki, Jason S. Long, Michael A. Skinner, Holly Shelton, Helen M. Sang, Wendy S. Barclay & Mike J. McGrew. Nature Communications volume 14, Article number: 6136 (2023) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41476-3 Published: 10 October 2023

This paper is open access.

Graphene goes to the moon

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The people behind the European Union’s Graphene Flagship programme (if you need a brief explanation, keep scrolling down to the “What is the Graphene Flagship?” subhead) and the United Arab Emirates have got to be very excited about the announcement made in a November 29, 2022 news item on Nanowerk, Note: Canadians too have reason to be excited as of April 3, 2023 when it was announced that Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen was selected to be part of the team on NASA’s [US National Aeronautics and Space Administration] Artemis II to orbit the moon (April 3, 2023 CBC news online article by Nicole Mortillaro) ·

Graphene Flagship Partners University of Cambridge (UK) and Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium) paired up with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC, United Arab Emirates), and the European Space Agency (ESA) to test graphene on the Moon. This joint effort sees the involvement of many international partners, such as Airbus Defense and Space, Khalifa University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technische Universität Dortmund, University of Oslo, and Tohoku University.
The Rashid rover is planned to be launched on 30 November 2022 [Note: the launch appears to have occurred on December 11, 2022; keep scrolling for more about that] from Cape Canaveral in Florida and will land on a geologically rich and, as yet, only remotely explored area on the Moon’s nearside – the side that always faces the Earth. During one lunar day, equivalent to approximately 14 days on Earth, Rashid will move on the lunar surface investigating interesting geological features.
…

A November 29, 2022 Graphene Flagship press release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, provides more details,

The Rashid rover wheels will be used for repeated exposure of different materials to the lunar surface. As part of this Material Adhesion and abrasion Detection experiment, graphene-based composites on the rover wheels will be used to understand if they can protect spacecraft against the harsh conditions on the Moon, and especially against regolith (also known as ‘lunar dust’).
Regolith is made of extremely sharp, tiny and sticky grains and, since the Apollo missions, it has been one of the biggest challenges lunar missions have had to overcome. Regolith is responsible for mechanical and electrostatic damage to equipment, and is therefore also hazardous for astronauts. It clogs spacesuits’ joints, obscures visors, erodes spacesuits and protective layers, and is a potential health hazard.
University of Cambridge researchers from the Cambridge Graphene Centre produced graphene/polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composites. The interaction of these composites with the Moon regolith (soil) will be investigated. The samples will be monitored via an optical camera, which will record footage throughout the mission. ULB researchers will gather information during the mission and suggest adjustments to the path and orientation of the rover. Images obtained will be used to study the effects of the Moon environment and the regolith abrasive stresses on the samples.
This moon mission comes soon after the ESA announcement of the 2022 class of astronauts, including the Graphene Flagship’s own Meganne Christian, a researcher at Graphene Flagship Partner the Institute of Microelectronics and Microsystems (IMM) at the National Research Council of Italy.
“Being able to follow the Moon rover’s progress in real time will enable us to track how the lunar environment impacts various types of graphene-polymer composites, thereby allowing us to infer which of them is most resilient under such conditions. This will enhance our understanding of how graphene-based composites could be used in the construction of future lunar surface vessels,” says Sara Almaeeni, MBRSC science team lead, who designed Rashid’s communication system.
“New materials such as graphene have the potential to be game changers in space exploration. In combination with the resources available on the Moon, advanced materials will enable radiation protection, electronics shielding and mechanical resistance to the harshness of the Moon’s environment. The Rashid rover will be the first opportunity to gather data on the behavior of graphene composites within a lunar environment,” says Carlo Iorio, Graphene Flagship Space Champion, from ULB.
Leading up to the Moon mission, a variety of inks containing graphene and related materials, such as conducting graphene, insulating hexagonal boron nitride and graphene oxide, semiconducting molybdenum disulfide, prepared by the University of Cambridge and ULB were also tested on the MAterials Science Experiment Rocket 15 (MASER 15) mission, successfully launched on the 23^rd of November 2022 from the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. This experiment, named ARLES-2 (Advanced Research on Liquid Evaporation in Space) and supported by European and UK space agencies (ESA, UKSA) included contributions from Graphene Flagship Partners University of Cambridge (UK), University of Pisa (Italy) and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), with many international collaborators, including Aix-Marseille University (France), Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany), York University (Canada), Université de Liège (Belgium), University of Edinburgh and Loughborough.
This experiment will provide new information about the printing of GMR inks in weightless conditions, contributing to the development of new addictive manufacturing procedures in space such as 3d printing. Such procedures are key for space exploration, during which replacement components are often needed, and could be manufactured from functional inks.
“Our experiments on graphene and related materials deposition in microgravity pave the way addictive manufacturing in space. The study of the interaction of Moon regolith with graphene composites will address some key challenges brought about by the harsh lunar environment,” says Yarjan Abdul Samad, from the Universities of Cambridge and Khalifa, who prepared the samples and coordinated the interactions with the United Arab Emirates.
“The Graphene Flagship is spearheading the investigation of graphene and related materials (GRMs) for space applications. In November 2022, we had the first member of the Graphene Flagship appointed to the ESA astronaut class. We saw the launch of a sounding rocket to test printing of a variety of GRMs in zero gravity conditions, and the launch of a lunar rover that will test the interaction of graphene—based composites with the Moon surface. Composites, coatings and foams based on GRMs have been at the core of the Graphene Flagship investigations since its beginning. It is thus quite telling that, leading up to the Flagship’s 10^th anniversary, these innovative materials are now to be tested on the lunar surface. This is timely, given the ongoing effort to bring astronauts back to the Moon, with the aim of building lunar settlements. When combined with polymers, GRMs can tailor the mechanical, thermal, electrical properties of then host matrices. These pioneering experiments could pave the way for widespread adoption of GRM-enhanced materials for space exploration,” says Andrea Ferrari, Science and Technology Officer and Chair of the Management Panel of the Graphene Flagship.

Caption: The MASER15 launch Credit: John-Charles Dupin

A pioneering graphene work and a first for the Arab World

A December 11, 2022 news item on Alarabiya news (and on CNN) describes the ‘graphene’ launch which was also marked the Arab World’s first mission to the moon,

The United Arab Emirates’ Rashid Rover – the Arab world’s first mission to the Moon – was launched on Sunday [December 11, 2022], the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) announced on its official Twitter account.
The launch came after it was previously postponed for “pre-flight checkouts.”
The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the UAE’s Rashid rover successfully took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
…
The Rashid rover – built by Emirati engineers from the UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) – is to be sent to regions of the Moon unexplored by humans.

What is the Graphene Flagship?

In 2013, the Graphene Flagship was chosen as one of two FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) funding projects (the other being the Human Brain Project) each receiving €1 billion to be paid out over 10 years. In effect, it’s a science funding programme specifically focused on research, development, and commercialization of graphene (a two-dimensional [it has length and width but no depth] material made of carbon atoms).

You can find out more about the flagship and about graphene here.

Quantum Mechanics & Gravity conference (August 15 – 19, 2022) launches Vancouver (Canada)-based Quantum Gravity Institute and more

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I received (via email) a July 21, 2022 news release about the launch of a quantum science initiative in Vancouver (BTW, I have more about the Canadian quantum scene later in this post),

World’s top physicists unite to tackle one of Science’s greatest
mysteries

Vancouver-based Quantum Gravity Society leads international quest to
discover Theory of Quantum Gravity

Vancouver, B.C. (July 21, 2022): More than two dozen of the world’s
top physicists, including three Nobel Prize winners, will gather in
Vancouver this August for a Quantum Gravity Conference that will host
the launch a Vancouver-based Quantum Gravity Institute (QGI) and a
new global research collaboration that could significantly advance our
understanding of physics and gravity and profoundly change the world as
we know it.

For roughly 100 years, the world’s understanding of physics has been
based on Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity (GR), which
explored the theory of space, time and gravity, and quantum mechanics
(QM), which focuses on the behaviour of matter and light on the atomic
and subatomic scale. GR has given us a deep understanding of the cosmos,
leading to space travel and technology like atomic clocks, which govern
global GPS systems. QM is responsible for most of the equipment that
runs our world today, including the electronics, lasers, computers, cell
phones, plastics, and other technologies that support modern
transportation, communications, medicine, agriculture, energy systems
and more.

While each theory has led to countless scientific breakthroughs, in many
cases, they are incompatible and seemingly contradictory. Discovering a
unifying connection between these two fundamental theories, the elusive
Theory of Quantum Gravity, could provide the world with a deeper
understanding of time, gravity and matter and how to potentially control
them. It could also lead to new technologies that would affect most
aspects of daily life, including how we communicate, grow food, deliver
health care, transport people and goods, and produce energy.

“Discovering the Theory of Quantum Gravity could lead to the
possibility of time travel, new quantum devices, or even massive new
energy resources that produce clean energy and help us address climate
change,” said Philip Stamp, Professor, Department of Physics and
Astronomy, University of British Columbia, and Visiting Associate in
Theoretical Astrophysics at Caltech [California Institute of Technology]. “The potential long-term ramifications of this discovery are so incredible that life on earth 100
years from now could look as miraculous to us now as today’s
technology would have seemed to people living 100 years ago.”

The new Quantum Gravity Institute and the conference were founded by the
Quantum Gravity Society, which was created in 2022 by a group of
Canadian technology, business and community leaders, and leading
physicists. Among its goals are to advance the science of physics and
facilitate research on the Theory of Quantum Gravity through initiatives
such as the conference and assembling the world’s leading archive of
scientific papers and lectures associated with the attempts to reconcile
these two theories over the past century.

Attending the Quantum Gravity Conference in Vancouver (August 15-19 [2022])
will be two dozen of the world’s top physicists, including Nobel
Laureates Kip Thorne, Jim Peebles and Sir Roger Penrose, as well as
physicists Baron Martin Rees, Markus Aspelmeyer, Viatcheslav Mukhanov
and Paul Steinhardt. On Wednesday, August 17, the conference will be
open to the public, providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to attend keynote addresses from the world’s pre-eminent physicists.
… A noon-hour discussion on the importance of the
research will be delivered by Kip Thorne, the former Feynman Professor
of physics at Caltech. Thorne is well known for his popular books, and
for developing the original idea for the 2014 film “Interstellar.” He
was also crucial to the development of the book “Contact” by Carl Sagan,
which was also made into a motion picture.

“We look forward to welcoming many of the world’s brightest minds to
Vancouver for our first Quantum Gravity Conference,” said Frank
Giustra, CEO Fiore Group and Co-Founder, Quantum Gravity Society. “One
of the goals of our Society will be to establish Vancouver as a
supportive home base for research and facilitate the scientific
collaboration that will be required to unlock this mystery that has
eluded some of the world’s most brilliant physicists for so long.”

“The format is key,” explains Terry Hui, UC Berkley Physics alumnus
and Co-Founder, Quantum Gravity Society [and CEO of Concord Pacific].
“Like the Solvay Conference nearly 100 years ago, the Quantum Gravity
Conference will bring top scientists together in salon-style gatherings. The
relaxed evening format following the conference will reduce barriers and
allow these great minds to freely exchange ideas. I hope this will help accelerate
the solution of this hundred-year bottleneck between theories relatively
soon.”

“As amazing as our journey of scientific discovery has been over the
past century, we still have so much to learn about how the universe
works on a macro, atomic and subatomic level,” added Paul Lee,
Managing Partner, Vanedge Capital, and Co-Founder, Quantum Gravity
Society. “New experiments and observations capable of advancing work
on this scientific challenge are becoming increasingly possible in
today’s physics labs and using new astronomical tools. The Quantum
Gravity Society looks forward to leveraging that growing technical
capacity with joint theory and experimental work that harnesses the
collective expertise of the world’s great physicists.”

About Quantum Gravity Society

Quantum Gravity Society was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2020 by a
group of Canadian business, technology and community leaders, and
leading international physicists. The Society’s founding members
include Frank Giustra (Fiore Group), Terry Hui (Concord Pacific), Paul
Lee and Moe Kermani (Vanedge Capital) and Markus Frind (Frind Estate
Winery), along with renowned physicists Abhay Ashtekar, Sir Roger
Penrose, Philip Stamp, Bill Unruh and Birgitta Whaley. For more
information, visit Quantum Gravity Society.

About the Quantum Gravity Conference (Vancouver 2022)

The inaugural Quantum Gravity Conference (August 15-19 [2022]) is presented by
Quantum Gravity Society, Fiore Group, Vanedge Capital, Concord Pacific,
The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver and Frind Estate Winery. For conference
information, visit conference.quantumgravityinstitute.ca. To
register to attend the conference, visit Eventbrite.com.

The front page on the Quantum Gravity Society website is identical to the front page for the Quantum Mechanics & Gravity: Marrying Theory & Experiment conference website. It’s probable that will change with time.

This seems to be an in-person event only.

The site for the conference is in an exceptionally pretty location in Coal Harbour and it’s close to Stanley Park (a major tourist attraction),

The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
1601 Bayshore Drive
Vancouver, BC V6G 2V4
View map

Assuming that most of my readers will be interested in the ‘public’ day, here’s more from the Wednesday, August 17, 2022 registration page on Eventbrite,

Tickets:

Corporate Table of 8 all day access – includes VIP Luncheon: $1,100
Ticket per person all day access – includes VIP Luncheon: $129
Ticket per person all day access (no VIP luncheon): $59
Student / Academia Ticket – all day access (no VIP luncheon): $30

Date:

Wednesday, August 17, 2022 @ 9:00 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. (PT)

Schedule:

Registration Opens: 8:00 a.m.
Morning Program: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
VIP Lunch: 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Afternoon Program: 2:30 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.
Public Discussion / Debate: 4:20 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Program:

9:00 a.m. Session 1: Beginning of the Universe

Viatcheslav Mukhanov – Theoretical Physicist and Cosmologist, University of Munich
Paul Steinhardt – Theoretical Physicist, Princeton University

Session 2: History of the Universe

Jim Peebles, 2019 Nobel Laureate, Princeton University
Baron Martin Rees – Cosmologist and Astrophysicist, University of Cambridge
Sir Roger Penrose, 2020 Nobel Laureate, University of Oxford (via zoom)

12:30 p.m. VIP Lunch Session: Quantum Gravity — Why Should We Care?

Kip Thorne – 2017 Nobel Laureate, Executive Producer of blockbuster film “Interstellar”

2:30 p.m. Session 3: What do Experiments Say?

Markus Aspelmeyer – Experimental Physicist, Quantum Optics and Optomechanics Leader, University of Vienna
Sir Roger Penrose – 2020 Nobel Laureate (via zoom)

Session 4: Time Travel

Kip Thorne – 2017 Nobel Laureate, Executive Producer of blockbuster film “Interstellar”

Event Partners

Quantum Gravity Society
Westin Bayshore
Fiore Group
Concord Pacific
VanEdge Capital
Frind Estate Winery

Marketing Partners

BC Business Council
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

Please note that Sir Roger Penrose will be present via Zoom but all the others will be there in the room with you.

Given that Kip Thorne won his 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics (with Rainer Weiss and Barry Barish) for work on gravitational waves, it’s surprising there’s no mention of this in the publicity for a conference on quantum gravity. Finding gravitational waves in 2016 was a very big deal (see Josh Fischman’s and Steve Mirsky’s February 11, 2016 interview with Kip Thorne for Scientific American).

Some thoughts on this conference and the Canadian quantum scene

This conference has a fascinating collection of players. Even I recognized some of the names, e.g., Penrose, Rees, Thorne.

The academics were to be expected and every presenter is an academic, often with their own Wikipedia page. Weirdly, there’s no one from the Perimeter Institute Institute for Theoretical Physics or TRIUMF (a national physics laboratory and centre for particle acceleration) or from anywhere else in Canada, which may be due to their academic specialty rather than an attempt to freeze out Canadian physicists. In any event, the conference academics are largely from the US (a lot of them from CalTech and Stanford) and from the UK.

The business people are a bit of a surprise. The BC Business Council and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade? Frank Giustra who first made his money with gold mines, then with Lionsgate Entertainment, and who continues to make a great deal of money with his equity investment company, Fiore Group? Terry Hui, Chief Executive Office of Concord Pacific, a real estate development company? VanEdge Capital, an early stage venture capital fund? A winery? Missing from this list is D-Wave Systems, Canada’s quantum calling card and local company. While their area of expertise is quantum computing, I’d still expect to see them present as sponsors. *ETA December 6, 2022: I just looked at the conference page again and D-Wave is now listed as a sponsor.*

The academics? These people are not cheap dates (flights, speaker’s fees, a room at the Bayshore, meals). This is a very expensive conference and $129 for lunch and a daypass is likely a heavily subsidized ticket.

Another surprise? No government money/sponsorship. I don’t recall seeing another academic conference held in Canada without any government participation.

Canadian quantum scene

A National Quantum Strategy was first announced in the 2021 Canadian federal budget and reannounced in the 2022 federal budget (see my April 19, 2022 posting for a few more budget details).. Or, you may find this National Quantum Strategy Consultations: What We Heard Report more informative. There’s also a webpage for general information about the National Quantum Strategy.

As evidence of action, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced new grant programmes made possible by the National Quantum Strategy in a March 15, 2022 news release,

Quantum science and innovation are giving rise to promising advances in communications, computing, materials, sensing, health care, navigation and other key areas. The Government of Canada is committed to helping shape the future of quantum technology by supporting Canada’s quantum sector and establishing leadership in this emerging and transformative domain.
Today [March 15, 2022], the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, is announcing an investment of $137.9 million through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) grants and Alliance grants. These grants are an important next step in advancing the National Quantum Strategy and will reinforce Canada’s research strengths in quantum science while also helping to develop a talent pipeline to support the growth of a strong quantum community.
…
Quick facts
Budget 2021 committed $360 million to build the foundation for a National Quantum Strategy, enabling the Government of Canada to build on previous investments in the sector to advance the emerging field of quantum technologies. The quantum sector is key to fuelling Canada’s economy, long-term resilience and growth, especially as technologies mature and more sectors harness quantum capabilities.
Development of quantum technologies offers job opportunities in research and science, software and hardware engineering and development, manufacturing, technical support, sales and marketing, business operations and other fields.
The Government of Canada also invested more than $1 billion in quantum research and science from 2009 to 2020—mainly through competitive granting agency programs, including Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada programs and the Canada First Research Excellence Fund—to help establish Canada as a global leader in quantum science.
In addition, the government has invested in bringing new quantum technologies to market, including investments through Canada’s regional development agencies, the Strategic Innovation Fund and the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program.

Bank of Canada, cryptocurrency, and quantum computing

My July 25, 2022 posting features a special project, Note: All emphases are mine,

… (from an April 14, 2022 HKA Marketing Communications news release on EurekAlert),
Multiverse Computing, a global leader in quantum computing solutions for the financial industry and beyond with offices in Toronto and Spain, today announced it has completed a proof-of-concept project with the Bank of Canada through which the parties used quantum computing to simulate the adoption of cryptocurrency as a method of payment by non-financial firms.
“We are proud to be a trusted partner of the first G7 central bank to explore modelling of complex networks and cryptocurrencies through the use of quantum computing,” said Sam Mugel, CTO [Chief Technical Officer] at Multiverse Computing. “The results of the simulation are very intriguing and insightful as stakeholders consider further research in the domain. Thanks to the algorithm we developed together with our partners at the Bank of Canada, we have been able to model a complex system reliably and accurately given the current state of quantum computing capabilities.”
…
Multiverse Computing conducted its innovative work related to applying quantum computing for modelling complex economic interactions in a research project with the Bank of Canada. The project explored quantum computing technology as a way to simulate complex economic behaviour that is otherwise very difficult to simulate using traditional computational techniques.
By implementing this solution using D-Wave’s annealing quantum computer, the simulation was able to tackle financial networks as large as 8-10 players, with up to 2^90 possible network configurations. Note that classical computing approaches cannot solve large networks of practical relevance as a 15-player network requires as many resources as there are atoms in the universe.
…

Quantum Technologies and the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA)

In a May 26, 2022 blog posting the CCA announced its Expert Panel on Quantum Technologies (they will be issuing a Quantum Technologies report),

The emergence of quantum technologies will impact all sectors of the Canadian economy, presenting significant opportunities but also risks. At the request of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has formed an Expert Panel to examine the impacts, opportunities, and challenges quantum technologies present for Canadian industry, governments, and Canadians. Raymond Laflamme, O.C., FRSC, Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information and Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo, will serve as Chair of the Expert Panel.
“Quantum technologies have the potential to transform computing, sensing, communications, healthcare, navigation and many other areas,” said Dr. Laflamme. “But a close examination of the risks and vulnerabilities of these technologies is critical, and I look forward to undertaking this crucial work with the panel.”
As Chair, Dr. Laflamme will lead a multidisciplinary group with expertise in quantum technologies, economics, innovation, ethics, and legal and regulatory frameworks. The Panel will answer the following question:
In light of current trends affecting the evolution of quantum technologies, what impacts, opportunities and challenges do these present for Canadian industry, governments and Canadians more broadly?
…
The Expert Panel on Quantum Technologies:
Raymond Laflamme, O.C., FRSC (Chair), Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information; the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis John von Neumann Chair in Quantum Information; Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo
Sally Daub, Founder and Managing Partner, Pool Global Partners
Shohini Ghose, Professor, Physics and Computer Science, Wilfrid Laurier University; NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering
Paul Gulyas, Senior Innovation Executive, IBM Canada
Mark W. Johnson, Senior Vice-President, Quantum Technologies and Systems Products, D-Wave Systems
Elham Kashefi, Professor of Quantum Computing, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh; Directeur de recherche au CNRS, LIP6 Sorbonne Université
Mauritz Kop, Fellow and Visiting Scholar, Stanford Law School, Stanford University
Dominic Martin, Professor, Département d’organisation et de ressources humaines, École des sciences de la gestion, Université du Québec à Montréal
Darius Ornston, Associate Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
Barry Sanders, FRSC, Director, Institute for Quantum Science and Technology, University of Calgary
Eric Santor, Advisor to the Governor, Bank of Canada
Christian Sarra-Bournet, Quantum Strategy Director and Executive Director, Institut quantique, Université de Sherbrooke
Stephanie Simmons, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Quantum Nanoelectronics, and CIFAR Quantum Information Science Fellow, Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University
Jacqueline Walsh, Instructor; Director, initio Technology & Innovation Law Clinic, Dalhousie University

You’ll note that both the Bank of Canada and D-Wave Systems are represented on this expert panel.

The CCA Quantum Technologies report (in progress) page can be found here.

Does it mean anything?

Since I only skim the top layer of information (disparagingly described as ‘high level’ by the technology types I used to work with), all I can say is there’s a remarkable level of interest from various groups who are self-organizing. (The interest is international as well. I found the International Society for Quantum Gravity [ISQG], which had its first meeting in 2021.)

I don’t know what the purpose is other than it seems the Canadian focus seems to be on money. The board of trade and business council have no interest in primary research and the federal government’s national quantum strategy is part of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada’s mandate. You’ll notice ‘science’ is sandwiched between ‘innovation’, which is often code for business, and economic development.

The Bank of Canada’s monetary interests are quite obvious.

The Perimeter Institute mentioned earlier was founded by Mike Lazaridis (from his Wikipedia entry) Note: Links have been removed,

… a Canadian businessman [emphasis mine], investor in quantum computing technologies, and founder of BlackBerry, which created and manufactured the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. With an estimated net worth of US$800 million (as of June 2011), Lazaridis was ranked by Forbes as the 17th wealthiest Canadian and 651st in the world.^[4]
…
In 2000, Lazaridis founded and donated more than $170 million to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.^[11][12] He and his wife Ophelia founded and donated more than $100 million to the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in 2002.^[8]

That Institute for Quantum Computing? There’s an interesting connection. Raymond Laflamme, the chair for the CCA expert panel, was its director for a number of years and he’s closely affiliated with the Perimeter Institute. (I’m not suggesting anything nefarious or dodgy. It’s a small community in Canada and relationships tend to be tightly interlaced.) I’m surprised he’s not part of the quantum mechanics and gravity conference but that could have something to do with scheduling.

One last interesting bit about Laflamme, from his Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed)

…
As Stephen Hawking’s PhD student, he first became famous for convincing Hawking that time does not reverse in a contracting universe, along with Don Page. Hawking told the story of how this happened in his famous book A Brief History of Time in the chapter The Arrow of Time.^[3] Later on Laflamme made a name for himself in quantum computing and quantum information theory, which is what he is famous for today.
…

Getting back to the Quantum Mechanics & Gravity: Marrying Theory & Experiment, the public day looks pretty interesting and when is the next time you’ll have a chance to hobnob with all those Nobel Laureates?

Events: COVID-19 Collages and colour, Summer Solstice Celebration of Star Knowledge—Africa and Rapanui (Easter Island), and Tools for Catching Clouds (Biennale Architettura 2021)

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I have three events, two of them taking place in Canada on June 9, and June 22 2021 respectively and the third takes place in Venice, Italy.

Covid19 Collage Project on June 9, 2021

A June 7, 2019 Art/Sci Salon announcement (received via email) included this image to illustrate Ilene Sova’s COVID collages,

Here’s more from the Colour Research Society of Canada’s (CRSC) Kaleidoscope Lecture: Covid19 Collage Project by OCAD Professor Ilene Sova event page,

In this unique colour-focused artist talk, Sova will explore her Covid19 Collage Project created in direct response to the pandemic. She will take the audience through an analysis of how she utilizes the precise symbolic and aesthetic qualities of colour-choice to reflect her psychological response to our current times and amplify the intent in her artist statement: ‘Former eyes have been replaced, and the curtain pulled back on the inequities that we didn’t fully see before. Newsfeeds are full of surreal deaths and devastating condolences. Different eyes; metallic and shiny. Eyes that no longer know how to ‘look to our future” for hope and possibilities. Our Instagram lives and our vitriolic materialism now laid bare. We are left to self-reflect, face ourselves, slow down, and toss and turn at night with vivid crackling dreams alive with messages screaming from our subconscious. We thought we were separate from nature, but now we know we are one. Sequestered in our homes, our minds begin to change, fracture with confusion. We float in a sea of unknowns, covering our faces with psychological and real masks. In a sparkly shiny isolated dreamy space; how will we prophesize our new future and manifest in a new uncertain one?
Bio: Ilene Sova holds the position of Ada Slaight Chair of Contemporary Drawing and Painting in the Faculty of Art at Ontario College of Art and Design University [OCAD University]. She identifies as Mixed Race, with a white settler, Afro-Caribbean, and Black Seminole ancestry. She is also an artist who lives with the disability of Epilepsy. As such, she passionately identifies with the tenets of intersectional feminism and has dedicated her creative career to art and activism. Ilene Sova is also the founder of the Feminist Art Collective and Blank Canvases, an in-school creative arts programme for elementary school students. She holds an Honours BFA from the University of Ottawa in Painting and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Windsor. With extensive solo and group exhibitions in Canada and abroad, Sova’s work has most notably been shown at Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and Mutuo Centro de Arte in Barcelona. Sova’s artwork has been featured internationally in the Journal of Psychology and Counselling, the Nigerian Arts Journal, Tabula and the Italian feminist journal, Woman’O’Clock. In her academic career, Sova has been invited to speak on diversity and equity in arts curriculum at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Pratt University and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design conference in Los Angeles. A passionate public speaker, Sova was chosen to speak at the first TEDx Women event in Toronto, and Southern University New York where she gave an all University Lecture on Art and Social Change. Additionally, Sova was invited to deliver the Arthur C. Danto Memorial Keynote Lecture at the 76th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics (ASA). Sova’s exhibitions and advocacy in education have been featured on Global Television, CBC Radio, the Toronto Star, Canada AM, The Metro, National Post, Canadian Art, and MSN News.
Register here on eventbrite
Date and time
Wed, June 9, 2021
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
A Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants approximately 1 hour before the talk, and posted on our CRSC webpage.

Summer Solstice Celebration of Star Knowledge—Africa and Rapanui (Easter Island) on June 22, 2021

Ingenium’s* Indigenous Star Knowledge Symposia series was first mentioned here in a September 18, 2020 posting: Casting your eyes upon the night heavens in advance of the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox celebration, the first in the series.

With the Summer Solstice, we have the fourth and, I believe, the last in the series. From the Summer Solstice, Celebration of Star Knowledge from Africa and Rapanui (Easter Island) event page,

June 22, 2021. 3 p.m. Eastern.
Featured Speakers: Edmundo Edwards Eastman (Rapanui) and Jarita Holbrook (African culture)
Welcome from: Anita Tenasco, Kitigan Zibi, Quebec (Algonquin)
Opening Prayer: Wilfred Buck, Manitoba (Ininew)
Moderated by: Yasmin Catricheo, Chile (Mapuche)
Presentation #1: Cosmovision of the Polynesia and Rapanui.
Featured Speaker: Edmundo Edwards Eastman. Archeoastronomy. President Fundación
Planetario Rapanui
Abstract: Some 3,500 years ago, the ancestors of the Polynesians led the speediest human expansion of the pre-historic world, guided by nothing more than their complex astronomical observations and an understanding of natural signs. This knowledge, coupled with tremendous navigational skills and human ingenuity, allowed the Polynesians to explore the vast Pacific Ocean and develop highly sophisticated cultures on thousands of different islands.
Bio: Edmundo’s passion for archaeology started when he was 12 years old and discovered a pre-Incan site in northern Chile, yet it was after visiting Rapa Nui in 1957, that he became enthralled by Rapanui culture and returned to the island in 1960 with archaeologist William Mulloy. Edmundo has lived and worked in Polynesia ever since. In 1977 he co-founded the Centro de Estudios de Isla de Pascua where he carried out archaeological and ethnographic studies for the University of Chile until 1985. He then left for Tahiti, conducting archaeological surveys and leading restoration work in the Society, Marquesas, and Austral Islands until he returned to Rapa Nui in 1994. Edmundo has since then devoted himself to the scientific study and preservation of the archaeology and culture of the Pacific islands. He is the co-founder of the Pacific Islands Research Institute (PIRI) and co-owner of Archaeological Travel Service (ATS). Edmundo is an active member of the Explorers Club and in 2011 he was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for his exceptional contribution to human knowledge through his valuable research and discoveries in Polynesia, and in 2016 he received the Citation of Merit.
Presentation #2: Celestial Africa
Featured Speaker: Jarita Holbrook
Abstract: The continent of Africa is large and has thousands of ethnic groups living in over 50 countries. Though home to some of the biggest astronomical telescopes in the world, there remains the perception that Africans have little awareness of the celestial realm. In reality, African indigenous astronomy is rich with many cultural connections to the sky as well as many practical uses of the sky. Holbrook will share some of the African legacy of rich skylore, artistic works, and practices connected to the sky.
Bio: Jarita Holbrook is a Marie Skłowdowska Curie Fellow in Science, Technology & Innovation Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Holbrook has successfully navigated the physical science and the social sciences. Upon moving to South Africa in 2013 to the Physics department at the University of the Western Cape, Holbrook was engaged in indigenous astronomy, studying the sociocultural aspects of astrophysics education in South Africa, and making a film about the social issues connected to building the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope. Using interview based inquiry, Holbrook researches the practices of inclusion and exclusion through analyzing socioeconomic class, gender, and ethnicity among database-driven astrophysics collaborations. Holbrook’s current project, ASTROMOVES, explores these in the context of career decision making among astrophysicists.
Panellists:
Anita Tenasco is an Anishinabeg from Kitigan Zibi. She has a Bachelor’s degree in history and teaching from the University of Ottawa, as well as a First Nations leadership certificate from Saint Paul’s University, in Ottawa. She has also taken courses in public administration at ENAP (The University of Public Administration). In Kitigan Zibi, she has held various positions in the field of education and, since 2005, is director of education in her community.
Anita was an active participant in the Honouring Our Ancestors project, in which the Anishinabeg Nation of Kitigan Zibi, under Gilbert Whiteduck’s direction, was successful in the restitution of the remains of ancestors conserved at the Canadian Museum of History, in Gatineau. Anita also participated in the organizing of a conference on repatriation, in Kitigan Zibi, in 2005. She plays an important role in this research project.
http://nikanishk.ca/en/blog/project-participants/anita-tenasco-2/
Wilfred Buck is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. He obtained his B.Ed. & Post Bacc. from the University of Manitoba.
As an educator Wilfred has had the opportunity and good fortune to travel to South and Central America as well as Europe and met, shared and listened to Indigenous people from all over the world.
He is a husband, father of four, son, uncle, brother, nephew, story-teller, mad scientist, teacher, singer, pipe-carrier, sweat lodge keeper, old person and sun dance leader. Researching Ininew star stories Wilfred found a host of information which had to be interpreted and analyzed to identify if the stories were referring to the stars. The journey began… The easiest way to go about doing this, he was told, was to look up.
“The greatest teaching that was ever given to me, other than my wife and children, is the ability to see the humor in the world”…Wilfred Buck
https://acakwuskwun.com/
Yasmin Catricheo is the STEM Education Scholar at AUI’s Office of Education and Public Engagement. She is a physics educator from Chile, and of Mapuche origin. Yasmin is passionate about the teaching of science and more recently has focused in the area of astronomy and STEM. In her professional training she has taken a range of courses in science and science education, and researched the benefits of scientific argumentation in the physics classroom, earning a master’s degree in education from the University of Bío-Bío. Yasmín is also a member of the indigenous group “Mapu Trafun”, and she works closely with the Mapuche community to recover the culture and communicate the message of the Mapuche Worldview. In 2018 Yasmín was selected as the Chilean representative for Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program (ACEAP) founded by NSF.
Associated Universities Inc.
Register for the Webinar

Note: You can also find the information on Ingenium’s French language event page: Solstice d’été : une célébration des connaissances stellaires de l’Afrique et de Rapa Nui (l’île de Pâques).

*Ingenium is the name for Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, which acts as an umbrella organization for the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

Tools for Catching Clouds at Venice’s Biennale Architettura 2021

This information comes from a June 8, 2021 email received from the artist himself, Lanfranco Aceti,

Tools for Catching Clouds is a new series of works of art by Lanfranco Aceti. They are a segment of Preferring Sinking to Surrender — the artist’s installation at the Venice Architecture Biennale, 2021. The installation is comprised of drawings, sculptures, paintings, videos, performances, and a vegetable garden.
Curated by Alessandro Melis for the Italian Pavilion, Preferring Sinking to Surrender is a progression and accumulation of works of art that will be developed throughout the duration of the Venice Architecture Biennale, from May 21, 2021, to November 21, 2021.
The artist reimagines the future in matriarchal terms and bypasses social upheavals and legacies of environmental disasters through a series of aesthetic approaches that navigate melancholia, anger, and hope. The works of art retrace the legacies of the past — back to the Italic tribes that populated the Apennines before the founding of Rome and the arrival of Greeks in southern Italy.
The worship of the Magna Mater — or the Great Black Mediterranean Mother — by the Italic tribes is a necessary rediscovery to understand the resilience of matriarchy and its values of acceptance and inclusion within societies that have become patriarchal in nature and, de facto, hierarchical and exclusionary. Nevertheless, these values resist and persist, and have empowered entire generations who were considered ‘outsiders’ and who have found, in the embrace of the ‘Mamma Schiavona’ (another name for the Magna Mater), their strength, networks of solidarity, and empowerment.
Aceti’s research in gender issues and alternative structures to patriarchy, developed during a one year affiliation at Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) @ MIT, inspired a continued analysis of pre-Roman matriarchal societies. This led to the conception of Preferring Sinking to Surrender as an alternative space and narrative to current capitalistic cultural frameworks.
“I have to say that it is a pleasure working with Alessandro Melis,” said Aceti. “Not every curator is fond of process based art. For me it is particularly rewarding to have found a curator that is both empowering and supportive.”
For more information and images of Tools for Catching Clouds, click here.
About the Artist
Lanfranco Aceti is known for his extensive career as artist, curator, and academic. He has exhibited numerous personal projects including Car Park, a public performance in the UK at the John Hansard Gallery; Who The People?, an installation artwork acquired in its entirety by the Chetham’s Library and Museum in Manchester; Sowing and Reaping, installation artworks acquired in their entirety by the National Museum of Contemporary Art of Cyprus; Hope Coming On, a site-specific choral performance he designed for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and realized in front of Turner’s Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On); Shimmer, a series of sculptural, photographic, and painting works curated by Irini Papadimitriou (V&A) at the Tobazi Mansion in Hydra; a large choral performance titled Accursed for the Thessaloniki Biennial in Greece; and Knock, Knock, Knocking a public space installation in the Mediterranean Garden Pavilion of the New Sea Waterfront of Thessaloniki. Currently, he is developing a large international project, Preferring Sinking to Surrender for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021, which includes performances in major cities around the world.
About The Studium

The Studium is Lanfranco Aceti’s artistic studio. It has partnered with public and private organizations as well as with individuals to realize the artist’s works and to develop fora for the discussion of aesthetic approaches to public space, the role of contemporary art in the social political landscape, and themes of social and environmental justice.

For questions or information and materials, please contact The Studium’s Marketing Director, John Francescutti.

The Venice Architecture Biennale (or Biennale Architettura 2021), from May 21, 2021, to November 21, 2021.

Concerns about Zoom? Call for expressions of interest in “Zoom Obscura,” creative interventions for a data ethics of video conferencing

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Have you wondered about Zoom video conferencing and all that data being made available? Perhaps questioned ethical issues in addition to those associated with data security? Is so and you’d like to come up with a creative intervention that delves beyond encryption issues, there’s Zoom Obscura (on the creativeinformatics.org website),

CI [Creative Informatics] researchers Pip Thornton, Chris Elsden and Chris Speed were recently awarded funding from the Human Data Interaction Network (HDI +) Ethics & Data competition. Collaborating with researchers from Durham [Durham University] and KCL [Kings College London], the Zoom Obscura project aims to investigate creative interventions for a data ethics of video conferencing beyond encryption.
The COVID-19 pandemic has gifted video conferencing companies, such as Zoom, with a vast amount of economically valuable and sensitive data such as our facial and voice biometrics, backgrounds and chat scripts. Before the pandemic, this ‘new normal’ would be subject to scrutiny, scepticism and critique. Yet, the urgent need for remote working and socialising left us with little choice but to engage with these potentially exploitative platforms.
While much of the narrative around data security revolves around technological ‘solutions’ such as encryption, we think there are other – more creative – ways to push back against the systems of digital capitalism that continue to encroach on our everyday lives.
As part of this HDI-funded project, we seek artists, hackers and creative technologists who are interested in experimenting with creative methods to join us in a series of online workshops that will explore how to restore some control and agency in how we can be seen and heard in these newly ubiquitous online spaces. Through three half-day workshops held remotely, we will bring artists and technicians together to ideate, prototype, and exhibit various interventions into the rapidly normalising culture of video-calling in ways that do not compromise our privacy and limit the sharing of our data. We invite interventions that begin at any stage of the video-calling process – from analogue obfuscation, to software manipulation or camera trickery.
Selected artists/collectives will receive a £1000 commission to take part and contribute in three workshops, in order to design and produce one or more, individual or collaborative, creative interventions developed from the workshops. These will include both technical support from a creative technologist as well as a curator for dissemination both online and in Edinburgh and London.
If you are an artist / technologist interested in disrupting/subverting the pandemic-inspired digital status quo, please send expressions of interest of no more than 500 words to pip.thornton@ed.ac.uk , andrew.dwyer@bristol.ac.uk, celsden@ed.ac.uk and michael.duggan@kcl.ac.uk by 8^th October 2020. We don’t expect fully formed projects (these will come in the workshop sessions), but please indicate any broad ideas and thoughts you have, and highlight how your past and present practice might be a good fit for the project and its aims.
The Zoom Obscura project is in collaboration with Tinderbox Lab in Edinburgh and Hannah Redler-Hawes (independent curator and codirector of the Data as Culture art programme at the Open Data Institute in London). Outputs from the project will be hosted and exhibited via the Data as Culture archive site and at a Creative Informatics event at the University of Edinburgh.

Are folks outside the UK eligible?

I asked Dr. Pip Thornton about eligibility and she kindly noted this in her Sept. 25, 2020 tweet (reply copied from my Twitter feed),

Open to all, but workshop timings may be more amenable to UK working hours. Having said that, we won’t know what the critical mass is until we review all the applications, so please do apply if you’re interested!

Who are the members of the Zoom Obscura project team?

From the Zoom Obscura webpage (on the creativeinformatics.org website),

Dr. Pip Thornton is a post-doctoral research associate in Creative Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, having recently gained her PhD in Geopolitics and Cybersecurity from Royal Holloway, University of London. Her thesis, Language in the Age of Algorithmic Reproduction: A Critique of Linguistic Capitalism, included theoretical, political and artistic critiques of Google’s search and advertising platforms. She has presented in a variety of venues including the Science Museum, the Alan Turing Institute and transmediale. Her work has featured in WIRED UK and New Scientist, and a collection from her {poem}.py intervention has been displayed at Open Data Institute in London. Her Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) funded installation Newspeak 2019, shown at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2019), was recently awarded an honourable mention in the Surveillance Studies Network biennial art competition (2020) and is shortlisted for the 2020 Lumen Prize for art and technology in the AI category.
Dr. Andrew Dwyer is a research associate in the University of Bristol’s Cyber Security Group. Andrew gained a DPhil in Cyber Security at the University of Oxford, where he studied and questioned the role of malware – commonly known as computational viruses and worms – through its analysis, detection, and translation into international politics and its intersection with multiple ecologies. In his doctoral thesis – Malware Ecologies: A Politics of Cybersecurity – he argued for a re-evaluation of the role of computational actors in the production and negotiation of security, and what this means for human-centred notions of weapons and warfare. Previously, Andrew has been a visiting fellow at the German ‘Dynamics of Security’ collaborative research centre based between Philipps-Universität Marburg, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen and the Herder Institute, Marburg and is a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at the University of Oxford. He will soon be starting a 3-year Addison Wheeler research fellowship in the Department of Geography at the Durham University
Dr Chris Elsden is a research associate in Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Chris is primarily working on the AHRC Creative Informatics project., with specific interests in FinTech and livestreaming within the Creative Industries. He is an HCI researcher, with a background in sociology, and expertise in the human experience of a data-driven life. Using and developing innovative design research methods, his work undertakes diverse, qualitative and often speculative engagements with participants to investigate emerging relationships with technology – particularly data-driven tools and financialn technologies. Chris gained his PhD in Computer Science at Open Lab, Newcastle University in 2018, and in 2019 was a recipient of a SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Dr Mike Duggan is a Teaching Fellow in Digital Cultures in the Department of Digital Humanities at Kings College London. He was awarded a PhD in Cultural Geography from Royal Holloway University of London in 2017, which examined everyday digital mapping practices. This project was co-funded by the Ordnance Survey and the EPSRC. He is a member of the Living Maps network, where he is an editor for the ‘navigations’ section and previously curated the seminar series. Mike’s research is broadly interested in the digital and cultural geographies that emerge from the intersections between everyday life and digital technology.
Professor Chris Speed is Chair of Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh where his research focuses upon the Network Society, Digital Art and Technology, and The Internet of Things. Chris has sustained a critical enquiry into how network technology can engage with the fields of art, design and social experience through a variety of international digital art exhibitions, funded research projects, books journals and conferences. At present Chris is working on funded projects that engage with the social opportunities of crypto-currencies, an internet of toilet roll holders, and a persistent argument that chickens are actually robots. Chris is co-editor of the journal Ubiquity and co-directs the Design Informatics Research Centre that is home to a combination of researchers working across the fields of interaction design, temporal design, anthropology, software engineering and digital architecture, as well as the PhD, MA/MFA and MSc and Advanced MSc programmes.
David Chatting is a designer and technologist who works in software and hardware to explore the impact of emerging technologies in everyday lives. He is currently a PhD student in the Department of Design at Goldsmiths – University of London, a Visiting Researcher at Newcastle University’s Open Lab and has his own design practice. Previously he was a Senior Researcher at BTs Broadband Applications Research Centre. David has a Masters degree in Design Interactions from the Royal College of Art (2012) and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from the University of Birmingham (2000). He has published papers and filed patents in the fields of HCI, psychology, tangible interfaces, computer vision and computer graphics.
Hannah Redler Hawes (Data as Culture) is an independent curator and codirector of the Data as Culture art programme at the Open Data Institute in London. Hannah specialises in emerging artistic practice within the fields of art and science and technology, with an interest in participatory process. She has previously developed projects for museums, galleries, corporate contexts, digital space and the public realm including the Institute of Physics, Tate Modern, The Lowry, Natural History Museum, FACT Liverpool, the Digital Catapult and Science Gallery London, and has provided specialist consultancy services to the Wellcome Collection, Discover South Kensington and the Horniman Museum. Hannah enjoys projects that redraw boundaries between different disciplines. Current research is around addiction, open data, networked culture and new forms of programming beyond the gallery.
Tinderbox Collective : From grass-roots youth work to award-winning music productions, Tinderbox is building a vibrant and eclectic community of young musicians and artists in Scotland. We have a number of programmes that cross over with each other and come together wherever possible. They are open to children and young people aged 10 – 25, from complete beginners to young professionals and all levels in between. Tinderbox Lab is our digital arts programme and shared studio maker-space in Edinburgh that brings together artists across disciplines with an interest in digital media and interactive technologies. It is a new programme that started development in 2019, leading to projects and events such as Room to Play, a 10-week course for emerging artists led by Yann Seznec; various guest artist talks & workshops; digital arts exhibitions at the V&A Dundee & Edinburgh Festival of Sound; digital/electronics workshops design/development for children & young people; and research included as part of Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA) London 2019 conference.
Jack Nissan (Tinderbox) is the founder and director of the Tinderbox Collective. In 2012/13, Jack took part in a fellowship programmed called International Creative Entrepreneurs and spent several months working with community activists and social enterprises in China, primarily with families and communities on the outskirts of Beijing with an organisation called Hua Dan. Following this, he set up a number of international exchanges and cross-cultural productions that formed the basis for Tinderbox’s Journey of a Thousand Wings programme, a project bringing together artists and community projects from different countries. He is also a co-director and founding member of Hidden Door, a volunteer-run multi-arts festival, and has won a number of awards for his work across creative and social enterprise sectors. He has been invited to take part in several steering committees and advisory roles, including for Creative Scotland’s new cross-cutting theme on Creative Learning and Artworks Scotland’s peer-networks for artists working in participatory settings. Previously, Jack worked as a researcher in psychology and ageing for the multidisciplinary MRC Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, specialising in areas of neuropsychology and memory.
Luci Holland (Tinderbox) is a Scottish (Edinburgh-based) composer, sound artist and radio presenter who composes and produces music and audiovisual art for film, games and concert. As a games music composer Luci wrote the original dynamic/responsive music for Blazing Griffin‘s 2018 release Murderous Pursuits, and has composed and arranged for numerous video game music collaborations, such as orchestrating and producing an arrangement of Jessica Curry‘s Disappearing with label Materia Collective’s bespoke cover album Pattern: An Homage to Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. Currently she has also been composing custom game music tracks for Skyrim mod Lordbound and a variety of other film and game music projects. Luci also builds and designs interactive sonic art installations for festivals and venues (Refraction (Cryptic), CITADEL (Hidden Door)); and in 2019 Luci joined new classical music station Scala Radio to present The Console, a weekly one-hour show dedicated to celebrating great music in games. Luci also works as a musical director and composer with the youth music charity Tinderbox Project on their Orchestra & Digital Arts programmes; classical music organisation Absolute Classics; and occasionally coordinates musical experiments and productions with her music-for-media band Mantra Sound.

Good luck to all who submit an expression of interest and good luck to Dr. Thornton (I see from her bio that she’s been shortlisted for the 2020 Lumen Prize).

Replacing nanotechnology-enabled oil spill solutions with dog fur?

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Coincidentally or not, this research from Australia was announced a little more than a month after reports of a major oil spill in the Russian Arctic. A July 10, 2020 news item on phys.org announces a new technology for mopping up oil spills (Note: Links have been removed),

Oil spill disasters on land cause long-term damage for communities and the natural environment, polluting soils and sediments and contaminating groundwater.
Current methods using synthetic sorbent materials can be effective for cleaning up oil spills, but these materials are often expensive and generate large volumes of non-biodegradable plastic wastes. Now the first comparison of natural-origin sorbent materials for land-based oil spills, including peat moss, recycled human hair, and dog fur, shows that sustainable, cheaper and biodegradable options can be developed.
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) project found that dog fur and human hair products—recycled from salon wastes and dog groomers—can be just as good as synthetic fabrics at cleaning up crude oil spills on hard land surfaces like highway roads, pavement, and sealed concrete floors. Polypropylene, a plastic, is a widely-used fabric used to clean up oil spills in aquatic environments.
…

A July 9, 2020 Univesity of Technology Sydney press release on EurekAlert completes the story,

“Dog fur in particular was surprisingly good at oil spill clean-up, and felted mats from human hair and fur were very easy to apply and remove from the spills.” lead author of the study, UTS Environmental Scientist Dr Megan Murray, said. Dr Murray investigates environmentally-friendly solutions for contamination and leads The Phyto Lab research group at UTS School of Life Sciences.
“This is a very exciting finding for land managers who respond to spilled oil from trucks, storage tanks, or leaking oil pipelines. All of these land scenarios can be treated effectively with sustainable-origin sorbents,” she said.
The sorbents tested included two commercially-available products, propylene and loose peat moss, as well as sustainable-origin prototypes including felted mats made of dog fur and human hair. Prototype oil-spill sorbent booms filled with dog fur and human hair were also tested. Crude oil was used to replicate an oil spill. The results of the study are published in Environments.
The research team simulated three types of land surfaces; non-porous hard surfaces, semi-porous surfaces, and sand, to recreate common oil-spill scenarios.
“We found that loose peat moss is not as effective at cleaning up oil spills on land compared to dog fur and hair products, and it is not useful at all for sandy environments.” Dr Murray said.
“Based on this research, we recommend peat moss is no longer used for this purpose. Given that peat moss is a limited resource and harvesting it requires degrading wetland ecosystems, we think this is a very important finding.” she said.
The research concluded that, for now, sandy environments like coastal beaches can still benefit from the use of polypropylene sorbents, but further exploration of sustainable-origin sorbents is planned.
The researchers say that future applications from the research include investigating felted mats of sustainable-origin sorbents for river bank stabilisation, [emphases mine] as well as the removal of pollutants from flowing polluted waters, similar to existing membrane technology.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the study,

Decontaminating Terrestrial Oil Spills: A Comparative Assessment of Dog Fur, Human Hair, Peat Moss and Polypropylene Sorbents by Megan L. Murray, Soeren M. Poulsen and Brad R. Murray. Environments 2020, 7(7), 52; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7070052 Published: 8 July 2020 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Prevention/Environmental Sustainability for Industry)

This paper is open access.

As for the Russian oil spill

A June 4, 2020 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news online article outlines the situation regarding the oil spill and the steps being taken to deal with it,

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle.
The spill happened when a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk collapsed last Friday [May 29, 2020].
The power plant’s director Vyacheslav Starostin has been taken into custody until 31 July, but not yet charged.
The plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, which is the world’s leading nickel and palladium producer.
The Russian Investigative Committee (SK) has launched a criminal case over the pollution and alleged negligence, as there was reportedly a two-day delay in informing the Moscow authorities about the spill.
Ground subsidence beneath the fuel storage tanks is believed to have caused the spill. Arctic permafrost has been melting in exceptionally warm weather [more information about the weather towards the end of this posting] for this time of year.
…
Russian Minister for Emergencies Yevgeny Zinichev told Mr Putin that the Norilsk plant had spent two days trying to contain the spill, before alerting his ministry.
The leaked oil drifted some 12km (7.5 miles) from the accident site, turning long stretches of the Ambarnaya river crimson red.

The leaked diesel oil drifted some 12km (7.5 miles) from the site of the accident [downloaded from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52915807]

Getting back to the June 4, 2020 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news online article,

“Why did government agencies only find out about this two days [May 29, 2020?) after the fact?” he asked the subsidiary’s chief, Sergei Lipin. “Are we going to learn about emergency situations from social media?”
The region’s governor, Alexander Uss, had earlier told President Putin that he became aware of the oil spill on Sunday [May 31, 2020] after “alarming information appeared in social media”.
The spill has contaminated a 350 sq km (135 sq mile) area, state media report.
…
The state of emergency means extra forces are going to the area to assist with the clean-up operation.
The accident is believed to be the second largest in modern Russian history in terms of volume, an expert from the World Wildlife Fund, Alexei Knizhnikov, told the AFP [Agence France Presse] news agency.
The incident has prompted stark warnings from environmental groups, who say the scale of the spill and geography of the river mean it will be difficult to clean up.
Greenpeace has compared it to the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska.
Oleg Mitvol, former deputy head of Russia’s environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor, said there had “never been such an accident in the Arctic zone”.
He said the clean-up could cost 100bn roubles (£1.2bn; $1.5bn) and take between five and 10 years.
Minister of Natural Resources Dmitry Kobylkin warned against trying to burn off such a vast quantity of fuel oil.
He proposed trying to dilute the oil with reagents. Only the emergencies ministry with military support could deal with the pollution, he said.
Barges with booms could not contain the slick because the Ambarnaya river was too shallow, he warned.
He suggested pumping the oil on to the adjacent tundra, although President Putin added: “The soil there is probably saturated [with oil] already.”

An update of the situation can be found in a July 8, 2020 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) article (issued by Thomson Reuters),

Russia’s environmental watchdog has asked a power subsidiary of Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel to pay almost 148 billion rubles, or $2.8 billion Cdn, in damages over an Arctic fuel spill in Siberia.
Rosprirodnadzor, the Federal Service for Supervision of Use of Natural Resources, said in a statement on Monday [July 8, 2020] that it had already sent a request for “voluntary compensation” to the subsidiary, NTEK, after calculating the damage caused by the May 29 [2020] fuel spill.
Norilsk Nickel’s Moscow-listed shares fell by 3 per cent after the watchdog’s statement.
A fuel tank at the power plant lost pressure and released 21,000 tonnes of diesel into rivers and subsoil near the city of Norilsk, 2,900 kilometres northeast of Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin subsequently declared a state of emergency in the region, and investigators detained three staff at the power plant.
…
Norilsk, a remote city of 180,000 people situated 300 kilometres inside the Arctic Circle, is built around Norilsk Nickel, the world’s leading nickel and palladium producer, and has a reputation for its pollution.
Rosprirodnadzor said the damages included the cost for nearby water bodies, estimated at 147.05 billion rubles, $2.8 billion Cdn, and for subsoil, estimated at 738.62 million roubles, $14 million Cdn.
…

I can’t find any August 2020 updates for the oil spill situation in Russia. (Note: There is now an oil spill in a ecologically sensitive region near Mauritius; see August 13, 2020 news item on CBC news online website.)

Exceptionally warm weather

The oil spill isn’t the only problem in the Arctic.Here’s more from a June 23, 2020 article by Matt Simon for Wired magazine (Note: A link has been removed),

On Saturday [June 20, 2020], the residents of Verkhoyansk, Russia, marked the first day of summer with 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Not that they could enjoy it, really, as Verkhoyansk is in Siberia, hundreds of miles from the nearest beach. That’s much, much hotter than towns inside the Arctic Circle usually get. That 100 degrees appears to be a record, well above the average June high temperature of 68 degrees. Yet it’s likely the people of Verkhoyansk will see that record broken again in their lifetimes: The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet—if not faster—creating ecological chaos for the plants and animals that populate the north.
“The events over the weekend—in the last few weeks, really—with the heatwave in Siberia, all are unprecedented in terms of the magnitude of the extremes in temperature,” says Sophie Wilkinson, a wildfire scientist at McMaster University who studies northern peat fires, which themselves have grown unusually frequent in recent years as temperatures climb.
The Arctic’s extreme warming, known as Arctic amplification or polar amplification, may be due to three factors. One, the region’s reflectivity, or albedo—how much light it bounces back into space—is changing as the world warms. “What we’ve been seeing over the last 30 years is some relatively dramatic declines in sea ice in the summertime,” says University of Edinburgh global change ecologist Isla Myers-Smith, who studies the Arctic.
Since ice is white, it reflects the sun’s energy, something you’re already probably familiar with when it comes to staying cool in the summer. If you had to pick the color of T-shirt to wear when going hiking on a hot day, she says, “most of us would pick the white T-shirt, because that’s going to reflect the sun’s heat off of our back.” Similarly, Myers-Smith says, “If the sea ice melts in the Arctic, that will remove that white surface off of the ocean, and what will be exposed is this darker ocean surface that will absorb more of the sun’s heat.”
…

If you’re interested in the environmental consequences of the warming of the Arctic, this is a very good article.

Finishing up, I wish the clean-up crews (in Russia and near Mauritius) all the best as they work in the midst of a pandemic, as well as, an environmental disaster (both the oil spill and the warming of the Arctic).

FrogHeart

Commentary about nanotech, science policy and communication, society, and the arts

Tag Archives: University of Edinburgh

It’s a golden world

Two from SLAC (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California)

Defying the limits and surviving the entropy catastrophe

Gold’s secret chemistry

Studying dense hydrogen

Exploring new chemistry

Gold and a quantum revolution?

Lead into gold, the second time around

Your garden as a ‘living artwork’ for insects

Gene editing to identify and change parts of chicken DNA and limit the spread of bird flu virus

Graphene goes to the moon

A pioneering graphene work and a first for the Arab World

What is the Graphene Flagship?

Quantum Mechanics & Gravity conference (August 15 – 19, 2022) launches Vancouver (Canada)-based Quantum Gravity Institute and more

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Some thoughts on this conference and the Canadian quantum scene

Canadian quantum scene

Bank of Canada, cryptocurrency, and quantum computing

Quantum Technologies and the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA)

Does it mean anything?

Events: COVID-19 Collages and colour, Summer Solstice Celebration of Star Knowledge—Africa and Rapanui (Easter Island), and Tools for Catching Clouds (Biennale Architettura 2021)

Covid19 Collage Project on June 9, 2021

Summer Solstice Celebration of Star Knowledge—Africa and Rapanui (Easter Island) on June 22, 2021

Tools for Catching Clouds at Venice’s Biennale Architettura 2021

Concerns about Zoom? Call for expressions of interest in “Zoom Obscura,” creative interventions for a data ethics of video conferencing

Are folks outside the UK eligible?

Who are the members of the Zoom Obscura project team?

Replacing nanotechnology-enabled oil spill solutions with dog fur?

As for the Russian oil spill

Exceptionally warm weather