Signals of the future: this week in science, technology and climate science

Quantum Computing Milestone: Researchers have demonstrated the entanglement of 24 logical qubits using a neutral atom quantum processor with 256 physical qubits. They implemented quantum algorithms with up to 28 logical qubits, showing improved error rates compared to physical qubits.
AI Advances in Mathematics: A new method called PatternBoost alternates between classical search algorithms and training neural networks to find novel mathematical constructions. It has produced the best-known solutions to several long-standing problems in combinatorics.
Large Language Model Insights: A study revealed that pruning even a single parameter can dramatically impact a large language model’s performance, increasing perplexity by orders of magnitude. Researchers identified “super weights” that are crucial to model function.
Quantum Photonics Breakthrough: Scientists have achieved high-fidelity control of up to 24 logical qubits encoded in photons, marking significant progress towards scalable light-based quantum processors.
AI in Drug Discovery: Researchers have used AI to identify potential new antibiotics that could combat drug-resistant bacteria, showcasing AI’s power in pharmaceutical research.