March 1st 2026

Things from Today:

Quantum Computing - There were a couple of really interesting points made about Quantum Computing (which again, emphasizes my relative ignorance about such an important area of modern physics/technology). I've put a couple of introductory videos/articles in the Extra Reading & Extra Watching/Listening that you can take a look at.
Dark Matter at the Centre of the Earth - We had a good conversation about Dark Matter (how we know it exists, and the enduring mystery of its true nature). In having this conversation, we stumbled accross a neat point about where all the dark matter is on the Earth. Because Dark Matter does not interact electromagnetically, and barely interacts via the weak interaction (as far as we know); most of the Dark Matter that ends up getting too close to the Earth will eventually end up accumulating at the centre of the Earth. This makes sense if you think about it... Dark Matter feels the gravitational pull of the Earth, but not the force of the floor that prevents you and me from falling through it.
Naked Mole Rats - As some of you now know, Naked Mole rats are my speclialist subject (other than physics of course...). We had a good conversation about their mating habits, aging process, farming prowess, and overall extremely bizare biology...

Extra Reading:

[Article] What is Quantum Computing? - J Schneider & I Smalley (IBM)

Extra Watching / Listening:

Homework

This 'homework' is recurring, and one I like to set my own students (and try to stick to myself!):

If you learn something interesting, I would love to hear about it! Tell me about it next time or drop me an email!

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