ScienceDaily: Computers & Math News

Using a new approach, researchers detected the elusive Majorana quasiparticle, notable for being its own antiparticle and for its potential as the basis for a robust quantum computing system, in a device built from a superconductor, small magnetic elements, and a topological insulator.

A new study finds that people who are initially motivated to learn about their ancestry with third-party personal genetics services frequently end up engaging with health interpretations of their genetic data, too.

A new mathematical model that predicts which choices people will make in the Iowa Gambling Task, a task used for the past 25 years to study decision-making, outperforms previously developed models.

The timing of a hurricane is one of the primary factors influencing its impact on the spread of mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus, dengue, chikungunya and Zika, according to new research.

The Genes for Good project has engaged more than 80,000 Facebook users, collected 27,000 DNA spit-kits, and amassed a trove of health survey data on a more diverse group of participants than has previously been possible.

Automated analysis of the two language variables -- more frequent use of words associated with sound and speaking with low semantic density, or vagueness -- can predict whether an at-risk person will later develop psychosis with 93 percent accuracy.

The use of Bitcoin causes around 22 megatons in carbon dioxide emissions annually -- comparable to the total emissions of cities such as Las Vegas or Hamburg.

Researchers are working on a project to develop wearable rehabilitative devices that can help disabled people sit, stand and walk in comfort.

Human body communication (HBC) uses the human body to transmit power and data, much like the internet. Because it's a smaller and closed network, it has the benefit of being more secure and power efficient. In a recent study, a group of Japanese researchers used an equivalent circuit model to examine how different parameters affect HBC transmission characteristics.

People who feel financially vulnerable may be prone to believing incorrectly their success in negotiations must come at the expense of the other party, leading them to ignore the potential for more cooperative and mutually beneficial options.