"Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have shown they can increase the density, performance and the durability of phase-change memory (PSM) by using diamonds to change the base alloy material. Instead of using the more typical method of applying heat to the alloy to change its state from amorphous to crystalline, thereby laying down bits in the material, the researchers used pressure from diamond-tipped tools.

"If the development of a quantum computer were like motor racing, then we would currently be in the twisty-turny bit that comes before we barrel over the mountain and hit the long, fast straightaway. We know the requirements for quantum computing; we even know systems that kinda-sorta meet these requirements. But no existing quantum computing architecture—that is, how we make quantum bits (qubits) and perform operations on them—is really all that satisfying. If you don't even know which materials are best for building a quantum computer, it makes progress awfully slow..."

"Tougher than stainless steel and even the previous record holder, bulletproof Kevlar, a new, transparent material developed by scientists in Israel is the hardest organic nanostructure known to man. Inspired by an unlikely source -- the beta-amyloid proteins found in patients with Alzheimer's disease -- the new material could be applied to make steel tougher and may also lead to cheaper and lighter body armor.