A reader shares a report: A team of theoretical physicists from Oxford University in the UK has shown that life and reality cannot be merely simulations generated by a massive extraterrestrial computer. The finding — an unexpectedly definite one — arose from the discovery of a novel link between gravitational anomalies and computational complexity. In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, Zohar Ringel and Dmitry Kovrizhi show that constructing a computer simulation of a particular quantum phenomenon that occurs in metals is impossible — not just practically, but in principle. The pair initially set out to see whether it was possible to use a technique known as quantum Monte Carlo to study the quantum Hall effect — a phenomenon in physical systems that exhibit strong magnetic fields and very low temperatures, and manifests as an energy current that runs across the temperature gradient. The phenomenon indicates an anomaly in the underlying space-time geometry. They discovered that the complexity of the simulation increased exponentially with the number of particles being simulated. If the complexity grew linearly with the number of particles being simulated, then doubling the number of partices would mean doubling the computing power required. If, however, the complexity grows on an exponential scale — where the amount of computing power has to double every time a single particle is added — then the task quickly becomes impossible. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read the original:
We’re Not Living in a Computer Simulation, New Research Shows
slew writes: Okay, this isn’t Aliens 2, but hardware chain Lowe’s is “outfitting employees with a simple exoskeleton to help them on the job, ” reports The Verge. “The company has partnered with Virginia Tech to develop the technology, which makes lifting and moving heavy objects easier. The non-motorized exoskeletons are worn like a harness, with carbon fiber rods acting as artificial tendons — bending when the wearer squats, and springing back when they stand up. Lowe’s has issued four of the custom-built suits to employees at a store in Christiansburg, Virginia. The equipment has been in use for over a month and the company says early feedback is extremely positive. ‘[Employees] wear it all day, it’s very comfortable, and it makes their job easier, ‘ says Kyle Nel, the director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs, adding that Lowe’s is working with scientists from Virginia Tech to conduct a proper survey of the technology’s usefulness. ‘It’s early days, but we’re doing some major studies, ‘ he says.” Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
An anonymous reader writes: For years you’ve been able to listen to the sounds recorded on the golden records carried by the twin Voyager spacecraft online but NASA just made it a bit easier. The orginization just uploaded the recordings to SoundCloud. Now you can listen to a continuous stream of clips instead of clicking back and forth to hear the different tracks. Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
Some of the most haunting images of the U.S. were captured from 1935 to 1945, as the country emerged from the depths of the Great Depression and rallied for World War II. A team from Yale has collaborated on one of the most visually stunning interpretations of the era, called Photogrammar : 170, 000 photos from the period, plotted on a map of the country. Read more…