How can we live well with bad weather?
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- RNZ News
Science: Walking for your heart, black carbon underestimated
Is walking backwards really the key to fast-forwarding your fitness? Photo: 123rf Science correspondent Laurie Winkless joins Susie with three new studies. The first has found that taking more steps - even below the recommended 10,000 target - and increasing your walking pace are associated with reducing your risk of a heart event or stroke. Black carbon emissions in the 'global south' are almost 40 percent higher than previously reported. And researchers in Japan have developed the strongest underwater adhesive hydrogel to date. Laurie Winkless is a physicist and science writer
RNZ News
06-08-2025
- RNZ News
Devastating cyclones to get 20-35 percent wetter with fossil fuel emissions
Debris and damage at Redclyffe bridge in Taradale, Napier after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: Givealittle / Waiohiki Marae Devastating cyclones like the one that sank the Wahine could get 20-35 percent wetter with fossil fuel emissions, unless countries pick up their climate efforts, a study has found. The most devastating cyclones to hit New Zealand - like Gabrielle, Bola and Giselle, which sank the Wahine in 1968 - have been ex-tropical cyclones. Now new, more precise climate modelling shows they could dump 35 percent more rain by the end of the century. Even if governments lowered emissions enough to keep global temperatures to 2C hotter than the late 1990s and early 2000s, extreme rainfall from tropical and ex-tropical cyclones could rise by up to 20 percent, the peer-reviewed study out of New Zealand found. The world is currently on track to get hotter than that, and only one country - the United Kingdom - has set a target for 2035 consistent with keeping heating to 1.5C, according to charity Climate Action Tracker . "The most relevant take home for New Zealand is that the amount of extreme rainfall coming out of these storms will increase in the future and this increase will be dependent on future temperature increases," said climate scientist Peter Gibson, who led the study with colleagues from Earth Sciences NZ (formerly NIWA) and the University of Waikato. "Under a high emissions scenario we could see as much as 30-35 percent increases ... whereas if we follow more of a moderate emissions pathway the warming would be more like 2°C by the end of the century and that would limit the increase to about 20 percent." He said even that would be significant. "Especially when you're talking about the really devastating events like Gabrielle, Bola and Giselle, these storms can often produce 400mm of rainfall in some places, so 20-30 percent really has strong implications on the ground," Gibson said. The researchers used new, more precise climate modelling which NIWA generated for New Zealand last year. They simulated how extreme cyclones would change in the South Pacific (including New Zealand) under low, medium and high emissions futures. Those levels of greenhouse gases translated to heating of around 1C, 2C and 3C respectively, compared with a baseline of 1995-2014 temperatures. Gibson said they also looked at whether other changes to weather patterns - such as increased high pressure systems or changing winds - might act as a shield and deflect some ex-tropical cyclones from reaching New Zealand. "Unfortunately we don't find strong evidence of that occurring over New Zealand in our simulations." The study confirmed earlier projections by the world's peak climate science body, the IPCC, and others. Earlier modelling has found little evidence that ex-tropical cyclones would become more frequent, but found each storm would bring more intense rain. Gibson said previous findings were based on much lower-resolution models. "This is particularly important for tropical cyclones, because if you think about the eye of a tropical cyclone, these are tens of kilometres across and the resolution of global climate models is roughly 100km. Global climate models really struggle capture tropical cycles," he said. "In our high-resolution models which we using here, we have a much better representation of the physics." The study was funded by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment through the Building for Climate Change programme and Strategic Science Investment Fund. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
04-08-2025
- Scoop
Fujitsu Starts Official Development Of Plus-10,000 Qubit Superconducting Quantum Computer Targeting Completion In 2030
Press Release – Fujitsu Development activities to be carried in part under NEDO project to advance the development of quantum computers towards industrialisation. Sydney, Australia; Monday 4 August 2025 – Fujitsu has announced it has started research and development towards a superconducting quantum computer with a capacity exceeding 10,000 qubits. Construction is slated for completion in fiscal 2030. The new superconducting quantum computer will operate with 250 logical qubits and will use Fujitsu's innovative 'STAR architecture,' an early-stage fault-tolerant quantum computing (early-FTQC) architecture also developed by the company. Fujitsu aims to make practical quantum computing possible, particularly in areas like materials science where complex simulations can unlock groundbreaking discoveries, and to this end will focus on advancing key scaling technologies across various technical domains. As part of this effort, Fujitsu has been selected as an implementing party for the 'Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems' [1], publicly solicited by the NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation). Fujitsu will be contributing to the thematic area of advancing the development of quantum computers towards industrialisation. The project will be promoted through joint research with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and RIKEN and will run until fiscal year 2027. Fujitsu is committed to driving forward the development of practical and industrialised quantum computing solutions. After this 10,000-qubit machine is built, Fujitsu will further pursue advanced research initiatives targeting the integration of superconducting and diamond spin-based qubits from fiscal 2030 and aims to realise a 1,000 logical qubit machine in fiscal 2035 while considering the possibility of multiple interconnected quantum bit-chips. Vivek Mahajan, Corporate Executive Officer, Corporate Vice President, CTO, in charge of System Platform, Fujitsu Limited, comments: 'Fujitsu is already recognised as a world leader in quantum computing across a broad spectrum, from software to hardware. This project, led by NEDO, will contribute significantly to Fujitsu's goal of further developing a Made-in-Japan fault tolerant superconducting quantum computer. We would also be aiming to combine superconducting quantum computing with diamond spin technology as part of our roadmap. By realizing 250 logical qubits in fiscal 2030 and 1,000 logical qubits in fiscal 2035, Fujitsu is committed to leading the path forward globally in the field of quantum computing. Additionally, Fujitsu will be developing the next generation of its HPC platform, using its FUJITSU-MONAKA processor line, which will also power FugakuNEXT. Fujitsu will further integrate its platforms for high-performance and quantum computing to offer a comprehensive computing platform to our customers.' Technology development focus areas Fujitsu's research efforts will focus on developing the following scaling technologies. High-throughput, high-precision qubit manufacturing technology: Improvement of the manufacturing precision of Josephson Junctions, critical components of superconducting qubits which minimise frequency variations. Chip-to-chip interconnect technology: Development of wiring and packaging technologies to enable the interconnection of multiple qubit chips, facilitating the creation of larger quantum processors. High-density packaging and low-cost qubit control: Addressing the challenges associated with cryogenic cooling and control systems, including the development of techniques to reduce component count and heat dissipation. Decoding technology for quantum error correction: Development of algorithms and system designs for decoding measurement data and correcting errors in quantum computations. Background The world faces increasingly complex challenges that demand computational power beyond the reach of traditional computers. Quantum computers offer the promise of tackling these previously intractable problems, driving significant advancements across numerous fields. While a fully fault-tolerant quantum computer with 1 million qubits of processing power is considered the ultimate goal, Fujitsu is focused on delivering practical solutions in the near term. Fujitsu's commitment to quantum computing is underscored by its ongoing R&D efforts. In August 2024, in collaboration with the University of Osaka, Fujitsu unveiled its STAR architecture, a highly efficient quantum computing architecture based on phase rotation gates. This architecture paves the way for early-FTQC systems capable of outperforming conventional computers with only 60,000 qubits [2]. On the hardware front, the RIKEN RQC-Fujitsu Collaboration Centre, established in 2021 with RIKEN, has already yielded a 64-qubit superconducting quantum computer in March 2023, followed by a world-leading [3] 256-qubit system in April 2025. Scaling to even larger systems requires overcoming challenges such as maintaining high fidelity across multiple interconnected qubit chips and achieving greater integration of components and wiring within dilution refrigerators. In addition to its superconducting approach, Fujitsu is also exploring the potential of diamond spin-based qubits, which use light for qubit connectivity. Fujitsu is conducting research in this area in collaboration with Delft University of Technology and QuTech, a leading quantum technology research institute, which has resulted in the successful creation of highly accurate and controllable qubits. Notes: [1]'Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems': Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems [2]Only 60,000 qubits: In simulations using 60,000 qubits, the STAR architecture can execute material energy estimation calculations which would take 5 years on conventional computers in about 10 hours. [3]A world-leading: One of the world's largest superconducting quantum computers available to external users (as of April 2025, according to Fujitsu). About Fujitsu Fujitsu's purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers around the globe, our 113,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: AI, Computing, Networks, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$23 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share.
