Researchers demonstrated that braiding and fusing particles known as non-Abelian anyons can perform every operation required by a quantum computer. A quantum computer becomes broadly useful only when it can perform any computation rather than a limited set of specialized tasks. Physicists have now demonstrated that unusual quantum objects called non-Abelian anyons can provide that [...]

By studying a gene associated with congenital heart defects, scientists uncovered a mechanism showing how small reductions in protein levels can disrupt DNA’s three-dimensional structure and lead to disease. A baby can inherit one healthy copy of TBX5 and still develop serious heart defects if the other copy does not work. That genetic imbalance is [...]

Scientists have uncovered an early brain mechanism that may help explain why people carrying the APOE4 gene face a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For millions of people who carry the APOE4 gene, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, changes in brain activity may start years before memory problems become noticeable. Researchers [...]