Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a quantum random number generator chip that can verify the integrity of its own hardware while producing random numbers, addressing a long-standing security challenge in digital encryption systems.

Random numbers are critical for encryption keys, secure transactions, digital signatures, and other cybersecurity applications. Existing random number generators, including quantum versions, rely on users trusting that their hardware components continue to operate as intended. If a component degrades or is tampered with, the output could become predictable without being detected.

The new chip is designed to eliminate that risk by continuously checking whether its measurement hardware is behaving as expected during operation.

The research team, led by Associate Professor Charles Lim from the National University of Singapore’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, says the approach could strengthen security in sectors ranging from finance and healthcare to artificial intelligence and connected devices.

Hardware trust removed

Most quantum random number generators operate using what researchers call a trusted-device model. Under this approach, components such as lasers, modulators, and detectors are assumed to match their specifications throughout their lifetime.

The new chip instead uses a measurement-device-independent protocol. This means users only need to trust the quantum light signals entering the system rather than the detector responsible for measuring them.

During operation, the chip generates known quantum light states and compares detector responses against predictions from quantum theory. If the results match expectations, the system converts the data into certified random numbers. If not, the process stops automatically.

“The measurement unit in quantum random number generators has traditionally been very difficult to characterize, making its real-world reliability hard to guarantee. Our solution removes the need to trust that this unit is operating as specified during use,” said Associate Professor Charles Lim.

The device integrates both the signal encoder and optical detector on a single silicon chip manufactured using an eight-inch wafer process commonly used in semiconductor production. Unlike some quantum technologies, it operates at room temperature and does not require cryogenic cooling.

Researchers also addressed a challenge involving silicon-based light modulators. Adjusting the phase of light can unintentionally change its brightness, potentially affecting security. The team developed a control method that compensates for this effect and maintains stable optical signals.

Security over speed

The chip’s detector achieved a total efficiency of 69.1 percent, exceeding the protocol’s minimum requirement of 67 percent. Tests also showed that the system generated more certified random bits than it consumed as an input seed, confirming that it produces fresh randomness.

Researchers describe the device as the most secure quantum random number generator chip demonstrated so far. Its security analysis assumes a worst-case scenario in which an attacker may possess quantum correlations with the detector itself.

That level of security comes with a trade-off. The current experimental system produces 64 bits per second, significantly slower than conventional quantum random number generators that can exceed 100 gigabits per second.

The team believes performance can improve substantially through better detector technology. Laboratory photodiodes developed by the researchers have already reached 92.4 percent efficiency, and simulations suggest future versions of the chip could achieve data rates of 68 megabits per second.

“This chip paves the way towards integrating practical self-testing quantum random number generators into compact, secure systems,” added Assoc Prof Lim.

The study was published in the journal PRX Quantum.

Encryption systems rely on “random” numbers, but conventional computers can’t generate them perfectly. New research shows that quantum physics can.

Gold is weird. It's one of the few metals that doesn’t really oxidize. Even silver and copper—from the same column of the periodic table—form weak oxides. Naively, you might expect that gold would tarnish just like silver. Gold also sits right next to platinum, but it has none of that metal’s catalytic properties.

Then came gold nanoparticles that acted like catalysts, and we were confused by their apparent willingness to take part in chemical reactions.

Now, a pair of scientists has explained that gold’s inertness isn’t inherent to the atom but rather to the surfaces that gold crystals form. Before we get to the results, let’s first take a look at the traditional explanation for gold’s inertness and why an inert material that has no catalytic activity suddenly acts as a catalyst when in its nanoparticle form.

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Tea choice significantly changes kombucha’s chemistry, flavor, and antioxidant potential, with green and oolong teas showing the strongest biological activity. Kombucha has surged in popularity worldwide in recent years, but researchers are looking beyond its flavor to better understand its chemistry and possible health-related properties. A team from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life [...]

In a new study, fossilized droppings suggested that ancient ground squirrels ate the meat of much larger animals, including mammoths, bison and saber-toothed cats.

Unusually tall red auroras over Japan may be revealing that some solar storms are stronger than scientists realize. A study published in the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate reports that red auroras observed over Japan extended to altitudes of roughly 500-800 kilometers above Earth. The discovery was made by researchers from Hokkaido University [...]

A small Greek island on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean has revealed a new species inside a man-made tunnel carved into a hillside.

During a survey of Kastellorizo in the Dodecanese, researchers found a previously unknown cave cricket inhabiting an artificial underground passage on Mount Vigla. The species, described in the Journal of Orthoptera Research, is part of the genus Dolichopoda. These cave-dwelling crickets occur throughout southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, and often form distinct species when populations become isolated in separate underground habitats.

These cave-dwelling crickets  throughout southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean and often form distinct species when populations become isolated in separate underground habitats.

The team named the species Dolichopoda balrogi after the Balrog, the ancient fire-demon who resided beneath the mountains in the Mines of Moria in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In Tolkien’s story, the Balrog remained hidden underground until disturbed by the Dwarves.

An Island With No Caves

Kastellorizo covers about nine square kilometers, making it one of the smallest inhabited islands in Greece. The island is actually located closer to the Turkish coast than to the Greek mainland. The landscape also lacks any accessible natural caves. The only underground environment available for survey was a single man-made tunnel, which explains why the cricket remained undiscovered until now.

Morphological analysis of both male and female specimens showed that D. balrogi has a unique combination of physical features. The structure of the male epiphallus, the shape of the tenth tergite, and the form of the female ovipositor set it apart from other Dolichopoda species.

Molecular analysis confirmed this. DNA barcoding showed that the Kastellorizo population belongs to an evolutionary lineage alongside southwestern Anatolian Dolichopoda species, especially D. sbordonii and D. lycia. However, this is the first time an Anatolian Dolichopoda lineage has been documented within European territory.

A Biogeography Bridge

Kastellorizo’s location already makes it a unique case in the eastern Mediterranean. Although it is officially part of Greece, the island sits just a few kilometers from the Turkish mainland, and its plants and animals reflect this proximity. The discovery of D. balrogi fits this pattern since its closest relatives are not found on other Greek islands but along the coast of Anatolia.

This finding also adds to the evidence that Kastellorizo acts as a biogeographic bridge, hosting species with roots and connections that set them apart from the rest of the Aegean islands.

“These findings remind us that biodiversity discoveries are not limited to remote tropical forests or deep oceans,” added lead researcher Konstantinos Kalaentzis. “Even familiar landscapes and human-made structures can harbour species that have remained unnoticed.”

A Fragile Find

Cave-adapted organisms such as Dolichopoda crickets are particularly vulnerable. Their entire known range may extend only to a single tunnel, cave, or hillside. D. balrogi appears to only exist in this single man-made passage. Construction, flooding, or other disturbances to that habitat could eliminate the species before researchers fully understand it.

The authors note that documenting hidden subterranean fauna is a necessary first step toward protection, and that artificial underground environments should receive more attention as possible refuges for specialized cave-dwelling species.

The Greek islands are among the least studied archipelagos in the Mediterranean in terms of biodiversity. The discovery of a new species with Anatolian evolutionary roots in a single tunnel on a nine-square-kilometer island suggests that the region’s unexplored caves and crevices may harbor many more undiscovered species.

Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a data analytics certification. His work focuses on breaking scientific developments, with an emphasis on emerging biology, cognitive neuroscience, and archaeological discoveries.

For years, people around the world have reported being disturbed by a low, persistent droning sound of unknown origin.

Often described as more of a vibration than a specific tone, this sound has become widely known as “The Hum,” a phenomenon that is more frequently reported in certain cities and specific areas than others.

Over time, possible explanations have included industrial ventilation systems, military sonar experiments, and, in some online discussions, extraterrestrial signals, although none of these theories are supported by evidence.

However, in a recent study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), published in PLOS ONE, researchers now offer evidence that, for most people who experience this phenomenon, the source is probably not external, but instead may actually originate within their own auditory system.

From Bristol to Taos and Beyond

Residents of Bristol, England, first widely reported The Hum in the mid-1970s, when the Bristol Evening Post received several reports from people who claimed they experienced hearing a strange, low sound. People initially thought the industrial fans in an area warehouse were responsible, but the hum persisted after the warehouse shut down.

By the 1990s, reports of a similar phenomenon began surfacing in Taos, New Mexico, where residents described a persistent, diesel engine-like rumble. Both state and federal authorities investigated the sound but could not explain it. The Taos Hum became one of the most studied and widely recognized examples of this phenomenon. Since then, similar reports have come from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and several European countries.

As reports grew, people proposed explanations ranging from ocean-generated infrasound to military sonar and CIA transmitters. Some online discussions have even suggested alien technology as a possible cause. In 2012, Canadian teacher Glen MacPherson, who first experienced The Hum on the west coast of British Columbia, created the World Hum Map and Database Project to document cases worldwide. The project has since collected thousands of entries.

Testing Two Hypotheses

To investigate the phenomenon, Professor Markus Drexl at NTNU recruited 28 people in Germany who all reported hearing a persistent, unexplained humming sound. Clinicians refer to this as a low-frequency sound percept, or LFSP. Most participants described the sound as having a frequency around 50 Hz, about the same as a deep mechanical rumble.

The research team tested two main explanations: whether participants had unusually acute sensitivity to low-frequency sound, or whether some were perceiving sounds generated by their own inner ears.

“We know that there are people who hear low-frequency sounds that can actually be measured, even if other people don’t hear them,” Drexl said. “But it’s not so easy to find the source of these sound waves, because it’s a struggle to localize low-frequency sounds.”

What the Ear Produces on Its Own

The cochlea, a spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts sound waves into neural signals, also actively amplifies incoming sounds. This amplification produces faint sounds emitted from the ear, known as spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs).

Most people are not aware of these emissions. In rare cases, people perceive SOAEs as tinnitus. Drexl’s team investigated whether people who hear the Hum might be detecting a low-frequency version of this phenomenon.

The results did not support this idea. The team found no low-frequency SOAEs in any participant. The hypothesis of unusually acute low-frequency hearing was also not supported; while a few participants had slightly better low-frequency hearing than average, most did not.

“Even though the group we tested was small, it still means that the hypothesis of having especially good hearing for low-frequency sounds does not hold for most people,” Drexl said.

When the Sound Has No Source

This left a third group: participants who reported hearing something that no external instrument could detect. “Then there are people who hear something that cannot be measured objectively. We believe people in this category have a form of low-frequency tinnitus,” Drexl said.

The Hum differs from typical tinnitus because most people who experience it first believe the sound comes from an external source, sometimes spending years searching for its origin before realizing it is internal. The researchers still have not ruled out external causes completely. In some cases, near industrial sites or coastlines, genuine low-frequency sources may exist. However, researchers identified no external source for most participants in the study.

“Based on our results, although we haven’t ruled out cases of physical external sound sources, we suggest that subjective tinnitus in the low-frequency range is often the cause of hearing pulsations of low-frequency sound perceptions,” Drexl said.

The Blind Spot in Auditory Research

The study also highlights that the low-frequency range of the auditory system remains poorly understood in hearing science.

“What we know about the hearing system is mainly based on how we capture and process sound with higher frequencies. We know less about how the auditory system handles and processes low-frequency sound, or infrasound,” Drexl said.

Although the cause of well-known cases like the Taos Hum remains unresolved, the new findings suggest that many reports of unexplained low-frequency sounds may actually originate from within the auditory system rather than from an external source.

Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a data analytics certification. His work focuses on breaking scientific developments, with an emphasis on emerging biology, cognitive neuroscience, and archaeological discoveries.

A wearable lens used the retina to reach mood circuits deep in the brain and reverse depression-like changes in mice.

Oak trees fight caterpillars by delaying spring just long enough to leave them hungry. In spring, forests usually burst to life right as insects hatch. Caterpillars, in particular, emerge when fresh leaves are young, soft, and packed with nutrients. This timing provides them with an immediate food supply and allows them to begin feeding right [...]

The Federal Communications Commission has waived a requirement for Amazon to launch half of its satellite broadband constellation by the end of July, a key regulatory reprieve that buys the tech giant time to get more of its spacecraft into orbit.

Amazon won regulatory approval for the Amazon Leo network in July 2020. The FCC's authorization came with two deadlines. First, Amazon had to launch half of its 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2026, in order to maintain authorization to launch the rest of the network. The regulator gave Amazon a deadline of July 30, 2029, to have all of its first-generation satellites in orbit.

It has been apparent for some time that Amazon would not meet the FCC's requirement to launch half of its satellites—1,616 spacecraft—by the end of next month. Amazon filed an application in January requesting the FCC extend the deadline to July 2028 or waive it altogether. The commission decided on the latter option, removing any time limit for the 50 percent deployment milestone, but keeping the July 2029 deadline in place for the entire constellation.

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The Federal Communications Commission has waived a requirement for Amazon to launch half of its satellite broadband constellation by the end of July, a key regulatory reprieve that buys the tech giant time to get more of its spacecraft into orbit.

Amazon won regulatory approval for the Amazon Leo network in July 2020. The FCC's authorization came with two deadlines. First, Amazon had to launch half of its 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2026, in order to maintain authorization to launch the rest of the network. The regulator gave Amazon a deadline of July 30, 2029, to have all of its first-generation satellites in orbit.

It has been apparent for some time that Amazon would not meet the FCC's requirement to launch half of its satellites—1,616 spacecraft—by the end of next month. Amazon filed an application in January requesting the FCC extend the deadline to July 2028 or waive it altogether. The commission decided on the latter option, removing any time limit for the 50 percent deployment milestone, but keeping the July 2029 deadline in place for the entire constellation.

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The massive formation is older than the continents

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