gshc2020.com

You've got 100 pizzas to deliver in a single night. What car are you doing your deliveries in, money no object? What is the best car in the world for delivering a lot of pizzas in a short amount of time at any budget? Yes, I know there are some logical fallacies at play when it comes to delivering pizza in a an expensive vehicle, but for the sake of argument, we're going to put that aside. If it's something that truly bothers you, feel free to write your local congressperson and tell them what a doodoo head I am. The rest of us will have fun daydreaming about a completely made-up scenario.

My choice

Mercedes-Benz

I've thought long and hard about my pick for my made-up scenario, and to me, it's perfect: it's the Mercedes-Benz G580, baby. Yes, I know the electric G-wagen starts at $164,550 including destination, but again, that doesn't matter in the slightest. What does matter is that it's the perfect delivery vehicle.

The G-Class EV is big and comfy, but not too big, so it'll be easy to park. The massaging seats will make sure my weary back never crumbles under the pressure of handling dozens of pies. Its cargo floor is also completely flat, so there will be zero cheese slippage. Any real pizza connoisseur will know shifting cheese is a death sentence for a good pizza.

It's also plenty fast with the 579 horsepower and 859 pound-feet of torque produced by its four electric motors — enough to rocket it to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. When you've got 30 minutes or less to get your 'za where it's got to go, every second counts. Obviously, you could go with the Mercedes-AMG G63 for an even faster ride, but you'll be burning through your profits with horrid gas mileage, and the thump of that twin-turbo V8 could get old after a while. EVs were tailor-made for the stop-and-go nature of pizza delivery if you think about it.

Anyway, that's my perfect choice for delivering 100 pizzas in a single night. Why don't you head on down below and let your fellow Jalops know what yours is? %!s()

The results are published in PRX Quantum.

Electron spins trapped at point defects in solid-state crystals can operate at room temperature and retain quantum information for long periods, making them a leading platform not only for quantum computing but also for quantum communications and ultrasensitive quantum sensing. The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has been the most prominent candidate, but diamond is difficult to grow into large-area, high-quality crystals and is poorly suited to standard semiconductor fabrication, posing major obstacles to the integration and mass production of quantum devices.

Zinc oxide as an alternative

To overcome this bottleneck, the team turned to zinc oxide, a material already widely used in the semiconductor industry and whose physical properties are well established. Zinc oxide is considered an ideal host for qubits: It is "magnetically quiet," containing almost no nuclear spins, and can be grown as ultrahigh-purity crystals. Using state-of-the-art first-principles quantum simulations on supercomputers, the team systematically screened candidate defects across the periodic table and designed a "molybdenum-oxygen-vacancy complex," in which a molybdenum (Mo) atom replaces a zinc (Zn) atom next to a missing oxygen atom, and analyzed its properties in detail.

The analysis showed that, under illumination, the defect emits bright, sharp light in the visible range with high efficiency. Notably, its Huang-Rhys factor—a measure of how much energy leaks into crystal vibrations during light emission—is far smaller than that of previously known defects in zinc oxide, confirming that the defect can produce the sharp, well-defined emission ideally suited for quantum light sources.

Long-lived spin and readout

The team further showed that the defect's electron spin can stably retain quantum information for about 4 milliseconds (4/1,000 of a second) even in the presence of surrounding magnetic noise. Combined with strong spin-orbit coupling and a stable, symmetric structure, these properties enable high-fidelity "single-shot readout"—determining the spin state accurately in a single measurement—as the team demonstrated theoretically. Single-shot readout is an essential capability for quantum error correction and quantum networks.

Seo said, "This work is the first to show that a robust, deep-level spin qubit is feasible in zinc oxide, a representative oxide semiconductor. Combined with mature oxide-semiconductor growth and fabrication technologies, it could develop into an integrated, scalable platform for quantum light sources, quantum sensors and quantum networks."

Taejoon Park, a Ph.D. candidate at SKKU, participated as a co-first author together with researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Seo served as a co-corresponding author with Professor Kai-Mei C. Fu of the University of Washington and Professor Yuan Ping of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Publication details

Shimin Zhang et al, Deep Spin Defects in Zinc Oxide for High-Fidelity Single-Shot Readout, PRX Quantum (2026). DOI: 10.1103/v3fp-821b

Who's behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →

Robert Egan

Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →

Citation: World's first 'zinc oxide spin qubit' could advance scalable quantum devices (2026, July 24) retrieved 24 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-zinc-oxide-qubit-advance.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. %!s()

Wangchuk said on social media that he ended the hunger strike in Delhi in the presence of two federal ministers at the urging of scores of members ⁠of parliament, and after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country”. He did not elaborate on the talks but promised to lay out details in a video soon.

Protests under the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) ​movement have called for nationwide demonstrations on Friday ‌in solidarity with students who alleged police brutality during a march on parliament on Monday by tens of thousands of people, even as Modi’s government urged them to join talks.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Wangchuk for his “courage and sacrifice” and said the protests would continue until minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. “We won’t let Sonam ⁠sir’s sacrifice go in vain,” he added in a video message.

The CJP ​movement wants Pradhan to step down over exam paper leaks that affected 2 million students in May and have been linked to several student suicides.

Late on Tuesday, Pradhan, in his first comments since demands for his resignation were made, said the government was committed to addressing concerns and reforming ​exams.

The protests have drawn tens of thousands on to the streets, and represent the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014. ‌Opposition parties have echoed the youth movement’s demands and have ‌disrupted the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.

After Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, Modi urged the activist to follow doctors’ advice and regain the weight he has lost.

Thousands of people remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Thursday afternoon, carrying anti-government posters and chanting slogans amid heavy security deployment. The protests have shut metro stations and mobile internet services and curtailed business in central Delhi.

Protests also have spread to other cities, including Ranchi, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata, local media reported.

Authorities in Delhi shut down 16 metro rail stations on Thursday in and around the central parts of Delhi where the protesters have remained camped, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.

The government also ordered telecom firms to block mobile internet services in the area, sources told Reuters, a move that not only ‌affected protesters but also stopped shops and restaurants receiving digital payments by phone.

The measures ​are widely seen by human rights groups as an attempt by authorities to curb protests and prevent any fresh outbreak of violence.

Earlier on Thursday, Modi said that special courts would be set up to prosecute those behind exam paper leaks, his first public response to the crisis. “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future ⁠of our youth!” Modi posted online.

But the CJP rejected the proposal, saying what courts do after paper leaks is just one aspect of the problem. “But ​Modi-ji, tell us why are paper leaks happening in this country in the ​first place?” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, using the Hindi honorific.

“Fast-track ​courts are set up in this country for every other issue, but whether those fast track courts have actually solved those issues – you know the answer to that question, ​and so do we.“

Later in the day, Modi ‌said on social media that the government ​would announce more strict actions against paper leaks at ​a cabinet meeting on Friday.

Top Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor, supported the protesters via social media posts, saying it was heartening to see students come together to fight for a cause. %!s()

"During the heatwave, I've got a high level of anxiety all the time and I'm pretty much useless," she told the BBC. "I've had to leave bedtime when my husband reads [my kids] stories to have a little cry and to calm down, because it's just too hot in their room and I'm afraid for them."

Feeling "incredibly helpless", the 36-year-old posted a short reel to her hundreds of followers on Instagram, in which she voiced her inner anxieties. To her surprise, it got more than 18,000 likes and 1,700 reposts.

In the video Tavia, a stay-at-home mum living in Cheltenham, says the heat "feels like the world is literally ending", she's "terrified for [her] children's lives", and that she "wants to scream at the people not taking this seriously".

Watts is not alone. A 2022 study from the University of Bath estimates that about 4.6% of people in the UK have climate anxiety, which is recognised as a form of mental distress by professional bodies and the NHS. Young people and women are among the groups most at risk, according to a study published in 2025.

"Anticipatory anxiety", related to heatwaves in particular, has become more common, say psychologists Dr Caroline Hickman from the University of Bath and Dr Emma Lawrance from the University of Oxford.

"Once people have been through a traumatic event like a flood or a heatwave, they anticipate the next one," Hickman, who offers therapy to individuals experiencing climate anxiety, told the BBC.

In the UK, "now we're getting the repeat, repeat, repeat [heatwaves]. It triggers that sense that 'I can't be safe in the world, and the world can't be trusted'," she added.

In June's heatwave, Hickman said she "had people saying they're going to kill themselves, I've had people saying they're going to terminate pregnancies, I've had people saying that they want to sell their houses and move somewhere cooler".

Watts said that her video "clearly struck a chord with people" - including therapists posting comments about coping mechanisms - and that she wanted to help others deal with climate anxiety.

"It can go one of two ways. You can either just fall into doomism and think, 'What is the point?'" she said.

"Or you can try to do something. I sign petitions during a heatwave; I organise climate community events; I run a free children's clothes swap shop. During the last heatwave, I finally became vegetarian, because then I can tell my kids at least I tried."

Lawrance had some recommendations on how to cope with climate anxiety:

Talk to others: There's often "a huge perception gap between how concerned people are about climate change, and how much they think other people care", said Lawrance - meaning you might wrongly assume that you're in the minority, or even that you're alone.

"Make space to be kind to yourself, to tend to those emotions and know that it's coming from a place of care for the world," she added.

Find a community: Lawrance recommended finding a strong social network who care about the same things, and taking positive action together.

Whether it's planting a garden in your school or putting solar panels on the roof of your business, action can not only help you channel your anxiety into something positive, but can help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety too.

Lawrance cited the Climate Psychology Alliance in the UK for further support, as well as groups like the Resilience Project, the Climate Cares Centre, and the Climate Majority Project.

Keep yourself cool: Your physical health also affects your mental health, and being hot can also make your anxiety and mood worse, Lawrance said - so she recommended making sure to keep yourself physically cool in extreme heat.

"Having a cool shower, putting a cold washer on your neck, making sure you're hydrated - all of those things will help physiologically as well," she said. "There's a lot we can do - we're not powerless." %!s()

Green was the adopted brother Urmston had not seen in more than 30 years.

"I was shaking, I was just shaking and my heart was pounding," Urmston told the BBC. "I'd finally found him. It's unbelievable."

In 2005, Green was managing the bus station at the airport and Urmston serviced the vending machines.

Over the next two years they became firm friends, texting and phoning each other when they were not at work.

One day during a phone call, Green told Urmston something he had never mentioned before. He was adopted and his birth name was Stuart Proudlove.

"I kind of froze and didn't speak for a minute," says Urmston. Her maiden name was Proudlove and she had a brother who was adopted before she was born.

"It's not a very popular name and it had to be him. Other than family, I had never heard that surname anywhere else," she added.

She immediately rang her mum, Susan, to check her long-lost brother's birth date. They matched: 24 March 1966. She called Stuart straight back.

"I said 'it's got to be you, it's got to be you', and I said 'I need to see you', and so I went to pick him up," Urmston said.

As they were driving to their mum's, Green realised where he was. They were driving along the bus route he used to cover before becoming a manager.

His old route had taken him right past his mum's house, and the school that Urmston had attended.

He had been within touching distance of his birth family without realising.

Susan finally meeting Green was a surreal moment. "There were lots of tears," said Urmston, "then we just all hugged."

"I couldn't believe that I'd got my brother and my mum together, it was amazing."

Urmston's mum had told her that she had a brother when she was younger.

She told her he had been given up for adoption and had gone to a lovely lady who could not have children of her own.

"I immediately wanted to go and call him so we could play," Urmston recalled. Susan said she had tried to find her son with the help of the Salvation Army, but hadn't got anywhere.

"I asked if we could go and get him back," Urmston said, "she did explain that it didn't work that way, so I promised her that I would find him for her one day."

Now they were finally being reunited.

"She had wanted that since being as young as I can remember," Urmston said, "so yeah, I gave her that. I promised her that."

On the mantlepiece in Susan's home was a picture of Green as a baby.

It had been sent by his adopted parents to his birth mother days after his adoption.

The same photograph had also been displayed in his adopted parents' house.

Green had known he was adopted since he was 10 years old - his adopted parents had shown him the paperwork.

But he says he had a very happy childhood, and had never harboured any desire to track down his birth mother.

"I didn't feel like I had to go searching or have any unanswered questions," said Green.

For all three, finding each other has been a life-changing experience.

"I went from having really not a lot of positivity in my life at the time, to finding out that my best friend was my sister," Green added.

"I'd found my birth mum being able to sort of make her truly happy. And I'd found a family really that I never really knew existed."

Their mum died recently, but both say they are glad she got to be reunited with her son.

"She was so desperate to find you to make sure you'd had a really good life," Urmston said.

For Urmston the reunion is bittersweet. She had longed to find her brother for years.

"My mum and dad, they separated unfortunately and so I went through a lot of hard times knowing [Dave] was out there but I didn't know [where]."

Both though now say they are making the most of the time they have together after moving in with each other in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire. It is, they say, their "lottery win". %!s()