The Trump administration has decided to lift a ban on the import of African elephant trophies, allowing hunters to bring parts of the animals&#8217; bodies back home.
The news was unexpected: The President himself, speaking with <a href="https://vimeo.com/253220574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">British broadcaster Piers Morgan,</a> said that he &#8220;didn&#8217;t want elephants killed and stuffed and have the tusks brought back into this [country].&#8221;
So it&#8217;s no surprise that even when passed without fanfare, a lift on the ban on elephant trophy imports has caused quite a stir.
“The Trump administration is trying to keep these crucial trophy import decisions behind closed doors, and that’s totally unacceptable,” Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, <a href="https://apnews.com/e85e29100b2d42d5bc73ff21f5a87d64/Trump-administration-once-again-lifts-elephant-trophy-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told AP</a>. “Elephants aren’t meant to be trophies, they’re meant to roam free.”
Through <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/memo-withdrawal-of-certain-findings-ESA-listed-species-sport-hunted-trophies.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a memorandum on its website</a>, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has announced the news, saying that the authorities will consider requests on a case by case basis with immediate effect. It will be legal to import trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia among others.
The ban on elephant trophies was put in place by the Obama administration in 2014. In December 2017, a <a href="https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/B1CC447E18C6CB95852581FE0055A684/%24file/16-5358-1710175.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> filed by the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International entered the courts. It found that proper procedures weren&#8217;t followed when the regulations were enacted, including the lack of an opportunity for the public to comment on the ban.
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The FWS mentioned the lawsuit&#8217;s resolution in <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/memo-withdrawal-of-certain-findings-ESA-listed-species-sport-hunted-trophies.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its announcement</a> about the ban being lifted. It also confirmed that several other measures enshrined in the Endangered Species Act, focusing on elephants, lions and bontebok are being revoked.
The agency noted that the Endangered Species Act will inform its case-by-case decisions on whether to authorize trophy imports, however it hasn&#8217;t elaborated on the criteria that will be used to determine which imports will be allowed. &#8220;The confusion is not helpful,&#8221; said Jimmiel Mandima, a conservationist at the nonprofit African Wildlife Foundation, in <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/reversal-trump-administration-won-t-ban-import-african-elephant-trophies-n854121" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interview with NBC News</a>.
Some argued that the decision to allow trophy imports might help animal populations, as fees paid by hunters to shoot selected animals can help <a href="http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2014/01/can-trophy-hunting-reconciled-conservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fund wildlife conservation initiatives</a>. However, the strategy may not be so effective should the money be <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/11/24/566326438/uproar-over-elephant-trophies-overshadows-changes-to-lion-imports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">siphoned away by corrupt authorities,</a> as some fear.

“The Trump administration is trying to keep these crucial decisions behind closed doors”

US quietly allows import of some elephant trophies

Hard Science

Citing technical faults in the Obama-era ban, the Fish and Wildlife Service now allows to import some elephant trophies from Africa.

US Quietly Allows Import of Some Elephant Trophies

A ban enacted by the Obama administration has been lifted.

Over the last decade, the Rhone Glacier in the Swiss Alps has been shrinking at a worrying rate. Around 1,148 feet of its ice thickness <a href="https://qz.com/1223017/swiss-residents-are-wrapping-glaciers-in-blankets-to-keep-them-from-melting/">has been lost since 1856</a> – and 131 feet of that total has vanished in the last 10 years alone.
Locals are taking it upon themselves to do something about this situation. This summer, they will continue a tradition that has stood for the last eight years: wrapping the glacier in blankets, in an attempt to reduce how much ice will melt away.
The idea is that the white canvas blankets will be able to reflect sunlight away from the glacier. This might sound outlandish, but it&#8217;s having a positive effect. Glaciologist David Volken told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the blankets can reduce the amount of ice that melts by around 70 percent, according to <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/blankets-cover-swiss-glacier-in-vain-effort-to-halt-icemelt-1254051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report from NDTV</a>.
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In fact, the same strategy has been employed in Italy and Germany, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060075503">E&amp;E News reports</a>. Since 2009, climate researcher Jason Box has advocated <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/4689667/Wrapping-Greenland-in-reflective-blankets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using reflective material</a> in this manner to slow ice melt in Greenland.
However, this seems to only be a short-term fix. With global temperatures <a href="https://futurism.com/by-2100-climate-change-driven-heatwaves-could-threaten-74-of-the-population/">continuing to trend upwards</a>, reflective swaddling can only slow the rate at which ice diminishes, not stop it altogether. While this might offer a reprieve from the most aggressive forecast – Volken told AFP that only 10 percent of the Rhone&#8217;s ice volume is expected to remain by the end of the century – it doesn&#8217;t solve the problem.
Other prospects include the <a href="https://futurism.com/researchers-have-started-a-trial-to-refreeze-the-arctic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">application of artificial snow</a> to reflect sunlight, and the possibility of spraying ocean water over sea ice to make it thicker. As more of the world&#8217;s glaciers <a href="https://futurism.com/a-100-square-mile-chunk-of-the-pine-island-glacier-just-broke-away/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fall to pieces</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/greenlands-ice-caps-passed-point-no-return/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reach the point of no return</a>, we may may not be able to wait any longer to take action.

The glacier has lost 131 feet of ice in the last decade along.

To slow melting, residents resort to wrapping a glacier in blankets

Earth & Energy

The Rhone Glacier, in the Swiss Alps, is in a dire state. Locals are attempting to slow summer melting by wrapping the ice in reflective blankets.

To Slow Melting, Residents Resort to Wrapping a Glacier in Blankets

White canvas blankets are being used to reflect sunlight.

If you&#8217;ve tried to get your computer fixed in the U.S. in the past 25 years or so, you&#8217;ve probably heard of the<a href="https://www.bestbuy.com/site/electronics/geek-squad/pcmcat138100050018.c?id=pcmcat138100050018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Geek Squad</a>. Since 1994 the company has offered computer repair services, and its 2002 merger with Best Buy expanded its reach across 1,000 retail outlets in North America.
Turns out that &#8220;geek&#8221; might have been doing more than trying to reset your hard drive — they might have been snooping in it. An investigation by the <a href="https://www.eff.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)</a> found that the, for the past decade or so, the company has been working closely with the FBI.
So far the partnership has paid off for law enforcement officials, at least once. In January 2017, the prosecution of a California doctor who was found in possession of child pornography hinged upon evidence supplied by Geek Squad employees,<a href="https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/07/eff-geek-squad-fbi-relationship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Engadget reported</a>.
According to the EFF, which investigated the lead through a Freedom of Information lawsuit, the partnership between Geek Squad and the FBI could violate <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/02/FBI-tries-to-bypass-Fourth-Amendment-Safeguards-by-using-Geek-Squad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customers&#8217; Fourth Amendment rights</a>, which protect &#8220;persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.&#8221;
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Geek Squad employees are thought to have carried out surreptitious searches of computers that were submitted for repairs. Upon flagging illegal content, FBI agents would be called in to review the images or video, and seize the device if necessary. Only at that point would law enforcement seek a warrant, EEF reported.
On the surface, this might not seem like a big deal for anyone that doesn&#8217;t have illegal content stored on their computer. However, it&#8217;s part of a larger pattern of troubling behavior from the Geek Squad. On several occasions, employees were caught <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/living/article/The-Geek-Squad-s-ongoing-porn-problem-Bloggers-2504293.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stealing pornography from customers&#8217; systems</a> and sharing it among themselves; in other instances, the employees even looked for <a href="http://www.wsfa.com/story/23118467/lawsuit-claims-best-buy-geek-squad-posted-customers-nude-photos-online?utm_source=buffer&amp;utm_campaign=Buffer&amp;utm_content=buffer2fb03&amp;utm_medium=facebook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">personal nude images</a> and posted them online.
All in all, it seems that <a href="https://futurism.com/amazon-takes-photographic-proof-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customer privacy</a> isn&#8217;t a huge concern for Geek Squad – and given that at least one employee appears to have received a $500 payments from the FBI for a helpful tip according to EEF&#8217;s analysis of documentation, there seems to be some incentive to go snooping. The FBI has refused to confirm or deny whether similar relationships are in place with other computer repair companies, and did not share training documents that were requested. The EFF plans to fight the FBI in court in order to get more information before the end of spring.

Turns out that repair technician might have been snooping instead of just trying to reset your hard drive.

Geek squad has been passing user data to the FBI

Future Society

An investigation discovered that the computer repair company's employees were passing confidential information about their clients to the FBI

Geek Squad Has Been Passing User Data to the FBI

The cozy relationship has been going on for at least a decade, documents show.

Every summer, doctors all over the world warn us about the importance of putting sunscreen before going to the beach. Ideally, we should reapply it every few hours, particularly after swimming. While sunscreen protects us from painful burns and in the long run from skin cancer too, there is a dark side to this essential of every vacation bag. It&#8217;s really bad for marine life.
In particular, two chemicals that are commonly used to filter UV rays, oxybenzone and octinoxate, pose a <a href="http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/02/researchers-discover-method-for-harvesting-green-sunscreen-ingredient--.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threat to coral reefs</a> and are believed to <a href="https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/#.WqFp6Ojwb6S" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cause serious skin allergies in sensitive subjects</a>.
As people let the waves wash over their skin, up to 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen are dissolved in the sea every year. The chemicals dispersed in the process contaminate the water and soon reach coral reefs and other fragile ecosystems, the very attraction that draws many to exotic marine locations.
Scientists at the University of Florida set out to offer an alternative to these toxic chemicals, better for the skin and for the environment. They found a way of scaling up the production of a UV-absorbing amino acid called shinorine, traditionally extracted from red algae. The problem with this method is that it takes up to a year to grow the algae, and more time to process the chemical.
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The scientists, who published their findings in the<a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssynbio.7b00397" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> journal ACS Synthetic Biology</a>, devised a much faster method, using a strain of the fast-growing <a href="https://explorist.futurism.com/out-of-control-toxic-algae-blooms-are-here-and-we-are-to-blame/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">freshwater cyanobacteria</a> called Synechocystis as a host cell. They then synthesized shinorine from a filamentous cyanobacterium known as Fischerella that produces it naturally.
By inserting these genes into Synechocystis, the team was able to produce 2.37 milligrams of shinorine per gram of cyanobacteria in only two weeks. The researchers also tested shinorine&#8217;s qualities, confirming that it was capable of <a href="https://explorist.futurism.com/this-dna-sunscreen-gives-you-better-protection-than-regular-sunscreen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protecting cells from UV rays</a>.
The new methodology could have a variety of applications, including using the genes of cyanobacteria to create new drugs. The team behind the research is now attempting to commercialize the method. While regulators in the U.S. have traditionally taken a while to approve substances that are used in other parts of the world, the fact <a href="https://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/07/Biocompatible-Material-Contains-Sunscreen-Sea.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that shinorine not new</a> and is already used in other cosmetic products could speed up the process.

It could reduce our reliance on harmful chemicals used to block UV rays.

A bacteria is making sunscreen safe for you and the environment

Health & Medicine

Scientists have found a way to speed up the production of a natural chemical that can be used to produce environmentally friendly sunscreen.

A Bacteria Is Making Sunscreen Safe for You and the Environment

There is a dark side to one of your travel essentials - it's bad for the environment.

Earlier this year, there was serious reason to believe that Cape Town, in South Africa, was going to become the first major city in the world to <a href="https://futurism.com/cape-town-running-out-wate-prevent-global-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">run out of water</a>. Now, the ominous &#8220;Day Zero&#8221; deadline of the water crisis has shifted to August 27, back from earlier estimates that had it occurring in either March or April.
August 27 is well within the part of the year where the region usually experiences heavy rainfall. As such, city officials have said that it&#8217;s no longer appropriate to set a date without taking that precipitation into consideration, according to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/tamerragriffin/cape-town-day-zero-delayed?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=BuzzFeed%20News%20-%20March%208%202018&amp;utm_content=BuzzFeed%20News%20-%20March%208%202018%2BCID_f567d370a06685e6d7224ca7b0267ef8&amp;utm_source=BuzzFeed%20Newsletters&amp;utm_term=.khNOdzXp3#.ylYl0gRZ2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report by Buzzfeed</a>.
However, this isn&#8217;t to say that the threat is over. If there&#8217;s as little rainfall this year as there was in 2017, Day Zero will hit in early 2019.
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Residents are being praised for their efforts to conserve water, which have helped push Day Zero back into next year. Buzzfeed reports that Cape Town typically uses around 1.2 billion liters of water per day, but as of late, daily consumption has fallen between 510 and 520 million liters.
Even so, the city requires a more long-term solution for its water needs. The current water crisis came from reduced rainfall leading to a three-year drought, which is only <a href="https://futurism.com/stick-our-climate-goals-paris-agreement-deliver-drier-world/">more likely to happen</a> in a climate-changed future.
There have been a litany of suggestions to help Cape Town out of its current shortage, ranging from <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/cape-town-sets-out-to-de-salt-the-sea/">desalinating ocean water</a> to dragging up a seven-ton iceberg from the Canary Islands (<a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-16-capewatergate-could-towing-an-iceberg-to-cape-town-help-solve-future-water-problems/#.WqFqZejwY2x">yes, really</a>). As Quartz points out, Cape Town <a href="https://qz.com/1198839/what-cape-town-could-learn-from-melbournes-success-cutting-its-water-consumption-in-half/">could also learn from cities</a> like Melbourne, Australia, which has maintained more conservative water habits following a similar drought. In Melbourne, both mandatory and voluntary measures in water use — ranging from fines for daytime lawn watering, to rebates for buying more efficient washing machines — have cut water use almost in half since 1996.
The end goal is still the same, but the expanded time frame could offer up solutions that weren&#8217;t feasible when there were only weeks left until resources ran out. The amount of rain that comes over the next several months will be crucial, and authorities will have to take full advantage of the brief reprieve to come up with an action plan.

Solutions range from drinking ocean water to trucking in an iceberg.

Cape Town has more time to solve its water crisis. How will it use it?

The Cape Town water crisis "Day Zero," when the city's taps would be turned off, shouldn't arrive until 2019. The search for a solution continues.

Cape Town Has More Time to Solve Its Water Crisis. How Will It Use It?

Day Zero has been delayed until 2019, but the threat hasn't subsided completely.

News has emerged that Google is helping the Department of Defense use artificial intelligence to analyze military drone footage. Information about the project was shared among company employees last week, and <a href="https://gizmodo.com/google-is-helping-the-pentagon-build-ai-for-drones-1823464533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">later shared by Gizmodo</a>.
The initiative, known as <a href="https://futurism.com/u-s-air-force-ai-intelligence-gathering/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project Maven</a>, was launched in April 2017. Its goal is to provide the U.S. Air Force with a means of sorting through the massive amount of imagery produced by its autonomous drones, to figure out which items require human analysis.
Google has been providing its TensorFlow application programming interface (API) to the Department of Defense in order to help machine learning algorithms recognize particular objects. A statement from the company submitted to Gizmodo stresses that the technology was used for non-offensive purposes.
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However, there&#8217;s apparently some unrest among employees regarding the project. Some are upset that Google is dedicating resources to the military&#8217;s usage of surveillance technology, while others are arguing that Project Maven raises important questions about the <a href="https://futurism.com/crowdsourced-morality-could-determine-the-ethics-of-artificial-intelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ethical implementation of machine learning</a>.
There&#8217;s resistance on the other side of the issue, too. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is a part of the Pentagon that&#8217;s responsible for analyzing images collected from satellites and drone footage. It&#8217;s currently in the process of introducing new technology into its capabilities, and <a href="https://futurism.com/pentagon-imagery-analysts-concerned-machines-are-coming-jobs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some analysts are worried</a> that too much reliance on automated systems instead of human experts will result in less effective intelligence.
Machine learning certainly has a role to play in military surveillance – Project Maven has apparently been employed in the fight against ISIS since December 2017, according to <a href="https://thebulletin.org/project-maven-brings-ai-fight-against-isis11374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report from The Bulletin</a>. The question is how to use these tools ethically, and how much oversight is appropriate, given the nature of military operations.

Google employees aren't entirely pleased.

Google is helping the Air Force analyze drone footage with AI

Artificial Intelligence

Google has been providing its TensorFlow API to help machine learning algorithms recognize particular objects in drone footage.

Google Is Helping the Air Force Analyze Drone Footage With AI

The company is contributing its TensorFlow APIs to Project Maven.

China has long suffered from some of the <a href="https://futurism.com/dark-planet-smog-is-enveloping-chinese-cities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worst smog in the world</a>. Now, the government wants to do something about it. Alongside other attempts to <a href="https://futurism.com/china-finally-has-a-plan-to-save-its-citizens-from-the-countrys-toxic-air/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clean up the environment</a>, authorities have spent $2 million on a prototype filtration system that could help address the issue.
The 18.2-meter (60-foot) chimney, constructed in the city of Xian, uses sunlight to filter out noxious particles and emit clean air.
The chimney sits above a large open structure. The roof&#8217;s glass pane is heated up by solar radiation, which warms up the air and causes it to rise toward the base of the tower. From there, the air is carried through several industrial filters, before being released through the top of the chimney.
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Project lead Cao Junji carried out the first tests of the structure back in January 2018, as pollution peaks during the winter months. Equipment capable of measuring the presence of <a href="https://futurism.com/air-pollution-increases-your-risk-of-dementia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">particulate matter under 2.5 micrometers in diameter</a> was placed at the tower, and ten further stations across an area of 10 square kilometers (3.8 miles).
These results have not yet been published, and have not undergone peer review, but preliminary reports determined the chimney emitted between 5 and 8 million cubic meters of filtered air every day. Nearby monitors recorded 19 percent less particulate matter compared to other parts of the city.
There are still lingering doubts about the economics of the project. Cao suggests that arrays of around half a dozen towers might be necessary to tackle the smog in urban centers, which could be prohibitively expensive. According to a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02704-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report from </a><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02704-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature,</a> Cao also claims the running costs for the pilot program would amount to $30,000 per year.
Neil Donahue, a professor of chemical engineering, chemistry, and engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, told Nature that there are a lot of unanswered questions to answer regarding the project&#8217;s capacity to filter out precursors to particulate matter like sulfur dioxide gas.
Beyond that, the larger looming question is whether the <a href="https://futurism.com/more-americans-working-home-better-environment/">environmental impact</a> of building these structures would outweigh their benefits. If not, it may be that the power and other resources being used for the filtration system could be better used elsewhere.

The Chinese government is spending $2 million on a prototype filtration system to help address the nation's smog problem.

China now has a giant, smog-sucking chimney

The Chinese government has invested $2 million in a prototype filtration system intended to reduce the effects of smog in urban areas.

China Now Has a Giant, Smog-Sucking Chimney

The 18-meter tower uses solar radiation to draw polluted air into a filtration system.

It&#8217;s no secret that Uber&#8217;s <a href="https://futurism.com/first-driverless-uber-hit-road-soon-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long-term ambitions for its ride-hailing service</a> revolve around <a href="https://futurism.com/save-lives-self-driving-cars-ultimate-defensive-drivers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-driving cars</a>. However, the company is also taking on the world of trucking with Uber Freight service – and apparently that endeavor will require a mix of human drivers and automated trucks for the foreseeable future.
Uber&#8217;s autonomous trucks have been transporting cargo for commercial freight customers across Arizona&#8217;s highways for several months. Like many trials of this kind of technology, human drivers are on board in case of emergency.
Eventually, Uber hopes that trucks will be to drive themselves without supervision, but humans will still play a role in the delivery process. The plan is to use self-driving vehicles to carry freight along highways, while human drivers will take over for shorter drives, like the journey to the recipient&#8217;s loading dock down country roads.
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The long-term plan for <a href="https://futurism.com/uberfreight-might-just-be-the-first-step-towards-an-autonomous-trucking-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uber Freight</a> is a relatively straightforward expansion of the company&#8217;s ride-hailing service. Autonomous vehicles will deposit their cargo (as far as we know, still unloaded by human hands) at transfer hubs, and human drivers can pick up work via an app, which has been used to connect truckers with haulage jobs since May 2017.
Alden Woodrow, product manager for Uber’s self-driving truck unit, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/technology/uber-self-driving-trucks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the New York Times</a> that the company was opting to &#8220;focus the development of our technology on the highway only.&#8221; There are no plans to develop self-driving technology that&#8217;s capable of backing up to a loading dock, or safely maneuvering around a crowded industrial area, at least for the time being.
Uber&#8217;s decision to let human drivers tackle the trickier parts of freight delivery isn&#8217;t too unusual. Tesla has only been talking up the<a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-confirms-tesla-working-custom-hardware-autopilot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Enhanced Autopilot functionality of its Semi</a>, rather than full autonomy. Startups like Embark and Starsky Robotics are hard at work figuring out how best to tackle the hand-off to a human, as per <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/what-does-teslas-truck-mean-for-truckers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report from Wired</a>.
Still, one thing seems clear – some portion of freight jobs is going to be swept up by self-driving vehicles. The trucking industry looks set to be <a href="https://futurism.com/workers-in-these-five-industries-will-be-the-first-to-lose-their-jobs-to-automation/">hit hard by automation</a>, and sooner rather than later.

The company still wants humans to handle complex maneuvers, like driving on country roads or backing up to a loading dock.

Uber's autonomous trucks still need a human touch

Advanced Transport

Though their freight service will be self-driving on highways, Uber's autonomous trucks will still require a human driver for short or complicated trips.

Uber's Autonomous Trucks Still Need a Human Touch

On more difficult trips, Uber Freight will get some human help.

Uber’s Autonomous Trucks Still Need a Human Touch

<h2>Goodbye, Cervical Cancer</h2>
The International Papillomavirus Society has announced that Australia could become the first country to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/04/australia-could-become-first-country-to-eradicate-cervical-cancer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminate cervical cancer entirely</a>.
According to a new study, Australia&#8217;s efforts to distribute a <a href="https://futurism.com/new-research-shows-that-this-hpv-vaccine-could-prevent-93-of-cervical-cancers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine</a> for free in schools have been a resounding success. The sexually transmitted infection causes 99.9 percent of cases of cervical cancer.
In 2007, the Australian federal government began offering the vaccine to girls aged 12-13, and in 2013 it was made available to boys, too. Girls and boys outside of that age bracket but under nineteen are also entitled to two free doses of the vaccine.
Between 2005 and 2015, the percentage of Australian women aged between 18 and 24 who had HPV dropped from 22.7 percent to just 1.1 percent. Immunization rates have increased further since 2015, contributing to what&#8217;s being described as a <a href="https://futurism.com/20-million-lives-have-been-saved-by-the-measles-vaccine-since-2000/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;herd protection&#8221; effect</a>.
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Coupled with a <a href="http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au/internet/screening/publishing.nsf/Content/about-the-new-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more advanced screening test</a> that was introduced by the Australian government in December 2017, there are hopes that no new cases of cervical cancer will be reported within ten or twenty years.
<h2>The World Isn&#8217;t Catching Up</h2>
In the U.S., the HPV vaccine is not free. It can cost as much as $450 for the full regimen, <a href="http://www.arhp.org/Publications-and-Resources/Patient-Resources/Fact-Sheets/Understanding-HPV-Vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals</a>, although financial assistance is often available. In 2016, 78.6 percent of 15-year-old Australian girls, and 72.9 percent of 15-year-old Australian boys were vaccinated – but only 50 percent of American girls between 13 and 17, and 38 percent of American boys between 13 and 17 had received the vaccination, as per <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-hpv-vaccine-access-and-use-in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data published by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation</a>.
The situation is much worse in the developing world, where papillomavirus incidence rate remains high. &#8220;Two-thirds of the world’s population of women don’t get access to what Australian women do,&#8221; said Joe Tooma, the chief executive of the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation. &#8220;Unless we do something, it will still be one of the major cancer killers in developing countries.&#8221;
Administering the HPV vaccine in schools has also proven to be effective in a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26057136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trial that took place in Bhutan</a>. Offering this kind of free access to the vaccine in other developing countries may seem like an expensive measure, but as <a href="https://futurism.com/study-reveals-hpv-vaccine-cuts-down-up-to-90-infections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Australian example shows</a>, it could ease the burden of cervical cancer down the line.

Australia may soon eliminate cervical cancer

Human papilloma virus, illustration

The country has implemented a vaccination program that protects young people from the risk of developing the disease later in life.

Australia May Soon Eliminate Cervical Cancer

The U.S. probably won't be next.

Given all the buzz, you might be surprised you don&#8217;t have your very own quantum computer yet. The field of quantum computing — in which a processor <a href="https://futurism.com/quantum-computing-qa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handles a range of inputs and outputs at once</a> — has pushed new bounds over the last few years. But quantum computers are still largely used for research. For users, the day in which quantum computers are ubiquitous, or even useful, has yet to arrive.
We still aren&#8217;t there yet. But today, we get a step closer — Google unveiled Bristlecone, its latest quantum processor, and its most powerful to date.
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Here&#8217;s what you need to know about Bristlecone.
<h2>It&#8217;s Packing A Lot of Qubits</h2>
Qubits, or quantum bits, are the basic units of information in a quantum processor. The more qubits a processor has, the more information it can process at once, and the more powerful it is overall.
<a href="https://futurism.com/ibm-announced-50-qubit-quantum-computer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IBM recently produced a 50-qubit system</a>. But the Bristlecone trumps it with a whopping 72 qubits.
The various companies pursuing quantum hardware are always keen to brag about how many qubits their latest system possesses, and though that&#8217;s not the deciding factor of a quantum processor&#8217;s functionality, it&#8217;s definitely important.
<h2>It Needs To Make Fewer Errors</h2>
In spite of recent advances, today&#8217;s qubits are still unstable, and hardware needs to be sturdy to run them. Quantum computers need to keep their processors extremely cold and protect them from external shocks. Even accidental sounds can cause the computer to make mistakes.
To operate in even remotely real-world settings, quantum processors need to have an error rate of less than 0.5 percent for every two qubits. Google&#8217;s best has be 0.6 percent using its much smaller 9-qubit hardware. The blog post didn&#8217;t state Bristlecone&#8217;s error rate, but Google has made it clear that the company strives to improve upon its previous results. To drop the error rate for its high-qubit processor, engineers need to figure out how software, control electronics, and the processor itself can work alongside one another without causing errors.
<h2>It&#8217;s A Serious Push For Quantum Greatness</h2>
Researchers are working so hard to bring us quantum computers because they believe the devices will inevitably outperform classical supercomputers. The term &#8220;quantum supremacy&#8221; refers to the prospect of a quantum computer solving a problem that a classical system cannot. Some researchers suspect this could happen when <a href="https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2018/02/06/heres-why-100-qubit-quantum-computers-could-change-everything/">quantum computers reach 100 qubits</a>. When it does happen, quantum supremacy will be a &#8220;watershed moment&#8221; for the field, according to <a href="https://research.googleblog.com/2018/03/a-preview-of-bristlecone-googles-new.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google&#8217;s blog post on Bristlecone</a>.
Bristlecone doesn&#8217;t quite get us there. But the Google team is &#8220;cautiously optimistic&#8221; that the new processor could hasten the process. And the result will mean quantum computers could then become &#8220;functionally useful,&#8221; <a href="https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2018/03/06/google-reclaims-quantum-computer-crown-with-72-qubit-processor/">The Next Web writes</a>.

When a quantum computer outperforms a traditional computer, it will be a "watershed moment for our field."

3 things you need to know about Google's new quantum processor

Google has lifted the lid on its new quantum processor, Bristlecone. The project could play a key role in making quantum computers "functionally useful."

/Author

Brad Jones

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