NIST-Developed Quantum Sensors Improve Nuclear Monitoring - In Compliance Magazine

A new study analyzes an unpublished Schrödinger manuscript that challenged claims that hidden information could not explain apparently random quantum outcomes. Schrödinger’s model reproduced the expected results of polarization measurements, serving as a mathematical counterexample rather than a complete theory of quantum physics.

For the first time, researchers have discovered a microorganism that has made metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and it appears to have been making them for millions of years. These supramolecular structures also have excellent conductivity and can transport electrons over distances spanning several centimetres, helping the bacteria survive the harsh environment on the seafloor. ‘It is a whole new type of [bio]molecular structure,’ says lead author Filip Meysman from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. The basic building blocks the bacterium Candidatus Electrothrix gigas needs to make MOFs are strikingly similar to those used by chemists. However, while the metal core and connecting linkers remain the same, ‘the resulting supramolecular structure is very unique and novel’, says Meysman. These bacteria build bundles of intertwined MOF nanoribbons that are ‘unseen in human-made materials’. Such an architecture creates an excellent electronic environment for electrical conductivity, with conjugation and delocalisation to ‘enable electron transport over extremely long distances’, he adds.

Hendrikje Jorissen1, Jessica Reichert1, Shannon L. Dixon2, Esme M. Madin1, Charlotte A. Madin1, Mollie Asbury1, Allison D. Nims1, Marina E. Rottmueller1,3, Lomani H. Rova1, The R3D Consortium, Andréa G. Grottoli2 & … Joshua S. Madin We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply.