Quantum computing & a mysterious contaminant in microplastics research | The chemical breakdown podcast

Marianna Kneppers· Host0:00

[outro music] A new hybrid workflow involving two IBM quantum computers and two powerful supercomputers has allowed researchers to model a protein-ligand system containing up to a record 12,635 atoms. What does this mean for the future of quantum computing? And a recent study has found an unsuspecting source of contamination in microplastics research, distorting measurements of atmospheric pollution. We discuss the underlying cause. I'm Marianna Kneppers, Chemistry World's science media producer, and this is the Chemical Breakdown. We'll be diving deeper into these stories shortly, but first, let's take a look at this week's news from the Chemistry World website. The University of Sheffield is planning to cut around 20% of chemistry and material science faculty positions. The university says that the reductions are needed as it seeks to respond to financial pressures facing the higher education sector. But staff representatives argue that the cuts could be avoided. Researchers in Canada have shown that as climate change drives melting of permafrost, it can produce highly acidic water that leaches catastrophic levels of toxic metals from rocks into pristine streams. This has resulted in declining vegetation over decades that appears to have accelerated recently.