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1. New York University:
For decades, researchers have tried to create semiconductor materials that can also act as superconductors -- materials capable of carrying electric current without resistance. Semiconductors, which form the foundation of modern computer chips and solar cells, could operate far faster and more efficiently if they also possessed superconducting abilities. Yet turning materials like silicon and germanium into superconductors has remained a major challenge, largely because it requires maintaining a delicate atomic arrangement that allows electrons to move freely.
A global team of scientists has now achieved what once seemed out of reach. In a new study published in Nature Nanotechnology, they report creating a form of germanium that exhibits superconductivity. This means it can conduct electricity with zero resistance, allowing electric currents to circulate endlessly without losing energy. Such behavior could dramatically boost the performance of electronic and quantum devices while reducing power consumption. More on this here. (Sources: sciencedaily.com, nature.com, nyu.edu)
2. Reversing Alzheimer’s:
A research team co-led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and West China Hospital Sichuan University (WCHSU), working with partners in the UK, has demonstrated a nanotechnology strategy that reverses Alzheimer’s disease in mice. Unlike traditional nanomedicine, which relies on nanoparticles as carriers for therapeutic molecules, this approach employs nanoparticles that are bioactive in their own right: “supramolecular drugs.” Instead of targeting neurons directly, the therapy restores the proper function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the vascular gatekeeper that regulates the brain’s environment. By repairing this critical interface, the researchers achieved a reversal of Alzheimer’s pathology in animal models. The research paper is here. (Sources: ibecbarcelona.eu, nature.com)
3. China’s factory activity declined for the seventh month in a row in October on weak domestic demand, complicating the economic outlook for policymakers in Beijing as they grapple with a trade war with the US. The purchasing managers’ index fell to 49 this month, according to the official data released on Friday, missing the average forecast from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg of 49.6 and trailing September’s figure of 49.8. A reading below 50 represents a contraction in activity. The results were driven by seasonal factors, such as a weeklong public holiday at the beginning of the month, as well as “a more complex international environment”, said Huo Lihui, chief statistician of the service industry survey centre of the National Bureau of Statistics. (Source: ft.com)
4. The never-ending property crisis: Developer China Vanke reported a deeper third-quarter loss, highlighting mounting challenges as the prolonged property market downturn continues to weigh on its sales. The Shenzhen-based company posted a loss of 16.1 billion yuan (US$2.3 billion) in the three months ended September 30, roughly doubling its loss from a year earlier. That brings its combined losses for the first nine months of the year to 28 billion yuan, according to a statement to the Shenzhen exchange on Thursday. Persistent weakness in China’s housing market is creating pressure on the developer’s bottom line, despite increased financial support from its largest state-owned shareholder, Shenzhen Metro Group. The company’s financial position remains vulnerable as it deals with a wall of onshore debt maturities. (Source: bloomberg.com via scmp.com)
5. US President Donald Trump emerged from his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping beaming, labeling the conversation “truly great.” But the one-year truce struck on Thursday in South Korea is likely to only stabilize relations between the world’s two largest economies rather than resolve fundamental differences, with both sides buying time to further reduce dependence on each other in strategic areas. And it made clear just how much stronger China has become since Trump’s first term in office. Trump’s move to cut the fentanyl tariff and extend the existing truce on reciprocal tariffs will leave many products facing a levy around 47%, low enough for China’s massive manufacturing base to remain competitive with regional rivals. Just as significantly, the US agreed to suspend a rule expanding restrictions on blacklisted Chinese firms, showing that Xi’s sweeping rare earth curbs could potentially put a cap on new US export controls — something China has sought for years. (Source: bloomberg.com)
6. The New York Times:
(President) Trump agreed to reverse some of his tariffs and paused new fees on Chinese ships. China said it would suspend the rollout of rare earths restrictions introduced in October, and return to buying U.S. soybeans, in addition to a newer promise to crack down on shipments of chemicals used to make fentanyl.
But one of the reversals from the United States was more notable in the precedent it set. The Trump administration agreed to pause for one year a rule that expanded the number of Chinese companies restricted from access to advanced technology. The rule, issued just four weeks ago, extended the reach of the “entity list,” a kind of trade blacklist for foreign companies that pose a national security threat.
Former officials and analysts said Thursday that the move appeared to be one of the first concessions the United States had made on national security-related technology controls as part of a trade negotiation. They called it a potential breakthrough for the Chinese side, which has long pushed to negotiate with the United States over these types of measures, known as export controls.
Christopher Padilla, who served as an export control official in the George W. Bush administration, said it was a significant shift for U.S. policy. Chinese officials have consistently asked in talks with many presidential administrations for export control measures to be rolled back, he said.
“We all had the talking points,” Mr. Padilla said. “The first one is: ‘That’s a national security issue, and we’re not going to discuss it in a trade negotiation.’”
“Export controls have now become a tradable item in the relationship,” Mr. Padilla added. “You’ve discarded decades of precedent.” (Sources: nytimes.com, caixinglobal.com)
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