It all began with a simple origami model.  As an undergrad at Harvard, Danna Freedman went to a professor’s office hours for her general chemistry class and came across an elegant paper model that depicted the fullerene molecule. The intricately folded representation of chemical bonds and atomic arrangements sparked her interest, igniting a profound curiosity about how the structure of molecules influences their function.  She stayed and chatted with the professor after the other students left, and he persuaded her to drop his class so she could instead dive immediately into the study of chemistry at a higher level. Soon she was hooked. After graduating with a chemistry degree, Freedman earned a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, did a postdoc at MIT, and joined the faculty at Northwestern University. In 2021, she returned to MIT as the Frederick George Keyes Professor of Chemistry. Freedman’s fascination with the relationship between form and function at the molecular level laid the groundwork for a trailblazing career in quantum information science, eventually leading her to be honored with a 2022 MacArthur fellowship—and the accompanying “genius” grant—as one of the leading figures in the field. Today, her eyes light up when she talks about the “beauty” of chemistry, which is how she sees the intricate dance of atoms that dictates a molecule’s behavior. At MIT, Freedman focuses on creating novel molecules with specific properties that could revolutionize the technology of sensing, leading to unprecedented levels of precision.  Designer molecules Early in her graduate studies, Freedman noticed that many chemistry research papers claimed to contribute to the development of quantum computing, which exploits the behavior of matter at extremely small scales to deliver much more computational power than a conventional computer can achieve. While the ambition was clear, Freedman wasn’t convinced. When she read these papers carefully, she found that her skepticism was warranted. “I realized that nobody was trying to design magnetic molecules for the actual goal of quantum computing!” she says. Such molecules would be suited to acting as quantum bits, or qubits, the basic unit of information in quantum systems. But the research she was reading about had little to do with that.  Nevertheless, that realization got Freedman thinking—could molecules be designed to serve as qubits? She decided to find out. Her work made her among the first to use chemistry in a way that demonstrably advanced the field of quantum information science, which she describes as a general term encompassing the use of quantum technology for computation, sensing, measurement, and communication.  Unlike traditional bits, which can only equal 0 or 1, qubits are capable of “superposition”—simultaneously existing in multiple states. This is why quantum computers made from qubits can solve large problems faster than classical computers. Freedman, however, has always been far more interested in tapping into qubits’ potential to serve as exquisitely precise sensors. Qubits store information in quantum properties that can be easily disrupted. While the delicacy of those properties makes qubits hard to control, it also makes them especially sensitive and therefore very useful as sensors. Qubits encode information in quantum properties—such as spin and energy—that can be easily disrupted. While the delicacy of those properties makes qubits hard to control, it also makes them especially sensitive and therefore very useful as sensors. Harnessing the power of qubits is notoriously tricky, though. For example, two of the most common types—superconducting qubits, which are often made of thin aluminum layers, and trapped-ion qubits, which use the energy levels of an ion’s electrons to represent 1s and 0s—must be kept at temperatures approaching absolute zero (–273 °C). Maintaining special refrigerators to keep them cool can be costly and difficult. And while researchers have made significant progress recently, both types of qubits have historically been difficult to connect into larger systems. Eager to explore the potential of molecular qubits, Freedman has pioneered a unique “bottom-up” approach to creating them: She designs novel molecules with specific quantum properties to serve as qubits targeted for individual applications. Instead of focusing on a general goal such as maximizing coherence time (how long a qubit can preserve its quantum state), she begins by asking what kinds of properties are needed for, say, a sensor meant to measure biological phenomena at the molecular level. Then she and her team set out to create molecules that have these properties and are suitable for the environment where they’d be used.  To determine the precise structure of a new molecule, Freedman’s team uses software to analyze and process visualizations (such as those in teal and pink above) of data collected by an x-ray diffractometer. The diagram at right depicts an organometallic Cr(IV) complex made of a central chromium atom and four hydrocarbon ligands.COURTESY OF DANNA FREEDMAN Made of a central metallic atom surrounded by hydrocarbon atoms, molecular qubits store information in their spin. The encoded information is later translated into photons, which are emitted to “read out” the information. These qubits can be tuned with laser precision—imagine adjusting a radio dial—by modifying the strength of the ligands, or bonds, connecting the hydrocarbons to the metal atom. These bonds act like tiny tuning forks; by adjusting their strength, the researchers can precisely control the qubit’s spin and the wavelength of the emitted photons. That emitted light can be used to provide information about atomic-level changes in electrical or magnetic fields.  While many researchers are eager to build reliable, scalable quantum computers, Freedman and her group devote most of their attention to developing custom molecules for quantum sensors. These ultrasensitive sensors contain particles in a state so delicately balanced that extremely small changes in their environments unbalance them, causing them to emit light differently. For example, one qubit designed in Freedman’s lab, made of a chromium atom surrounded by four hydrocarbon molecules, can be customized so that tiny changes in the strength of a nearby magnetic field will change its light emissions in a particular way.   A key benefit of using such molecules for sensing is that they are small enough—just a nanometer or so wide—to get extremely close to the thing they are sensing. That can offer an unprecedented level of precision when measuring something like the surface magnetism of two-­dimensional materials, since the strength of a magnetic field decays with distance. A molecular quantum sensor “might not be more inherently accurate than a competing quantum sensor,” says Freedman, “but if you can lose an order of magnitude of distance, that can give us a lot of information.” Quantum sensors’ ability to detect electric or magnetic changes at the atomic level and make extraordinarily precise measurements could be useful in many fields, such as environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, geolocation, and more. When designing molecules to serve as quantum sensors, Freedman’s group also factors in the way they can be expected to act in a specific sensing environment. Creating a sensor for water, for example, requires a water-compatible molecule, and a sensor for use at very low temperatures requires molecules that are optimized to perform well in the cold. By custom-­engineering molecules for different uses, the Freedman lab aims to make quantum technology more versatile and widely adaptable. Embracing interdisciplinarity As Freedman and her group focus on the highly specific work of designing custom molecules, she is keenly aware that tapping into the power of quantum science depends on the collective efforts of scientists from different fields. “Quantum is a broad and heterogeneous field,” she says. She believes that attempts to define it narrowly hurt collective research—and that scientists must welcome collaboration when the research leads them beyond their own field. Even in the seemingly straightforward scenario of using a quantum computer to solve a chemistry problem, you would need a physicist to write a quantum algorithm, engineers and materials scientists to build the computer, and chemists to define the problem and identify how the quantum computer might solve it.  MIT’s collaborative environment has helped Freedman connect with researchers in different disciplines, which she says has been instrumental in advancing her research. She’s recently spoken with neurobiologists who proposed problems that quantum sensing could potentially solve and provided helpful context for building the sensors. Looking ahead, she’s excited about the potential applications of quantum science in many scientific fields. “MIT is such a great place to nucleate a lot of these connections,” she says. “As quantum expands, there are so many of these threads which are inherently interdisciplinary,” she says. Inside the lab Freedman’s lab in Building 6 is a beehive of creativity and collaboration. Against a backdrop of colorful flasks and beakers, researchers work together to synthesize molecules, analyze their structures, and unlock the secrets hidden within their intricate atomic arrangements. “We are making new molecules and putting them together atom by atom to discover whether they have the properties we want,” says Christian Oswood, a postdoctoral fellow.  Some sensitive molecules can only be made in the lab’s glove box, a nitrogen-filled transparent container that protects chemicals from oxygen and water in the ambient air. An example is an organometallic solution synthesized by one of Freedman’s graduate students, David Ullery, which takes the form of a vial of purple liquid. (“A lot of molecules have really pretty colors,” he says.) Freedman is a passionate educator, dedicated to demystifying the complexities of chemistry for her students. Aware that many of them find the subject daunting, she strives to go beyond textbook equations. Once synthesized, the molecules are taken to a single-crystal x-ray diffractometer a few floors below the Freedman lab. There, x-rays are directed at crystallized samples, and from the diffraction pattern, researchers can deduce their molecular structure—how the atoms connect. Studying the precise geometry of these synthesized molecules reveals how the structure affects their quantum properties, Oswood explains. Researchers and students at the lab say Freedman’s cross-disciplinary outlook played a big role in drawing them to it. With a chemistry background and a special interest in physics, for example, Ullery joined because he was excited by the way Freedman’s research bridges those two fields.  Crystals of an organometallic Cr(IV) complex. Freedman’s lab designed a series of molecules like this one to detect changes in a magnetic field.COURTESY OF DANNA FREEDMAN Others echo this sentiment. “The opportunity to be in a field that’s both new and expanding like quantum science, and attacking it from this specific angle, was exciting to me both intellectually and professionally,” says Oswood. Another graduate student, Cindy Serena Ngompe Massado, says she enjoys being part of the lab because she gets to collaborate with scientists in other fields. “It allows you to really approach scientific challenges in a more holistic and productive way,” she says. Though the researchers spend most of their time synthesizing and analyzing molecules, fun infuses the lab too. Freedman checks in with everyone frequently, and conversations often drift beyond just science. She’s just as comfortable chatting about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as she is discussing research. “Danna is very personable and very herself with us,” Ullery says. “It adds a bit of levity to being in an otherwise stressful grad school environment.” Bringing textbook chemistry to life In the classroom, Freedman is a passionate educator, dedicated to demystifying the complexities of chemistry for her students. Aware that many of them find the subject daunting, she strives to go beyond textbook equations. For each lecture in her advanced inorganic chemistry classes, she introduces the “molecule of the day,” which is always connected to the lesson plan. When teaching about bimetallic molecules, for example, she showcased the potassium rubidium molecule, citing active research at Harvard aimed at entangling its nuclear spins. For a lecture on superconductors, she brought a sample of the superconducting material yttrium barium copper oxide that students could handle.  Chemistry students often think “This is painful” or “Why are we learning this?” Freedman says. Making the subject matter more tangible and showing its connection to ongoing research spark students’ interest and underscore the material’s relevance. Freedman sees frustrating research as an opportunity to discover new things. “I like students to work on at least one ‘safer’ project along with something more ambitious,” she says.M. SCOTT BRAUER/MIT NEWS OFFICE Freedman believes this is an exceptionally exciting time for budding chemists. She emphasizes the importance of curiosity and encourages them to ask questions. “There is a joy to being able to walk into any room and ask any question and extract all the knowledge that you can,” she says.  In her own research, she embodies this passion for the pursuit of knowledge, framing challenges as stepping stones to discovery. When she was a postdoc, her research on electron spins in synthetic materials hit what seemed to be a dead end that ultimately led to the discovery of a new class of magnetic material. So she tells her students that even the most difficult aspects of research are rewarding because they often lead to interesting findings.  That’s exactly what happened to Ullery. When he designed a molecule meant to be stable in air and water and emit light, he was surprised that it didn’t—and that threw a wrench into his plan to develop the molecule into a sensor that would emit light only under particular circumstances. So he worked with theoreticians in Giulia Galli’s group at the University of Chicago, developing new insights on what drives emission, and that led to the design of a new molecule that did emit light.  “Frustrating research is almost fun to deal with,” says Freedman, “even if it doesn’t always feel that way.” 

Compressing folders on an iPad is a quick and easy way to optimize storage, improve file sharing, and organize your digital life. Here's how.Files appCompressing folders on an iPad can be useful for two main reasons — optimizing storage and making it easier to handle multiple files. When you compress a folder, you reduce its size in some cases, but not always.For example, files like JPEGs or other formats that are already compressed won't shrink much further. However, the real benefit of compression is in bundling multiple files into one. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Dynasty Warriors: Origins has brought the series back on track, with fans largely in agreement that the action title successfully captures the scale and bombastic action that the series has always been known for when it’s at its best. Now, developer Omega Force has released a new update that makes minor tweaks while adding a notable new feature.  As shared on publisher Koei Tecmo’s official website, Dynasty Warriors: Origins’ newest update, which is live now, adds a photo mode, something that players should get plenty of mileage out of. The company has also released a brief gameplay clip that shows the photo mode and its features in action. Check it out below.  In addition to the photo mode, the update also adds a new Lion Dragon Armor as an outfit, fixes a Steam Deck-specific issue that would cause visual distortions with FSR3 enabled, and addresses other “minor” bugs.  Dynasty Warriors: Origins is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Read our review of the game through here. 

With a remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny and a long-awaited new entry in the form of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, fans of Capcom’s long-dormant action franchise finally have quite a bit to look forward to in the near future. On top of that, the company is also set to release a new update for a previously-released title. Onimusha: Warlords Remaster will receive a new update on April 23, Capcom has announced, adding a new mode in the form of Hell Mode. Hell Mode, a challenging one-hit kill mode that makes players extra vulnerable, was freshly announced for the aforementioned Onimusha 2 remaster earlier this year, though soon, it will also be available to play in its direct predecessor. Additionally, the update will also add sub support for six additional languages in the form of Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Latin American Spanish. Onimusha: Warlords Remaster is available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The funding infusion sharpens a mission to make hyperscale analytics radically cheaper and greener at the very moment enterprises fear ballooning data‑center power bills. Read More

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences acknowledged the existence of generative AI yesterday in new rule changes for its annual Oscars awards ceremony. Rather than dictate its use or require disclosures, the Academy simply says using AI doesn’t, on its own, hurt a movie’s chances — but that how it’s used could. Here’s what the Academy says in a passage added to its film eligibility guidelines: With regard to Generative Artificial Intelligence and other digital tools used in the making of the film, the tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination. The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award. As The New York Times notes, the organization almost went further by requiring filmmakers to disclose whether they used AI in creating a movie. The mention of AI is a first for the Academy’s rules, as the Times writes, and a significant one given lengthy actor and writer Hollywood strikes that started in 2023 and were, in part, prompted by the rise of the technology and its perceived threat to creative workers in the industry.  The Academy didn’t just address AI with the new rule changes. Another new rule states that members are only eligible to participate in the final round of voting if they’ve watched all of the films being considered for a given category. But as the Times notes, it’s an honor-system requirement, as voters self-certify that they did so, and don’t have to prove it beyond that.

Max has become the latest streaming service to clamp down on password sharing. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Tuesday that Max will charge an extra $7.99 per month to add someone to your account outside your household. The new “Extra Member Add-On” allows subscribers across all tiers to invite a friend or family member to create a separate account with their own login credentials. These members can stream from one device at a time and “enjoy all other benefits included in the primary account owner’s base plans,” according to Warner Bros. Discovery. Subscribers can only add one extra member per account. Max is also rolling out a profile transfer feature, which is supposed to make it easier for extra members to carry their watch history, recommendations, and settings over to a new account. Right now, Max’s extra member add-on is only available to people who subscribe directly to the service — not bundle subscribers. Max has been hinting at adding paid sharing to the service since last year, with Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming head JB Perette saying in December that users will be able to add extra members in the first quarter of 2025. Netflix recently upped the price of its ad-free extra member offering to $8.99 in January, while an extra membership with ads costs $6.99 per month. Disney Plus launched a similar add-on for people you don’t live with, which also starts at $6.99 per month with ads.

The development of text-to-speech (TTS) systems has seen significant advancements in recent years, particularly with the rise of large-scale neural models. Yet, most high-fidelity systems remain locked behind proprietary APIs and commercial platforms. Addressing this gap, Nari Labs has released Dia, a 1.6 billion parameter TTS model under the Apache 2.0 license, providing a strong open-source alternative to closed systems such as ElevenLabs and Sesame. Technical Overview and Model Capabilities Dia is designed for high-fidelity speech synthesis, incorporating a transformer-based architecture that balances expressive prosody modeling with computational efficiency. The model supports zero-shot voice cloning, enabling it to replicate a speaker’s voice from a short reference audio clip. Unlike traditional systems that require fine-tuning for each new speaker, Dia generalizes effectively across voices without retraining. A notable technical feature of Dia is its ability to synthesize non-verbal vocalizations, such as coughing and laughter. These components are typically excluded from many standard TTS systems, yet they are critical for generating naturalistic and contextually rich audio. Dia models these sounds natively, contributing to more human-like speech output. The model also supports real-time synthesis, with optimized inference pipelines allowing it to operate on consumer-grade devices, including MacBooks. This performance characteristic is particularly valuable for developers seeking low-latency deployment without relying on cloud-based GPU servers. Deployment and Licensing Dia’s release under the Apache 2.0 license offers broad flexibility for both commercial and academic use. Developers can fine-tune the model, adapt its outputs, or integrate it into larger voice-based systems without licensing constraints. The training and inference pipeline is written in Python and integrates with standard audio processing libraries, lowering the barrier to adoption. The model weights are available directly via Hugging Face, and the repository provides a clear setup process for inference, including examples of input text-to-audio generation and voice cloning. The design favors modularity, making it easy to extend or customize components such as vocoders, acoustic models, or input preprocessing. Comparisons and Initial Reception While formal benchmarks have not been extensively published, preliminary evaluations and community tests suggest that Dia performs comparably—if not favorably—to existing commercial systems in areas such as speaker fidelity, audio clarity, and expressive variation. The inclusion of non-verbal sound support and open-source availability further distinguishes it from its proprietary counterparts. Since its release, Dia has gained significant attention within the open-source AI community, quickly reaching the top ranks on Hugging Face’s trending models. The community response highlights the growing demand for accessible, high-performance speech models that can be audited, modified, and deployed without platform dependencies. Broader Implications The release of Dia fits within a broader movement toward democratizing advanced speech technologies. As TTS applications expand—from accessibility tools and audiobooks to interactive agents and game development—the availability of open, high-quality voice models becomes increasingly important. By releasing Dia with an emphasis on usability, performance, and transparency, Nari Labs contributes meaningfully to the TTS research and development ecosystem. The model provides a strong baseline for future work in zero-shot voice modeling, multi-speaker synthesis, and real-time audio generation. Conclusion Dia represents a mature and technically sound contribution to the open-source TTS space. Its ability to synthesize expressive, high-quality speech—including non-verbal audio—combined with zero-shot cloning and local deployment capabilities, makes it a practical and adaptable tool for developers and researchers alike. As the field continues to evolve, models like Dia will play a central role in shaping more open, flexible, and efficient speech systems. Check out the Model on Hugging Face, GitHub Page and Demo. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and join our Telegram Channel and LinkedIn Group. Don’t Forget to join our 90k+ ML SubReddit. NikhilNikhil is an intern consultant at Marktechpost. He is pursuing an integrated dual degree in Materials at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Nikhil is an AI/ML enthusiast who is always researching applications in fields like biomaterials and biomedical science. With a strong background in Material Science, he is exploring new advancements and creating opportunities to contribute.Nikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Researchers at Physical Intelligence Introduce π-0.5: A New AI Framework for Real-Time Adaptive Intelligence in Physical SystemsNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/Anthropic Releases a Comprehensive Guide to Building Coding Agents with Claude CodeNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/ByteDance Releases UI-TARS-1.5: An Open-Source Multimodal AI Agent Built upon a Powerful Vision-Language ModelNikhilhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/nikhil0980/LLMs Can Think While Idle: Researchers from Letta and UC Berkeley Introduce ‘Sleep-Time Compute’ to Slash Inference Costs and Boost Accuracy Without Sacrificing Latency

Modern streaming platforms like Netflix and Max have changed our content diets dramatically, allowing reality TV lovers and Letterboxd sickos to beam the latest movies and shows directly into their homes. In lieu of heading out to a theater and getting caught in a ‘Chicken Jockey’ related incident, you may be wondering — how can I summon a cinematic level of fidelity from the comfort of my couch? Well never fear, dear reader, as our guide to streaming Netflix in 4K will explain everything you need to know.How to Stream Netflix in 4KBefore we get started, it’s worth checking which Netflix plan you’re on — as not all of them allow for 4K streaming. The Streaming (with Ads) and Standard plans only allow for streaming at resolutions up to 1080p. The only plan that supports 4K streaming at this time is the highest-tier Premium Plan.Here are the current Netflix US plans and their prices:Standard with ads: $7.99 per month (No 4K)Standard: $17.99 per month (No 4K)Premium: $24.99 per month (4K streaming)Do you have the right equipment for 4K?The next step in your 4K streaming journey is making sure all of your hardware can support streaming Netflix content in 4K. If you’re using a monitor or smart TV for streaming, it needs to be capable of outputting a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. If you’re using an external streaming device like a Fire Stick or an Apple TV, then this also needs to support 4K streaming. And, if you are using external devices to stream Netflix, then the cables connecting the device to the TV will need to be good enough to support the signal. Netflix suggests users should use a Premium High Speed HDMI or Ultra High Speed HDMI cable to stream Netflix in 4K.Budget 4K Streaming DeviceAmazon Fire TV Stick 4K MaxSee it at AmazonHDMI for 4KBelkin HDMI 2.1 Ultra High SpeedSee it at AmazonBest 4K TVLG 65" Class OLED evo C4See it at AmazonBest 4K Monitor (for gaming too)Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDPSee it at Best BuyCheck your playback settingsOnce you’ve made sure you’re on the right plan and have all the correct equipment, it’s time to check your playback settings. To do this you’ll need to log into your account on your PC. From here you’ll need to click on your profile icon and select ‘Manage Profiles’. It should automatically show the menu bar for your account, however if it hasn’t, select the specific account you wish to stream 4K content from. Now, scroll down and select the Playback Settings option and set it to ‘High’. From here, when using that profile, you should stream in 4K when watching content that supports that resolution.There are few caveats to this selection worth considering. By selecting High, you may be subject to more buffering and freezing if your internet isn’t up to the job. Additionally, if you’re using mobile data to watch your favourite films or shows be aware that streaming in 4K uses more data and so you might hit your limit quicker than you might expect.Are There Other Ways to Watch Netflix Movies and Shows in 4K?Physical media may seem like a thing of the past. However, a Blu-Ray revival has meant a handful of popular titles have broken free of their digital prisons. Blu-Ray editions of original shows like Daredevil, Arcane, The Crown, Stranger Things, and Wednesday are available for fans to buy (though sometimes hard to find). In a world where a show can be dropped from a platform overnight, owning physical copies is often the only way to ensure you can watch your favorite shows for all eternity – or at least until disc drives completely disappear.Arcane: League of Legends - Season One - Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray [4K UHD]See it at AmazonSarah Thwaites is a freelance tech and gaming writer at IGN, with bylines at GameInformer, TrustedReviews, NME and more.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 23.