Quantum leap forward

Google says it's achieved "quantum supremacy" with a prototype computer; Gantz takes a shot at building an Israeli government. Tonight's Sentences was written by Hannah Brown. TOP NEWS Google's big milestone in quantum computing Ravi Bhat, a University of Toronto researcher, explains his work on quantum computing, in 2010. Mike Slaughter/Toronto Star via Getty Images - Google claims their experimental quantum processor computed a problem that would have taken any other supercomputer thousands of years. [[AP News / Rachel Lerman and Matt O'Brien](] - A newly released paper revealed that Google’s 54-qubit computer was able to complete a task in 200 seconds that Google estimated would take over 10,000 years on non-quantum models. [[Newsweek / Aristos Georgiou](] - Ordinary computers rely on lots of small calculations, each processing “bits” of information that simply hold a 1 or a 0. In physical terms, a system of gates provides a path for electricity to flow and move data around. [[New York Times / Cade Metz](] - Quantum computers make use of "qubits," with extremely cold materials that allow manipulation under the classical physics-bending rules of quantum mechanics. Qubits can essentially simultaneously hold a 1 and a 0, so a quantum computer can combine smaller calculations rather than generating them first. [[NYT / Cade Metz](] - This breakthrough of “quantum supremacy,” or the ability of a quantum computer to outstrip a regular computer in speed of computing, is the first of its kind to work in practice, according to Google. [[Washington Post / Sarah Kaplan](] - Quantum machine-building competitor IBM disputed Google’s “quantum supremacy” claims. The company argues its Summit supercomputer, the one Google’s experimental quantum computer compared itself to, could perform the task in two and a half days with adjustments. [[The Verge / Jon Porter](] - With quantum computing prototypes within reach, there are possibilities for medical advancements and concerns about the danger to encryption security. [[NYT / David Yaffe-Bellany](] Israel's third try at a government - Israel’s Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz accepted the task of forming a government in the Knesset Wednesday as Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called for compromise. Gantz promised to form a more secular unity government with his right-wing rivals — but it's not clear if that's possible. [[Jerusalem Post / Gil Hoffman](] - Israeli parties win seats in the Knesset based on their vote share in the national elections and, if there is no outright 61-seat majority, the president grants the leader of the party with the best chance to form a coalition the first attempt to do so. [[Vox / Zack Beauchamp](] - Rivlin granted Gantz 28 days to fashion a government following the failure of the Likud party’s embattled leader Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition. Likud won one less seat in the September election but has ruled on and off since 1977. [[BBC](] - Gantz has a tough task ahead convincing Likud and/or other parties to join him. But former Knesset member Einat Wilf was hopeful: “At every point he tended to be underestimated. ... Despite the numbers supposedly not adding up, Gantz has a better chance than people think he does because people tend to come together under his leadership." [[The Media Line / Tara Kavaler](] MISCELLANEOUS With a vaping-related health crisis unfolding, legalizing marijuana might help solve a lack of regulation. [[Vox / Julia Belluz](] - Some sexual assault survivors seek healing through self-defense training. [[TIME / Gitit Ginat](] - Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s new book tells us what has long been clear: Trump’s own advisers worry about the commander in chief’s decisions. [[Politico / Bryan Bender](] - How the language of politics has degraded under Trump: [[Washington Post / Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker](] - Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both used the term “lynching” to describe different instances of impeachment. Biden says he’s sorry and that Trump’s invocation of the term was worse. [[Newsweek / James Walker](] VERBATIM “She has been both a visionary and a strategic leader in securing equality, fairness, and the rule of law not only in the realm of theory, but in social institutions and the lives of individuals.” [[2019 Berggruen Prize committee chairman Kwame Anthony Appiah on why Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg won the award](] WATCH THIS By looking into the dreams of terminal individuals, we might just find an answer to the age-old question. [[YouTube / Alex Clark](] Help us with an upcoming episode of Glad You Asked about loneliness: Record an audio clip on your phone (1 minute or less) about a time you felt lonely, then email the clip to [crowdsource@vox.com](mailto:crowdsource@vox.com?subject=Loneliness) with your name and age. Your story might be featured in our video. [Read more from Vox](#) [Amber Guyger’s lawyers have taken the first step toward appealing her murder conviction]( [Trump’s latest Syria announcement is the clearest articulation of his foreign policy doctrine]( [The Houston Astros’ self-created domestic violence controversy, explained]( [How to stop looking at your phone]( [Trump’s latest explanation for withholding Ukraine aid is as nonsensical as his previous ones]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2019. 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