Emerging tech, dwarf planets and other science stories of the week

A major milestone has been reached in quantum computing technology. Researchers have developed the first quantum device that detects and corrects its own errors. This is a step towards a much-needed level of reliability that would make this revolutionary technology viable outside the lab.

The year of the dwarf planet is about to kick off. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is due to arrive at Ceres, the largest body in our solar system’s asteroid belt, to discover more about the formation of planets and the solar system. In other dwarf planet news, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has entered its approach phase toward Pluto and is set to arrive in July 2015.

The rapidly growing genetic-testing industry raises questions for companies and regulators. Pregnant women who purchased prenatal genetic testing are discovering they have cancer. Doctors, patients and regulators are uncertain how to respond to the Wild West of genomic medicine.

A $1 million cure. The first gene therapy approved in the Western world is set to go on sale in Germany at a cost of close to $1 million per treatment, raising questions about how governments and private insurers will pay for breakthrough therapeutics.

World Economic Forum experts announce 2015’s top emerging technologies. These include fuel cells, sense-and-avoid drones, additive manufacturing, precision genetic engineering and more.

The world’s latest technologies raise questions – specifically, about the ethical implications and responsible research and development.

An autism study suggests that the disease is genetic. The evidence points to genes playing a larger role in autism than previously thought.

Are ‘acid casualties’ a myth? An extensive study finds no link between psychedelic drugs such as LSD and mental illness.

Metamaterials, from programmable rubber to ‘unfeelability’ cloaks, were the talk of the March meeting of the American Physical Society.

Stepping up the search for extraterrestrial life. Scientists debate the risks of beaming messages to exoplanets.

The UK announces human trials for lung cancer immunotherapy. The pioneering treatment will be tested on 56 patients.

How 3D printing could revolutionize manufacturing in Africa. We explore the impacts of additive and distributed manufacturing.

Immortality? Nothing is too bold for Silicon Valley. This article provides a great overview of the funding for and research into ageing, which has become the latest darling of tech philanthropy.

Scientists manage to photograph light – behaving as both a particle and a wave at the same time.

ICYMI – the science behind that (blue and black) dress, the meme that took over the internet last week.

Author: David Gleicher is Senior Programme Manager, Science and Technology, at the World Economic Forum.

Image: This artist’s impression shows a sunset seen from the super-Earth Gliese 667 Cc. The brightest star in the sky is the red dwarf Gliese 667 C, which is part of a triple star system. The other two more distant stars, Gliese 667 A and B appear in the sky also to the right. Astronomers have estimated that there are tens of billions of such rocky worlds orbiting faint red dwarf stars in the Milky Way alone. REUTERS/ESO/L. Calçada/Handout