Prague Zoo joins the effort to ensure the survival of a rare insect once considered extinct
The zoo is among six institutions around the world that have been able to create living conditions for the largest species of flightless insect, the Lord Howe Island stick insect, which grows up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) long. They are on display, a rare chance that only London and San Diego also offer.
The insect, also known as the Lord Howe Island phasmid, is native to a remote archipelago in the Tasman Sea off Australia.
The uninhabited archipelago was discovered in 1778. Rats that arrived with a ship stranded offshore in 1918 appeared to wipe out the insect's population.
Mountain climbers found signs of the insects in the 1960s on a rocky island 23 kilometers (14 miles) offshore from Lord Howe. In 2001, it was confirmed that specimens were surviving there. Two pairs were taken to Australia for breeding, a step considered necessary for the critically endangered species.
'They had to make an enormous effort to survive 100 years on such a tough place as the Balls Pyramid, and now need such sensitive care to live in captivity,' Vojtěch Vít, an expert keeper at the Prague Zoo, said Tuesday.
The zoo had to create an air-conditioned building with disinfection equipment for keepers at the entrance to protect the insects that are susceptible to bacterial and virus infections, and get approval from Australian authorities for breeding.
The goal of the breeding program is to return the insect to its natural environment on Lord Howe Island after rats were eradicated there in 2019.
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- CBS News
NASA probes will study how solar wind triggers potentially dangerous "space weather"
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The mission got underway at 2:13 p.m. EDT when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at launch complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the California coast. The launching one day late because of a regional power outage Tuesday that interrupted air traffic communications over the Pacific Ocean near Vandenberg. The second time around, the countdown ticked smoothly to zero and after boosting the upper stage and payloads out of the lower atmosphere, the first stage peeled away, reversed course and flew back to a landing near the launch pad. A few seconds later, the upper stage engine shut down to put the vehicle in its planned preliminary orbit. The two satellites making up the primary TRACERS payload were deployed about an hour-and-a-half after launch. Two of the other smallsats were to be released earlier in a slightly different orbit, with the remainder following TRACERS a few minutes later. 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New York Post
3 hours ago
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Business Wire
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'This collaboration furthers IonQ's efforts to tap into one of the world's most promising quantum talent pools while contributing meaningfully to Australia's growing quantum industry,' said Dr. Dean Kassmann, SVP of IonQ's Engineering and Technology division. 'Our work with Emergence Quantum is part of a broader strategy to engage local experts and institutions around the world in advancing scalable, high-performance quantum computing and networking. This initiative will give IonQ significant access to a world-class team of Ph.D. quantum scientists that brings forward decades of experience in cryogenic electronics and quantum engineering.' This work builds on IonQ's ongoing work in the region, including its collaboration with the Australian National University, and reflects the company's continued momentum in engaging with leading quantum research and talent ecosystems worldwide. 'We see tremendous demand in Australia for quantum technology so we are delighted to partner with IonQ to advance quantum innovation in the country,' said Prof. Reilly. 'The challenge in Australia has always been how to bring in international investment, without losing the key know-how and talent that we have here. Collaborating with IonQ allows us to accelerate the pace of Australia's quantum development and growth.' About IonQ IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is a leading commercial quantum computing, quantum networking, and quantum applications company, delivering high-performance systems aimed at solving the world's most complex problems. IonQ's current generation quantum computers, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results. The company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world's most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ's advancement in quantum networking also positions the company as a leader in building the quantum internet. The company's innovative technology and rapid growth were recognized in Newsweek's 2025 Excellence Index 1000, Forbes' 2025 Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies list, and Built In's 2025 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Washington DC and Seattle, respectively. Available through all major cloud providers, IonQ is making quantum computing more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at About Emergence Quantum Emergence Quantum is a team of globally recognised scientists and engineers delivering integrated hardware platforms and the foundational technology underpinning quantum, future energy-efficient computing, and advanced sensing interfaces, with a focus on integration and co-designed solutions. Expertise spans the fundamental physics of semiconductor and superconducting devices to the engineering challenges of complex, scaled-up computing and sensing platforms. A central theme of Emergence Quantum's work is the use of integrated cryogenic electronics to address critical challenges in scaling quantum computers, as well as enabling new computational and sensing modalities. IonQ Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature, including the words 'accelerating,' 'accessible,' 'advance,' 'advancement,' 'advancing,' 'aimed,' 'building,' 'builds,' 'can,' 'co-developing,' 'collaboration,' 'commitment,' 'contributing,' 'delivering,' 'engage,' 'explore,' 'initiative,' 'intends,' 'momentum,' 'next-generation,' 'scale,' 'will,' and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to the IonQ's quantum computing and networking capabilities and plans; IonQ's technology delivering scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing in the future; the relevance and utility of quantum algorithms and applications run on IonQ's quantum computers; the future impacts of IonQ's offerings available today and in the future; and the scalability, fidelity, efficiency, viability, accessibility, effectiveness, importance, reliability, performance, speed, impact, practicality, feasibility, and commercial-readiness of IonQ's offerings. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: IonQ's ability to implement its technical roadmap; changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates, including development of competing technologies; IonQ's ability to deliver, and customers' ability to generate, value from IonQ's offerings; IonQ's ability to deliver next-generation electronics and materials, reduce hardware complexity, scale system capacity, and enhance system performance, information transfer, and network accuracy, or reduce noise and errors; IonQ's ability to sell effectively to government entities and large enterprises; changes in laws and regulations affecting IonQ's and its suppliers' businesses; IonQ's ability to implement its business plans, forecasts, roadmaps and other expectations, to identify and realize partnerships and opportunities, and to engage new and existing customers; IonQ's ability to effectively enter new markets; IonQ's ability to deliver services and products within currently anticipated timelines; IonQ's inability to attract and retain key personnel; IonQ's inability to effectively integrate its acquisitions of Qubitekk, Inc., Lightsync Technologies, Inc., and Capella Space Corporation and close its acquisitions of Oxford Ionics Limited and ID Quantique, SA; IonQ's customers deciding or declining to extend contracts into new phases; the inability of IonQ's suppliers to deliver components that meet expectations timely; changes in government spending or policy that may affect IonQ's customers; and risks associated with government sales, including availability of funding and provisions that may allow the government to unilaterally terminate or modify contracts for convenience; changes in laws and regulations affecting IonQ's patents; and IonQ's ability to maintain or obtain patent protection for its products and technology, including with sufficient breadth to provide a competitive advantage. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's filings, including but not limited to those described in the 'Risk Factors' section of IonQ's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and reports on Form 10-Q. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and IonQ assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. IonQ does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations. IonQ may or may not choose to practice or otherwise use the inventions described in the issued patents in the future.
