Quantum Computing Firm IonQ Buys UK Startup in $1 Billion Deal
The takeover, which consists of roughly $1.07 billion in shares of IonQ and about $10 million in cash, will bring together Maryland-based IonQ's quantum hardware and software capabilities with Oxford Ionics' quantum chip technology, the companies said in a statement on Monday. The transaction is expected to close in 2025, subject to regulatory approvals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
McDonald's is adding a Spicy McMuffin to its breakfast lineup
You can find original article here Nrn. Subscribe to our free daily Nrn newsletter. McDonald's 50th anniversary celebration of its signature Egg McMuffin continues with the introduction of a Spicy McMuffin, available starting July 8 at participating restaurants for a limited time. The offering includes melted cheese, an egg, Canadian bacon, and Spicy Pepper Sauce served on a toasted and buttered English Muffin. The summer lineup also includes the Spicy Sausage McMuffin and the Spicy Sausage McMuffin with Egg. According to the company, the popular Egg McMuffin was created by Herb Peterson, a franchisee in Santa Barbara, Calif., who presented the concept to founder Ray Croc in 1971. The idea was to create a portable Eggs Benedict. Breakfast is a priority for McDonald's value platform, as its McValue menu, introduced in January, includes items like the Sausage McMuffin, Sausage Biscuit, Sausage Burrito, and Hash Browns, available for a "Buy One, Add One for $1" deal. During the company's fourth quarter earnings call earlier this year, chief financial officer Ian Borden said breakfast has been a strong daypart for the domestic business. 'It's an area where we're taking share,' he said. During the first quarter earnings call in late April, however, chief executive officer Chris Kempczinski said there has been a decline in frequency during the 'bellwether' breakfast daypart. 'Morning now is a place that you're seeing people are choosing either to skip breakfast or they're choosing to eat at home for breakfast. And I think that's more to explain what's going on in the U.S. versus any kind of segment shift,' he said. The Spicy McMuffin comes on the heels of two other menu launches for McDonald's, a new Blueberry & Crème Pie and a new premium burger called the Daily Double. These launches come as the chain has experienced two rare and consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines and traffic softness. Contact Alicia Kelso at Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bitcoin Bulls Should Be Wary of the Dollar Index's Death Cross: Technical Analysis
Bitcoin (BTC) bulls are optimistic that the U.S. dollar's broader sell-off will continue in the second half of the year, fueling the crypto bull run. However, one chart warrants caution when relying on bearish dollar predictions. That's the dollar index's weekly chart, which shows the 50-week simple moving average (SMA) is on track to cross below the 200-week SMA in the near term, forming the notorious death cross. While the ominous-sounding pattern is widely regarded as a long-term bearish signal, historically, it has proven to be a bear trap, consistently marking bottoms and bullish trend reversals in the US dollar. The chart below shows that DXY has chalked out four weekly chart death crosses since 2009, and each of those marked the end of downtrends (marked by vertical lines), setting the stage for sharp rallies. The last one occurred in January 2021, marking the bottom at around 90. The dollar caught the bid in the subsequent months, with the index eventually hitting a high of over 114.00 in September 2022. Note that price patterns do not always unfold as expected, meaning the impending death cross may not necessarily trap bears; however, being aware of its past tendency can help traders manage their positions more effectively. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback's value against major fiat currencies, tanked by 10.78% in the first half of the year, its worst performance since 1991.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
HRT ‘can raise breast cancer risk' in younger women
Hormone replacement therapy can raise the risk of breast cancer in some younger women, a Lancet study suggests. An international team of researchers found the treatment was not linked to young onset breast cancer overall. But oestrogen plus progestin therapy appears to increase breast cancer risk by 10 per cent. Meanwhile, oestrogen hormone therapy use appeared to decrease breast cancer risk by 14 per cent. Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment used to help menopause symptoms. There are different types of HRT, which is used to treat menopause symptoms, available. They contain different hormones: some are oestrogen products; others contain progestogen and other types have both. These medicines can be taken or used in different ways and work by replacing the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which can fall to lower levels as women approach the menopause. Most studies examining links between hormone therapy and breast cancer risk have been explored in older women. Previous work, which has focused on women who have already been through the menopause, suggest that oestrogen plus progestin hormone therapy is a risk factor for breast cancer. The researchers, led by academics from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the US, wanted to explore the risks among younger women on hormone therapy – who may take these drugs after gynaecological surgery or during perimenopause. The new meta-analysis published in the journal, Lancet Oncology, examined data drawn from previous studies of 459,476 women aged 16 to 54 years old. Some two per cent of this group (8,455) developed young-onset breast cancer, which means the disease was diagnosed before they were 55 years old. And 15 per cent of women involved in the study reported using hormone therapy, with oestrogen plus progestin hormone therapy and oestrogen being the most common types. 'Although the strength of these associations might vary by age at first use, duration of use, gynaecological surgery status, and other factors, unopposed oestrogen hormone therapy use appears to decrease breast cancer risk and oestrogen plus progestin therapy appears to increase breast cancer risk,' the authors wrote. 'The findings can be used to augment clinical recommendations for hormone therapy use in young women, for whom guidance was previously scarce.' Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, the head of research communications at Breast Cancer Now, said: 'These results are largely in line with what we already know about taking HRT for menopausal symptoms and its effects on breast cancer risk – for most people, the risk of developing breast cancer because of taking HRT is small and is outweighed by the benefits. 'Taking HRT is a very personal decision and, as such, it's vital that everyone has the information they need on the benefits and risks, discusses them with their GP or specialist team and is supported to make the choice that's right for them.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
