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IPFS News Link • United States

Why Aren't There More Smart Americans?

• https://www.wired.com

As research for his latest novel, The Quantum Spy, Washington Post reporter David Ignatius spoke with some of the world's leading experts on quantum computing, which led him to believe that we may see a working quantum computer in the next five years.

"Initially what I would hear back from technologists was, 'it's fascinating if it works,' and I hear more now 'fascinating when it works,'" Ignatius says in Episode 291 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "There's a sense that these problems probably can be solved."

The downside is that a quantum computer would be the cyber warfare equivalent of a nuclear bomb, which means the US government is often reluctant to let foreign scientists work on the most promising research. It's a system that can slow down progress due the lack of 'smart Americans,' as one character in the book puts it.

"The number of American citizens who can do very high-end research who also can easily get security clearances is limited," Ignatius says. "The ability of our schools to produce American students at a world-class level, that's an important national challenge."

He says that one reason the US lags behind other countries is a political culture in Washington in which too many leaders are ignorant of and hostile to basic science. Though he believes that recent events like the March for Science are a promising development.


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