Cosmic Rays Flip Memory Bits

Scientists discovered that one of the main culprits behind mysterious "soft errors" in computer memory isn't faulty hardware; it's cosmic rays. When high-energy particles from space strike the atmosphere, they create neutrons and protons that can flip bits inside memory chips. The effect depends heavily on altitude: systems buried deep underground record virtually no errors, while computers at mountain elevations suffer far higher error rates. On aircraft, the danger skyrockets, with memory errors occurring over 300 times more frequently than at sea level.

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