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Scientists have discovered that electron spin loss, long considered waste, can instead drive magnetization switching in spintronic devices, boosting efficiency by up to three times. The scalable, semiconductor-friendly method could accelerate the development of ultra-low-power AI chips and memory technologies.

The Nobel-prize-winning physicist William Phillips talks to Margaret Harris about his life and career The post William Phillips: why quantum physics is so ‘deliciously weird’ appeared first on Physics World.

Most of an atom is empty space, so why does some matter feel solid? Two physics principles explain why.

Benchtop accelerator links electrochemistry to fusion science The post Electrochemical loading boosts deuterium fusion in a palladium target appeared first on Physics World.

Scientists transform wasted spin loss into usable energy, powering a new principle for magnetic control and next-gen ultra-low power devices.

Researchers at Rice University and collaborating institutions have discovered direct evidence of active flat electronic bands in a

Just as overlapping ripples on a pond can amplify or cancel each other out, waves of many kinds

Astronomers have glimpsed the inner structure of a dying star in a rare kind of cosmic explosion called an "extremely stripped supernova."

Quantum computers hold the potential of solving some optimization and data processing problems that cannot be tackled by classical computers. Many of the most promising quantum computing platforms developed so far are based on superconducting qubits, tiny circuits based on superconducting materials.

There’s a new record holder for the most accurate clock in the world. Researchers at the National Institute

If black holes are actually droplets of dark energy that convert stellar matter into this mysterious and dominant force, many "cosmic hiccups" could soon be cured.

NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) telescope has detected unexpected X-ray polarization from the "heartbeat black hole," formally known as IGR J17091-3624.

By using quantum dots and smart encryption protocols, researchers overcame a 40-year barrier in quantum communication, showing that secure networks don’t need perfect hardware to outperform today’s best systems.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown that a small bench-top reactor can enhance nuclear fusion rates by electrochemically loading a metal with deuterium fuel. Unlike massive magnetic confinement reactors, their experiment uses a room-temperature setup that packs deuterium into palladium like a sponge, boosting the likelihood of fusion events.

Scientists may have uncovered the missing piece of quantum computing by reviving a particle once dismissed as useless. This particle, called the neglecton, could give fragile quantum systems the full power they need by working alongside Ising anyons. What was once considered mathematical waste may now hold the key to building universal quantum computers, turning discarded theory into a pathway toward the future of technology.

This week, researchers pinned down the age of a complete Homo-genus skull found in Greece in 1960 to at least 286,000 years old. Medical researchers reported that the majority of chronic pain patients discontinue cannabis use within one year. And engineers prototyped solar trees, a new solar technology designed with natural tree morphology that can be incorporated into natural branches in the upper canopies of trees while allowing light to penetrate to underlying vegetation.

Author(s): Mark BuchananA 10-µm-wide microchip can generate light with any desired direction, polarization, and intensity, which will be handy for future quantum technologies. [Physics 18, 151] Published Fri Aug 22, 2025

A new type of computer uses oscillators in special materials to find the most efficient solutions to complex scheduling and routing problems at room temperature.

A highly sensitive quantum sensor from Jena has traveled nearly 9,000 kilometers: by truck to Hamburg, by ship across the Atlantic, and finally overland to Vassouras, Brazil.

A new interpretation of dark energy data suggests that the mysterious force, which accelerated the early universe's expansion, emerged naturally from black holes.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has assembled a team of researchers to make communication networks more secure by injecting them with quantumness

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

A research team led by Prof. Jiao Chengliang at the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators, has introduced a self-consistent model that addresses long-unresolved theoretical gaps in the study of self-gravitating spherical accretion. The study was recently published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The tech could revolutionize how spacecraft, airplanes, ships, and submarines navigate when GPS is unavailable or compromised. The post Quantum Alternative to GPS Will Be Tested on the US Military’s X-37B Spaceplane appeared first on SingularityHub.

In a new podcast episode, an expert explains how scientists could better understand disease by exploring the mechanics of photosynthesis.

With the help of innovative large-scale simulations on various supercomputers, physicists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have succeeded in gaining new insights into previously elusive aspects of the physics of strong interaction.

Four RIKEN researchers have used two small quantum computers to simulate quantum information scrambling, an important quantum-information process. This achievement illustrates a potential application of future quantum computers. The results are published in Physical Review Research.

Researchers at the University of Innsbruck have created a system in which individual qubits—stored in trapped calcium ions—are each entangled with separate photons. Demonstrating this method for a register of up to 10 qubits, the team has shown an easily scalable approach that opens new possibilities for linking quantum computers and quantum sensors.

A qubit is the delicate, information-processing heart of a quantum device. In the coming decades, advances in quantum information are expected to give us computers with new, powerful capabilities and detectors that can pick up atomic-scale signals in medicine, navigation and more. The realization of such technologies depends on having reliable, long-lasting qubits.

A quantum computer that uses particles of light took about two dozen microseconds to complete a calculation that may take trillions of trillions of trillions of years on the world’s best supercomputers

Astronomers using AI have captured a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event: a massive star’s violent death triggered by its black hole companion. The explosion, known as SN 2023zkd, not only produced a brilliant supernova but also shocked scientists by glowing twice, after years of strange pre-death brightening. Observed by telescopes worldwide, the event provided the strongest evidence yet that black holes can ignite stellar explosions.

Astronomers may have uncovered the origins of the mysterious “little red dots,” some of the strangest galaxies seen in the early universe. These tiny but brilliant objects, discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope, appear far too compact and bright to fit existing models of galaxy and black hole formation. A new study suggests they may have formed within rare dark matter halos that spin unusually slowly, creating conditions that squeeze matter into incredibly dense structures. If true, these galaxies could provide vital clues about how the first black holes and galaxies came into being.

Researchers hope to use neutrinos to find the sources of cosmic radiation. New algorithms out of Bochum are aiding in the search, and have also eliminated a few candidates.

As missions like Kepler and TESS discovered more rocky exoplanets in recent years, scientists looked forward to the launch of the JWST. The powerful space telescope has the ability to gather infrared spectra of exoplanet atmospheres, a key need in understanding the planets being discovered. It was hoped that these atmospheric characterizations would advance our understanding of habitability.

Author(s): S. P. Ahlen et al. (DESI Collaboration)An alternative to the standard cosmological model where matter is converted to dark energy during stellar collapse results in an accurate cosmological expansion history and a summed neutrino mass posterior distribution peaked at positive mass. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 081003] Published Thu Aug 21, 2025

Researchers hope to use neutrinos to find the sources of cosmic radiation. New algorithms are aiding in the search, and have also eliminated a few candidates.

A research team has created a quantum logic gate that uses fewer qubits by encoding them with the powerful GKP error-correction code. By entangling quantum vibrations inside a single atom, they achieved a milestone that could transform how quantum computers scale.

Author(s): Nikhil KarthikThe MicroBooNE experiment’s five-year dataset has shown that an unpredicted neutrino-flavor oscillation is not the cause of anomalous results obtained by its predecessor. [Physics 18, s115] Published Thu Aug 21, 2025

The journal  has lifted an expression of concern on a paper claiming evidence of Majorana quasiparticles, but concerns linger

A team of researchers has discovered how a little-known type of symmetry in quantum materials, called nonsymmorphic symmetry, governs the way these materials interact with intense laser light.

Wrinkles can be an asset—especially for next-generation electronics. Rice University scientists have discovered that tiny creases in two-dimensional materials can control electrons' spin with record precision, opening the path to ultracompact, energy-efficient electronic devices.

In 2022, astronomers announced the discovery of GJ 3929b. It's a rocky planet, similar to Earth in both mass and size. Astronomers have examined the planet with the JWST and concluded that it's a barren world with no atmosphere.

A team of physicists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has made a breakthrough that could bring secure quantum communication closer to everyday use—without needing flawless hardware.

More than 5,000 planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, allowing scientists to explore planetary evolution and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Now, a UC Riverside study published in Physical Review D suggests that exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, could also serve as tools to investigate dark matter.

OpenAI researchers reveal how their experimental model, devoid of any external aids, powered through hours-long proofs to earn a gold-medal score at the International Math Olympiad—and they discuss the project’s origins and describe how such work could help lead to artificial general intelligence

The JWST has found another moon orbiting Uranus. It's the planet's 29th known moon, and it bears the uninspiring, temporary name S/2025 U1. It's too small and faint to be detected by the Hubble, or by Voyager 2, the only spacecraft to visit the ice giant.

Researchers at Durham and collaborators in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) mission have proposed a bold new theory that black holes could be converting matter into dark energy.

Cryogenic optical microscopy uncovers multiple conformations of PIEZO1 in cell membranes, offering atomic-scale insights into how cells sense force.

Valence electrons, located in the outermost shell of an atom, play an important role in driving chemical reactions and forming bonds with other atoms.

A deep learning model identifies atomic-scale defects in MoS2 with 95% accuracy, offering a faster route to quality control and quantum material research.

Scientists used an ultrafast X-ray laser to follow the impact of a single electron moving within a molecule during an entire chemical reaction.

To build a large-scale quantum computer that works, scientists and engineers need to overcome the spontaneous errors that quantum bits, or qubits, create as they operate.

Researchers can use a metric called the particle number concentration (PNC) to calculate the number of particles in a sample, such as the number of marbles in a jar.

Author(s): Haiwang YongScientists have used ultrashort x-ray pulses to directly observe the motion of electrons driving a chemical reaction. [Physics 18, 149] Published Wed Aug 20, 2025

A new theoretical study by University of Virginia astrophysicist Jonathan Tan, a research professor with the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Astronomy, proposes a comprehensive framework for the birth of supermassive black holes.

An international research team has reported remarkable findings from an XRISM observation of the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630–472, located in our galaxy. XRISM is an X-ray astronomy satellite developed by Japan in collaboration with the United States and Europe and was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on September 7, 2023.

A collaborative research team has developed a novel method for forming high-performance high-entropy alloy (HEA) films on various surfaces without using expensive alloy targets. This was achieved using a proprietary rotating target composed of multiple pure metal segments and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology.

A 1989 experiment offered the promise of nuclear fusion without the need for high temperatures, but this "cold fusion" was quickly debunked. Now, some of the techniques involved have been resurrected in a new experiment that could actually improve efforts to achieve practical fusion power

At first glance, biology and quantum technology seem incompatible. Living systems operate in warm, noisy environments full of constant motion, while quantum technology typically requires extreme isolation and temperatures near absolute zero to function.

The U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane will test a potential alternative to GPS that makes use of quantum science as a tool for navigation: a quantum inertial sensor.

Establishing robust isolated spins on solid surfaces is crucial for fabricating quantum bits or qubits, sensors, and single-atom catalysts. An isolated spin is a single spin that is shielded from external interactions. Because isolated spins can maintain their state for long periods, they are ideal for use as qubits, the basic units of quantum computation, and for ultrafast spintronic memory.

Scientists at the University of California San Diego have uncovered how diamond—the material used to encase fuel for fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—can develop tiny structural flaws that may limit fusion performance.

Scientists have discovered a way to control chemical reactions by carefully arranging copper atoms on a carbon-based material. With just tiny changes at the atomic scale, the same material can be switched to produce either hydrogen or methane from simple starting ingredients.

Using a small bench-top reactor, researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have demonstrated that electrochemically loading a solid metal target with deuterium fuel can boost nuclear fusion rates.

Uranus' 29th moon was hidden inside the planet's dark inner rings, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal.

Country-size array of radio antennas could trace ultra–high-energy particles back to supernovae and black holes

Practical fusion power that can provide cheap, clean energy could be a step closer thanks to artificial intelligence. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a deep learning model that accurately predicted the results of a nuclear fusion experiment conducted in 2022. Accurate predictions can help speed up the design of new experiments and accelerate the quest for this virtually limitless energy source.

An international team of astronomers led by Matus Rybak (Leiden University, Netherlands) has proven, thanks to accidental double zoom, that millimeter radiation is generated close to the core of a supermassive black hole. Their findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and are available on the arXiv preprint server.

Called Thunderbird, the beer-fridge-sized nuclear reactor is supported by relatively simple electrochemical concepts.

Chinese astronomers have spotted a hidden supermassive black hole in the background of a peculiar gravitational wave event from a black hole merger, hinting that all three singularities were locked in a never-before-seen triple system.

Researchers have gained new insights into an ion channel from algae. These insights could help optogenetics realize its full potential in the future.

Scientists observed charge separation in a solar cell dye, driven by nuclear vibrations, not solvent effects, reshaping views on light-induced transport.

A team of scientists has revealed how a single quantum device can accurately measure the three fundamental units of electricity—the ampere (unit of electrical current), the volt (unit of electrical potential) and the ohm (unit of electrical resistance). This is a significant breakthrough because until now, no single instrument could measure all three primary electrical units in one practical system. It means that making electrical measurements could be more precise and reduce the potential for human error.

David Norman reviews The Physics of Birds and Birding: the Sounds, Colors and Movements of Birds, and Our Tools for Watching Them by Michael Hurben The post Equations, quarks and a few feathers: more physics than birds appeared first on Physics World.

Whether in solar cells or in the human eye, whenever certain molecules absorb light, the electrons within them shift from their ground state into a higher-energy, excited state. This results in the transport of energy and charge, leading to charge separation and eventually to the generation of electricity.

An international team of physicists has studied how particles are produced in high-energy electron–proton collisions through the lens of entanglement entropy The post How does entanglement affect high-energy collisions? appeared first on Physics World.

CMS researchers observe quantum entanglement in top quark–antiquark pairs, revealing new insights into quantum behaviour at the smallest scales The post Probing quantum entanglement in top quark pairs at the LHC appeared first on Physics World.

Researchers report a Cu-based catalyst on graphitic carbon nitride with tunable atomic configurations, revealing that intercalated Cu dual-atom selectively drives CO2 reduction to methane with 88% efficiency while single-atom and nanoparticle catalysts favor hydrogen evolution.

Scientists found chiral symmetry breaking in crystals that transforms achiral to chiral structures and creates new optical materials.

Quantum computers have the potential to solve problems far beyond the reach of today’s fastest supercomputers. But today’s

Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have spotted a moon nestled near Uranus’s rings that’s so small you could walk around it