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European Space Agency unveils first images from Earth-observation ‘sounder’ satellite

Uranus and Neptune may be more rocky than icy, say astrophysicists

Novel modelling approach suggests that the traditionally ice-rich image of these planets may be skewed

Images of Uranus, a turquoise-coloured world with a large white spot at the top, and Neptune, which is a slightly darker blue and has a smaller white spot. They're both floating against a black sky.

String-theory concept boosts understanding of biological networks

Better imaging data point to surface minimization

Research updates

Could silicon become the bedrock of quantum computers?

Photo of two people standing either side of dilution refrigerator, taken through an aperture in the refrigerator's supporting frame. They're wearing blue nitrile gloves and working on the refrigerator's connections.

New sensor uses topological material to detect helium leaks

Diagram showing white cylinders arranged in a triangular pattern and connected by white tubes. A series of three smaller diagrams shows the device from different angles and the location of gas inlets.

Encrypted qubits can be cloned and stored in multiple locations

Hot ancient galaxy cluster challenges current cosmological models

Observations of the thermal energy in a baby galaxy cluster 12.4 billion light years away suggest much more energetic early cluster growth than current theories assume

Modelling wavefunction collapse as a continuous flow yields insights on the nature of measurement

Quantum state diffusion framework makes it possible to characterize quantum measurement in terms of entropy production

NPL unveils miniature atomic fountain clock

Precision timekeeper is just 5% the size of a conventional clock

Shining laser light on a material produces subtle changes in its magnetic properties

New use for photolithography could have applications for data storage

Polarization-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy reveals heart tissue health

Label-free imaging technique can distinguish diseased cardiac tissue from healthy tissue and identify different types of fibrosis

Gravitational lensing sheds new light on Hubble constant controversy

Astronomers calculate new value for the universe's expansion

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Physicist Norbert Holtkamp takes over as head of Fermilab

Astronomer Daniel Jaffe named president of the Giant Magellan Telescope project

Russia plans to revive abandoned Soviet-era particle accelerator

The Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope

The latest opinion and reviews

Is our embrace of AI naïve and could it lead to an environmental disaster?

silhouette of figure in a hoodie holding a glowing red AI chip

The obscure physics theory that helped Chinese science emerge from the shadows

Robert P Crease reveals the curious twist in the development of Chinese physics in the 1960s

Mission to Mars: from biological barriers to ethical impediments

Emma Chapman reviews Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds by Scott Solomon

Physics World podcasts

Cosmic time capsules: the search for pristine comets

Small white dot with a blue halo. Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS observed by the Hubble telescope

Laser fusion: Focused Energy charts a course to commercial viability

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Quantum metrology at NPL: we explore the challenges and opportunities

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Fuel cell catalyst requirements for heavy-duty vehicle applications

Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. EST on 18 February 2026

Discover the realities and requirements of catalyst development for fuel cell applications

Ask me anything: Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė – ‘Above all, curiosity drives everything’

Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė works in quantum optics and technology and is vice-president of the Lithuanian Physical Society

CERN accepts $1bn in private cash towards Future Circular Collider

Cash comes as Mark Thomson takes the reins at CERN

India turns to small modular nuclear reactors to meet climate targets

While SMRs could help meet climate targets there are concerns over their commercial viability

RFID-tagged drug capsule lets doctors know when it has been swallowed

A dissolvable drug capsule uses radiofrequency signals to ensure that people are taking their medication on schedule

Quantum state teleported between quantum dots at telecoms wavelengths

Frequency-converted photons are key to proof-of-principle experiment

A group of physicists gathered around an optical bench in a laboratory. They are variously studying screens, looking through an IR viewer, and adjusting equipment on the bench.

Photonics West explores the future of optical technologies

SPIE Photonics West sees the global optics and photonics community come together to present and discuss the latest industry trends and research breakthroughs

San Francisco skyline with Oakland Bay bridge

Solar storms could be forecast by monitoring cosmic rays

Forbush decrease effect is tracked between the Sun and Earth

CERN team solves decades-old mystery of light nuclei formation

ALICE collaboration identifies three-phase process that allows particles to form despite energetically unfavourable conditions

Image showing a neutron and a delta particle emerging from a white flash. The neutron and the delta particle both contain three quarks, represented by colourful spheres. Arrows indicate that the neutron and the delta subsequently undergo a reaction that produces a deuteron (a neutron-proton pair) and a pion.

Anyon physics could explain coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism

Calculations explain curious properties of some 2D materials

Can entrepreneurship be taught? An engineer’s viewpoint

Honor Powrie wonders what skills she’d need to be an entrepreneur

Blue paper origami bird emerging from the paper sheet

Shapiro steps spotted in ultracold bosonic and fermionic gases

Research could lead to a standard for chemical potential

Illustration of a Josephson junction in an ultracold gas

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

For more than 60 years, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has applied science and technology to make the world a safer place. Its defining responsibility is ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent

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Reversible degradation phenomenon in PEMWE cells

Join the audience for a live webinar at 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. EST on 4 February 2026

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Investigate how voltage dips below 1.5 V trigger reversible PEMWE performance gains, driven by iridium oxidation dynamics and reaction kinetics

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Food Physics 2026

4—5 February 2026 | Leeds, UK

Physics plays a crucial role in the design of delicious, healthy, and nutritious food and beverages. This annual conference, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026, brings together academics and industry professionals to share the latest developments and explore opportunities for physicists to tackle multidisciplinary challenges. These challenges range from sustainability to food manufacturing and the design of multiphase microstructures.

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