The cuts at UK Research and Innovation have resulted in the cancellation of several significant international projects
Read article: Future of UK physics threatened by ‘ruinous’ funding cuts, says Institute of Physics
Proposal involves the launch of a private satellite to test reflecting sunlight onto the Earth’s surface
Read article: Astronomers express outrage after regulators approve ‘space mirror’ permit
Some 70% of fusion firms still expect private fusion to deliver commercial electricity by the 2030s
Read article: Private investment in fusion firms jumps by $4.5bn
Criticism comes from former presidential science adviser and NSF director Neal Lane
Read article: National Science Foundation’s X-Labs initiative draws fire as ‘terrible idea’
The 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time will take a picture of the southern night sky every 3–4 nights
Read article: Vera C Rubin Observatory kicks off 10-year quest to map the cosmos
The shutdown will involve removing and replacing 1.2 km of magnets and components
Read article: CERN says Large Hadron Collider has ‘exceeded every expectation’ as it shuts down ahead of major upgrade
Extending the lifetime of electric-vehicle batteries could reduce the need for mining critical minerals
Read article: Pressurizing EV battery electrodes could make them last longer, if it’s done right
Nuclear symmetry violations could show up in molecules containing pear-shaped radium nuclei
Read article: Cold radioactive molecules offer a tabletop route to new physics
New technology uses a photonic valley half-semimetal
Read article: ‘Photonic multi-lane highway’ enjoys insulator-free topological protection
CERN’s ALPHA collaboration pins down the ground-state hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen within four parts per million
Read article: Matter-antimatter symmetry measurement sets new precision record
Boundary between materials that flow and those that don’t could shed light on Earth’s early history
Read article: Geophysicist identifies a maximum practical viscosity
Cross calibration combines data from 25 satellites
Read article: GPS particle detectors track space radiation over two decades
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Claire Malone wonders what happens if AI produces answers we can’t – or don’t – understand
Read article: AI’s black box problem: discovering physics we don’t understand
From a classroom science demonstration to using quantum optics to improve the energy efficiency of deep learning – Ryan Hamerly on his career path
Read article: From ideas to industry: a theoretical physicist’s journey into Silicon Valley
Andrew Glester and Tushna Commissariat delve into the science and story of Project Hail Mary
Read article: ‘Amaze, amaze, amaze’: in Project Hail Mary, science and friendship save the day
Ben Stein explores the quirks of the International System of Units
Read article: The International System of Units: constantly evolving, but forever quirky
Matin Durrani summarizes a debate at the Institute of Physics on the future of green energy
Read article: What physicists can do to support the green economy
Keamogetswe Ramonaheng discusses her life in medical physics
Read article: From equations to nuclear medicine: Keamogetswe Ramonaheng on building medical physics in Africa
Leron Borsten and Shanti Pise report from a week-long event that sought to teach quantum physics to teenagers
Read article: Can a 16-year-old really understand quantum teleportation?
Faramarz S Gard laments the decline of Argentine science
Read article: Letter from Argentina: ‘an empty desk and an idle electron microscope signal the erosion of the country’s science’
Iulia Georgescu looks at the curious history of the journal Physics
Read article: John Bell and the most obscure journal in physics
SI units, quantum sensors, compact particle acceleration and improved radiotherapy all feature in a new free-to-read briefing
Read article: The 2026 Physics World Instrumentation & Vacuum Briefing is out now
The Col du Clapier route would have been the more energetically favourable
Read article: Study reveals the energy cost of Hannibal’s Alpine crossing
Exploration of quirky Nobel prizes bags ABSW award
Read article: Physics World’s Margaret Harris honoured for ‘Feature of the Year’
SmarAct and Akhetonics have developed a test platform for next-generation optical processors
Read article: Nanopositioning, customization and control: opening new frontiers in optical computing
Radiotherapy QA must adapt to a new era of adaptive treatments, AI and automation
Read article: Redefining radiotherapy QA: meeting the needs of modern treatment workflows
Assessing the impact of radiation exposure is crucial for protecting the health of workers, but expert judgement is needed to interpret the results
Read article: Measuring the invisible: how internal dosimetry shapes radiation protection
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