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Critics deride US administration’s ‘golden age of science’ report

The document comes as the administration looks to cut the science budget for 2027

Future of UK physics threatened by ‘ruinous’ funding cuts, says Institute of Physics

The cuts at UK Research and Innovation have resulted in the cancellation of several significant international projects

Astronomers express outrage after regulators approve ‘space mirror’ permit

Proposal involves the launch of a private satellite to test reflecting sunlight onto the Earth’s surface

Private investment in fusion firms jumps by $4.5bn

Some 70% of fusion firms still expect private fusion to deliver commercial electricity by the 2030s

National Science Foundation’s X-Labs initiative draws fire as ‘terrible idea’

Criticism comes from former presidential science adviser and NSF director Neal Lane

Vera C Rubin Observatory kicks off 10-year quest to map the cosmos

The 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time will take a picture of the southern night sky every 3–4 nights

Research updates

Physicists find unexpected connection between black hole mergers and thermodynamics

Properties of a merger remnant can be predicted using a simple entropy-maximization principle

Artist's impression of two black holes merging, sending out gravitational waves

Nuclear fusion persists at ultralow energies inside metal foils

Experiment suggests the environment matters when deuterium fuses

Photo of Jeremy Munday and Micah Karahadian

Portable breast ultrasound enables imaging between cancer screening exams

An easy-to-use portable 3D ultrasound system enables nurses, physicians or even patients themselves to perform frequent breast imaging exams

A 3D ultrasound probe positioned on a tissue phantom

AI sniffs out tuberculosis in breath’s chemical signature

Machine learning decodes the complex chemical signatures in human breath to deliver rapid, non-invasive tuberculosis diagnoses

Members of the Nano – Breath taking research group

Heat-transfer fins give phase change materials a boost

Modelling points the way towards optimal designs for systems that store and release heat

Diagram containing a set of four 3D graphs on the left and one 3D heatmap graph on the right. Each of the four graphs in the set shows four rod-like blobs, or fins, protruding into a space. In the graph at top left, the fins are close together. In the graph at top right, they're placed further apart. Over time, these finned structures evolve into the graphs at bottom left (in which the blobs now overlap) and bottom right (in which the blobs nearly touch but do not overlap). In the heatmap graph, arrows within the coloured area show the direction of convective currents that form around the fins.

Pressurizing EV battery electrodes could make them last longer, if it’s done right

Extending the lifetime of electric-vehicle batteries could reduce the need for mining critical minerals

Pressure-dependent degradation mechanisms

Physics World Jobs

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Features

How women physicists in India are breaking down barriers and shaping the future

Kaveri Hukku, Asima Pradhan and Urbasi Sinha describe their journeys as physicists in India

Earth from space with India lit up with lights in the night

AI’s black box problem: discovering physics we don’t understand

Claire Malone wonders what happens if AI produces answers we can’t – or don’t – understand

Cartoon illustration of a man trying to understand an AI robot's output

From ideas to industry: a theoretical physicist’s journey into Silicon Valley

From a classroom science demonstration to using quantum optics to improve the energy efficiency of deep learning – Ryan Hamerly on his career path

**‘Amaze, amaze, amaze’: in Project Hail Mary, science and friendship save the day**

Andrew Glester and Tushna Commissariat delve into the science and story of Project Hail Mary

Spaceships from the movie Project Hail Mary

The International System of Units: constantly evolving, but forever quirky

Ben Stein explores the quirks of the International System of Units

What physicists can do to support the green economy

Matin Durrani summarizes a debate at the Institute of Physics on the future of green energy

A range of green energy sources: solar, wind, nuclear, green batteries, hydroelectricity and carbon capture.

From the blog

Quantum
Blog

Can a 16-year-old really understand quantum teleportation?

Leron Borsten and Shanti Pise report from a week-long event that sought to teach quantum physics to teenagers

leron borsten teaching quantum physics at a blackboard

People
Blog

Letter from Argentina: ‘an empty desk and an idle electron microscope signal the erosion of the country’s science’

Faramarz S Gard laments the decline of Argentine science

empty desk unused microscope in lab in argentina

History
Blog

John Bell and the most obscure journal in physics

Iulia Georgescu looks at the curious history of the journal Physics

Mock-up of Physics Physique Физика journal banner

**The 2026 Physics World Instrumentation & Vacuum Briefing is out now**

SI units, quantum sensors, compact particle acceleration and improved radiotherapy all feature in a new free-to-read briefing

Pulsing blue laser sine waves cross, forming a scientific-inspired, illuminated installation with depth. 3D render illustration.

History
Blog

Study reveals the energy cost of Hannibal’s Alpine crossing

The Col du Clapier route would have been the more energetically favourable

Physics World’s Margaret Harris honoured for ‘Feature of the Year’

Exploration of quirky Nobel prizes bags ABSW award

Analysis

Nanopositioning, customization and control: opening new frontiers in optical computing

SmarAct and Akhetonics have developed a test platform for next-generation optical processors

Redefining radiotherapy QA: meeting the needs of modern treatment workflows

Radiotherapy QA must adapt to a new era of adaptive treatments, AI and automation

Measuring the invisible: how internal dosimetry shapes radiation protection

Assessing the impact of radiation exposure is crucial for protecting the health of workers, but expert judgement is needed to interpret the results

Safety first: Internal Dosimetry is the practice of estimating intakes and risk from occupational exposures to radioactive materials (Credit: iStock/??)

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