Physics World Weekender
Biomedical ethicist calls for rules governing human research in commercial spaceflight
Experiments should minimize risks to astronauts and benefit society
The danger of contaminating the night sky
Karel Green says that while private space endeavours are to be welcomed, we should not ignore the social and ethical concerns that they raise
Research updates
Ultrafast laser-based electron beam could help explore radiobiology of the FLASH effect
A femtosecond infrared laser tightly focused in ambient air generates a high-dose-rate MeV electron beam
Solar-powered fabric cools in the day and warms at night
Technology could be used in clothing and spacesuits
Crystalline material traps electrons in 3D
The material's electronic structure contains flat bands and offers a new platform for studying strongly correlated quantum materials
Viruses change structure at the temperature of the human body to better infect us
Neutron scattering technique reveals important phase changes at 37°C that make viral DNA more fluid-like
Surface phonon polaritons enhance thermal conductivity
Effect demonstrated using silicon dioxide nanoribbon waveguides
Unifying gravity and quantum mechanics without the need for quantum gravity
Approach uses the random coupling of the quantum and classical worlds
Progress in Energy™ (PRGE)
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Could the geometry of chaos be fundamental to the behaviour of the universe?
Jessica Flack reviews The Primacy of Doubt by Tim Palmer
What would happen if communication systems broke down?
Ian Randall reviews Communications Breakdown: SF Stories about the Future of Connection edited by Jonathan Strahan
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Read more of our latest articles
Read article: Whizzing whirligig beetles, the sound of pouring water, shuttlecock mechanics
Whizzing whirligig beetles, the sound of pouring water, shuttlecock mechanics
Excerpts from the Red Folder
Read article: OncoRay launches world’s first whole-body MRI-guided proton therapy system
OncoRay launches world’s first whole-body MRI-guided proton therapy system
This week saw the inauguration of the first research prototype for MRI-guided proton therapy
Read article: Revolutionizing renewable energy: the promise of water splitting
Revolutionizing renewable energy: the promise of water splitting
Join the audience for a live webinar on 5 February 2024 sponsored by IOP Publishing
Read article: Magnetic reconnection in space and fusion plasmas: challenges at large and small scales
Magnetic reconnection in space and fusion plasmas: challenges at large and small scales
Join the audience for a live webinar on 6 February 2024 sponsored by IOP Publishing's journal, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Read article: How to survive a physics PhD
How to survive a physics PhD
Having recently completed her own PhD in physics, Pruthvi Mehta gives her five top tips for surviving your doctoral studies
Read article: Ask me anything: Margaret Gardel – ‘I wish I could tell myself 20 years ago that it’s okay to feel like an impostor’
Ask me anything: Margaret Gardel – ‘I wish I could tell myself 20 years ago that it’s okay to feel like an impostor’
Margaret Gardel is a biophysicist and professor at the University of Chicago, US, where she is director of the new Center for Living Systems
Read article: Light evaporates water without heating it
Light evaporates water without heating it
"Photomolecular effect" may play a role in cloud formation and could make solar-powered water desalination more efficient
Read article: Large language model predicts how to make inorganic compounds
Large language model predicts how to make inorganic compounds
Fine-tuned "MatChat" model provides detailed responses that includes reaction precursors, equations and relative references in the literature
Read article: Protocol could make it easier to test the quantum nature of large objects
Protocol could make it easier to test the quantum nature of large objects
Scheme does not require a macroscopic quantum state
Read article: Ukraine invasion forced a fifth of scientists to flee the country in 2022, study finds
Ukraine invasion forced a fifth of scientists to flee the country in 2022, study finds
The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has also hit those researchers that stayed in the country
Read article: Smart intravenous needle softens upon insertion into a blood vessel
Smart intravenous needle softens upon insertion into a blood vessel
An IV needle whose mechanical properties change at body temperature could enable safer, less painful injections
Read article: Entangled molecules make a novel qubit platform
Entangled molecules make a novel qubit platform
Two independent groups report a new tool for quantum science
Read article: Cardiac PET scans could predict onset of neurodegenerative disease in at-risk individuals
Cardiac PET scans could predict onset of neurodegenerative disease in at-risk individuals
18F-dopamine PET imaging of the heart can distinguish individuals later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia
Read article: Deep Bayesian experimental design characterizes large-scale quantum systems
Deep Bayesian experimental design characterizes large-scale quantum systems
Machine learning technique uses a minimum number of measurements
Read article: Coldest: how a letter to Einstein and advances in laser-cooling technology led physicists to new quantum states of matter
Coldest: how a letter to Einstein and advances in laser-cooling technology led physicists to new quantum states of matter
The road to Bose–Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases was paved with ideas that shouldn’t have worked, but did, as Chad Orzel explains
Read article: The 10 quirkiest stories from the world of physics in 2023
The 10 quirkiest stories from the world of physics in 2023
We revisit a physics-based escape room, the mechanics of bottle flipping and much more
Read article: The Las Vegas Sphere and its curious link with Isaac Newton
The Las Vegas Sphere and its curious link with Isaac Newton
How an idea from the late 1700s to honour Isaac Newton has finally been realized in Las Vegas
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Detection of exosomes, universal nano-sized disease sensors of the future
A live webinar on 29 November 2023 exploring exosomes and the development of different sensing platforms for detection using nanoparticle integrated plasmonic platforms
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