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Wave concentrator could help capture renewable energy from the sea

Functional gradient effects make spider webs special

Findings may help in the development of new types of impact-resistant structures

Field theory of amorphous solids describes toothpaste, concrete and more

Better understanding of solid-liquid hybrids could lead to better materials

‘Vaporized’ electrons in graphene boost signals into the terahertz range

Nonlinear effect could drive extremely fast nanoelectronics

Research news

Light controls a ‘living biomaterial’

Photoexcitation of a CdS nanorod (yellow) provides the driving force for transfer of holes to the molecular catalyst (structure on top). Meanwhile, the CdS nanorod acts as a conduit to shuttle electrons to the hydrogen-evolving Pt nanoparticle (grey) affixed to the nanorod tip, completing the reaction without sacrificial agents. Courtesy of Nature

Specific nanocatalyst placements improve visible-light water splitting

How does exclusively grass-fed beef affect the environment?

Scintillating fibre measures radiotracer concentration in blood

A fibre-based device that measures radiotracer concentration in blood moves a step closer to kinetic analysis of PET data

Speeding up collagen manufacture

New “pneumatospinning” technique produces collagen microfibres faster than ever before

African climate research infrastructure gears up

SEACRIFOG project finds need for extra greenhouse gas monitoring stations

Cobalt offers rare-earth alternative

Scientists seek to reproduce structure of rare-earth magnets using nanorods

Brain disease drug delivery research gets quantitative

The first investigation to quantitatively evaluate successful delivery and activity of enzymes encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles shows promise for treating Gaucher disease

Optical conveyor belt moves ultracold atoms into hollow optical fibre

Technique could boost quantum sensing and computing

Revolutions in computing

Scientists are exploiting the continuing advances in computing power to explore and understand ever more complex systems. From advanced computer models that can probe the properties of many different physical systems, to machine learning to quantum computing, check out our special collection.

Physics World podcasts

Photo of a colourful pavilion ceiling in Beijing

China targets overseas talent, Peer Review Week 2018 and ‘Rydberg radio’

Martin Ryle’s vision of renewable energy, what twistronics could do for us, big-G remains elusive

Visualization of possible quark combinations to make mesons, baryons and pentaquarks

Exotic quark-matter plus 100 Second Science reaches a century

Explore in depth

Putting quantum noise to work

Two paths, diverged

Tushna Commissariat reviews Through Two Doors at Once: the Elegant Experiment that Captures the Enigma of Quantum Reality by Anil Ananthaswamy

Clouding over: the clouds that defy climate models

From Arctic "rave ice" to the reflective stratus of the Southern Ocean, clouds near the poles are causing climate modellers headaches, as Kate Ravilious reports

Talent spotting: secrets for a successful job interview in industry

James McKenzie reveals how to make yourself stand out when applying for a job

The trouble with beauty

David Appell reviews Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray by Sabine Hossenfelder

Martin Ryle: an energy visionary

Alan Cottey looks at the life of Nobel-prize-winner Martin Ryle – celebrated astronomer, renewable-energy advocate and peace activist

Breaking the silence

While sexual harassment is finally being taken seriously within institutions, Emma Chapman says that more needs to be done

Physicist on top of the world

Melanie Windridge describes how science and technology has improved the chances of survival on Mount Everest, helping her get to the highest point on Earth safely

Video showcase

Dealing with hurricane hazards now and in the future

What is a quantum simulation?

A harbour porpoise photographed underwater

The curious case of the porpoises and the wind farm

Latest articles

Communicating science at music festivals

Talks, plays, poetry and many more innovative approaches

Putting quantum noise to work

Noise in physics experiments is usually an unwanted annoyance, but Philip Ball investigates new research that's attempting to put quantum noise to work

Two paths, diverged

Tushna Commissariat reviews Through Two Doors at Once: the Elegant Experiment that Captures the Enigma of Quantum Reality by Anil Ananthaswamy

Cancer Research UK launches biotherapeutics powerhouse

Cancer Research UK is creating a global centre-of-excellence for cancer biotherapeutics research and treatment in the City of London

Listening to whales, eyeballing cosmic radiation, Usain Bolt experiences weightlessness

Excerpts from the Red Folder

**The 2018 Physics World Special Report on China is out now**

From careers to colliders, get up to speed with Chinese physics in the new free-to-read Physics World special report

Artistic rendering of the bowtie PhC. Credit: Ella Maru Studio

Dielectric nano bowties allow ultrahigh light confinement

The strong field enhancement and subwavelength resolution in these fully dielectric structures are potentially comparable to plasmonic nanostructures but promise ultralow losses

Peer Review Week 2018: a focus on diversity and inclusion

The annual event has provided an opportunity for scientists, publishers and learned societies to examine underlying biases in peer review

Replacement bisphenols are endocrine disrupters too

“Bisphenol-free” products could be just as harmful for reproductive health as those containing bisphenol-A according to a new study

Heavy hydrogen tracks glucose metabolism in vivo

A novel MR imaging method maps metabolism in real time using only harmless heavy hydrogen atoms

Huge vegetation change could affect Earth

Humans could be about to trigger a huge vegetation change and disrupt their own environment. It has happened before, but this time it is happening fast

Physicists find new ‘control knob’ for the quantum topological world

New quantum phase of matter can be controlled with magnetic field

3D priting og liquid-crystal polymer structures

Spider silk, bone and wood inspire 3D printed polymers

New liquid-crystal structures boast mechanical properties that rival the best lightweight composite materials around today

A report by IOP Publishing finds that men are disproportionately invited to peer review research papers in its journals than women

Publishers look to improve diversity in peer review

Report by IOP Publishing finds that men are disproportionately invited to peer review research papers in its journals compared with women

Polymer transducer paves the way for low-cost ultrasound

An ultrasound transducer made from inexpensive polymers could be used to create low-cost, wearable ultrasound devices

Talent spotting: secrets for a successful job interview in industry

James McKenzie reveals how to make yourself stand out when applying for a job

World map showing timescales of pink noise emergence in climate data

Climate data exhibit pink noise

Feature is due to natural climate variability, study finds

Five US societies have come together to boost the number of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in science

US societies join forces in $10m drive to tackle diversity

New programme aims to boost the number of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in science

The business of space

Explore the latest trends and commercial opportunities associated with designing, building, launching and exploiting space-based technologies

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Physics Connect offers the latest white papers, news, videos, expertise and case studies from thousands of commercial suppliers and research institutes worldwide

New webinar this week

MR Image Guidance and On-Table Adaptive Radiotherapy in Routine Clinical Practice
Learn about the rationale and workflow for modifying radiation therapy treatments while the patient is on the table using Real-time On-table Adaptive Radiotherapy. Clinicians from hospitals in Amsterdam and St. Louis, MO will discuss their methodologies and clinical outcomes with the MRIdian® Linac system.

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Featured event

Stay up to date with the latest international conferences, symposia and exhibitions for interdisciplinary scientists working across academic research and industry

The 10th International Workshop on Nanoscale Spectroscopy and Nanotechnology – NSS10

10—13 September 2018, Oxford, UK
NSS10 bringing together experts to discuss and share the information on latest research advances of science and technology in the nanoscale regime including (but not limited to) electronic, optical, magnetic, mechanical and transport properties of nanoscale systems and nanoscale devices, as well as characterisation tools to study them. It will additionally focus on low dimensional materials, catalysis, energy materials, topological materials and their practical applications.

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