Today's headlines
3D microscopy reveals how human sperm swim
Researchers find that sperm swim in corkscrew motions to compensate for the asymmetry in their tails
Isotope ratios yield clues to element synthesis
Measurements could help identify the origin of meteorite grains that formed before our solar system and improve models of nova explosions
‘Quantum go machine’ plays ancient board game using entangled photons
Stones in quantum superpositions could put artificial intelligence to the test
Research updates
Acoustical tweezers trap microbubbles
Contactless manipulation technique holds promise for biomedical applications
Could proton FLASH prove optimal for clinical application?
Speakers at the 2020 Joint AAPM|COMP Virtual Meeting shared the latest developments in proton-based FLASH radiotherapy
2D Fermi gas hosts ideal Josephson junction
System could help researchers better understand strongly interacting superfluids
Low-cost wearable devices quantify breathing activity while you sleep
A wrist-worn reflective sensor could provide unobtrusive sleep monitoring to help diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders
Researchers form single molecule in an optical tweezer
New, finely controlled technique produces a molecule with a precise, reversible quantum state for use in quantum computing and simulation applications
Earth’s atmosphere rings like a giant bell, say researchers
Study confirms 200-year-old prediction by Pierre-Simon Laplace
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Training a computer to hunt cancer
Medical physicist and entrepreneur Maryellen Giger on how she established the use of AI in breast cancer imaging
From entangled earbuds to Star Wars: more examples of ‘transmogrified physics’
Robert P Crease reports on your latest work in the exciting new scientific field he discovered
Growing the gravitational-wave network
David Reitze discusses how gravitational-wave observations are set for a multi-detector boost
Net entanglement
Andrew Robinson reviews The System: Who Owns the Internet, and How It Owns Us by James Ball
Fighting flat-Earth theory
Rachel Brazil explores ways in which the physics community can best combat unscientific thinking, such as the belief the Earth is flat
Finding a consistent constant
Keith Cooper investigates the discrepancies in values of the Hubble constant and asks what this might mean for cosmology
The e-bike revolution
Electric bikes are all the rage, but James McKenzie wonders if the future lies with a minimalist kit that can be retrofitted to an ordinary bicycle
Physics in the pandemic: reports on how physicists are coping with the effects of the coronavirus
Read article: Physics in the pandemic: ‘Surviving the virus really aligns your perspective’
Physics in the pandemic: ‘Surviving the virus really aligns your perspective’
For astronomer Karina Voggel, COVID-19 meant lost observing time, cancelled conferences and squeezing round a kitchen table to work. Then she got sick
Read article: Physics in the pandemic: mailing lab kits to students enhances learning at home
Physics in the pandemic: mailing lab kits to students enhances learning at home
The “At-Home Lab Kit” allows undergraduate students to do physics experiments while sheltering in place
Read article: Physics in the pandemic: ‘Our habit of combining theory and experiments was an advantage for the lockdown’
Physics in the pandemic: ‘Our habit of combining theory and experiments was an advantage for the lockdown’
With restrictions easing in France, experimental physicist Tiphaine Kouadou and theorist Mattia Walschaers discuss their group's new safety measures
Read article: Physics in the pandemic: ‘Returning to the lab will be hugely beneficial for me’
Physics in the pandemic: ‘Returning to the lab will be hugely beneficial for me’
As an autistic person who struggles with big, unpredictable changes, PhD student Daisy Shearer looks forward to resuming old routines – with a few caveats
Medical physics and biophysics
Find the information you need from IOP Publishing’s world-leading medical physics and biophysics journals and books, dedicated to supporting and improving research across the field, from fundamental science through to novel applications and facilities.
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Read article: Physics and cars: the August 2020 issue of Physics World is now out
Physics and cars: the August 2020 issue of Physics World is now out
Find out about NASCAR safety, electric vehicles, hacking cars and ultrasonics in the latest edition of your favourite physics magazine
Read article: Test your knowledge of medical physics in this trivia quiz
Test your knowledge of medical physics in this trivia quiz
So you think you know all about medical physics trivia? Test yourself with this fun quiz – answers next week
Read article: NASA launches Mars Perseverance rover
NASA launches Mars Perseverance rover
Mission will explore the Martian geology and climate, look for signs of past microbial life as well as launch a small helicopter
Read article: COVID-19 hits Nobel banquet, Plato was right, incubator noise
COVID-19 hits Nobel banquet, Plato was right, incubator noise
Excerpts from the Red Folder
Read article: Physicists create quantum phase battery
Physicists create quantum phase battery
First device of its kind could be used in quantum computing circuits
Read article: Cosmonaut builds engineered cartilage aboard the International Space Station
Cosmonaut builds engineered cartilage aboard the International Space Station
For the first time, 3D human tissue has been assembled in the microgravity of space, using a scaffold-free tissue engineering approach
Read article: Giant exoplanets directly observed orbiting Sun-like star
Giant exoplanets directly observed orbiting Sun-like star
Finding could shed light on how our own solar system evolved
Read article: Caution required when balancing lung versus heart radiotherapy dose
Caution required when balancing lung versus heart radiotherapy dose
Reducing cardiac dose at the expense of dose to the lungs might not always be a good strategy in oesophageal radiotherapy
Read article: China successfully launches Tianwen-1 Mars probe
China successfully launches Tianwen-1 Mars probe
Craft will study Mars’ magnetosphere and atmosphere as well as surface and subsurface geological structures
Read article: Fluid flow and stress cause tiny marine organisms to emit light
Fluid flow and stress cause tiny marine organisms to emit light
Experiments reveal how dinoflagellates respond to mechanical stimuli
Read article: Nanostructured topological insulator growth speeds up
Nanostructured topological insulator growth speeds up
Technique produces highly conductive crystalline nanoribbons and could be used to make even thinner materials in the future
Read article: Cryogenic innovation: ramping up research productivity at ultralow temperatures
Cryogenic innovation: ramping up research productivity at ultralow temperatures
ICEoxford’s emphasis on versatile product design, rapid cool-down and a high degree of automation eases the path to ultralow temperatures
Read article: Weak electric currents track tiny magnetic skyrmions
Weak electric currents track tiny magnetic skyrmions
New work brings real-world devices based on these whirling vortex structures a step closer to reality
Read article: Quantum-tunnelling time is measured using ultracold atoms
Quantum-tunnelling time is measured using ultracold atoms
Spin rotation provides a stopwatch that measures millisecond journey
Read article: Best in physics: clinical prompt gamma measurements and FLASH dosimetry
Best in physics: clinical prompt gamma measurements and FLASH dosimetry
The "Best in Physics" presentations at the AAPM|COMP Virtual Meeting highlight the conference's top-scoring studies
Read article: Therapeutics firms share inaugural prize for health physics
Therapeutics firms share inaugural prize for health physics
The Institute of Physics’ first Lee Lucas Award honours two start-ups, Nebu~Flow and Cellular Highways, for applying physics to healthcare and medicine
Read article: Starspot study sheds light on why some red giants spin faster than others
Starspot study sheds light on why some red giants spin faster than others
Astronomers identify three routes to high angular momentum
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Clinical results using RadCalc Monte Carlo module
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