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Today's headlines

Light controls a ‘living biomaterial’

Wave concentrator could help capture renewable energy from the sea

New device focusses wave energy and minimizes reflections

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

Research news

Thermal ablation effectively treats early-stage lung cancer

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?

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

Nonlinear effect could drive extremely fast nanoelectronics

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

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

Communicating science at music festivals

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

Explore in depth

Putting quantum noise to work

No need for BECCS?

Climate modelling seems to say we must continue with fossil fuels and carbon dioxide removal, but other approaches are wary of such technical fixes, particularly bioenergy carbon capture and storage

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

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

A study by economists at Ohio State University found that lone females in a PhD cohort were up to 16% less likely to graduate than their male counterparts

Isolated female students more likely to drop out of PhD programmes

Study finds that lone women in a PhD cohort were up to 16% less likely to graduate than their male counterparts

MILabs’ VECTor⁶ awarded ‘Commercial Innovation of the Year’ at WMIC

The VECTor⁶ preclinical imaging system with broadband photon tomography receives innovation award at the World Molecular Imaging Congress

Smartphone apps shake up earthquake early-warning systems

Lucina Melesio examines how companies in Mexico are developing earthquake early-warning smartphone apps to help save lives

Animation of 19 September 2017 earthquake in Central Mexico

19 September 2017 Central Mexico earthquake examined

Mexico City's unique seismic situation leaves it vulnerable to earthquake hazards

Screenshot of deep-learning planning software

Machine learning: a game-changer for radiation therapy

Swedish medical-software specialist RaySearch wants to rewrite the rules of radiation oncology. Joe McEntee finds out why

No need for BECCS?

Climate modelling seems to say we must continue with fossil fuels and carbon dioxide removal, but other approaches are wary of such technical fixes, particularly bioenergy carbon c...

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

ICREA Professor STephan Roche, Editor-in-Chief of the recently launched Kournal of Physics: Materials

A new player hits the scene in materials science

ICREA Professor Stephan Roche highlights what to look out for in the Journal of Physics: Materials.

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

Optical conveyor belt moves ultracold atoms into hollow optical fibre

Technique could boost quantum sensing and computing

**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

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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Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. By accelerating electrons to near light-speed, Diamond generates brilliant beams of light from infra-red to X-rays which are used for academic and industry research.

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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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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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Revolutions in computing

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Explore in depth

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The business of space

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

Putting quantum noise to work

Quantum mechanics defies causal order, experiment confirms

New metamaterial enhances natural cooling without power input

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