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Magnetic field first kills superconductor, then brings it back to life

Set of four diagrams. First one shows an interface between a grey block of LaTiO3 and a purple block of KTaO3, with an arrow indicating the presence of a magnetic field in the plane of the interface. Second image shows pairs of blue spheres, representing Cooper pairs, forming at low fields. Third image shows the blue spheres separating as at intermediate fields, the pairs are broken. Fourth image shows the situation at high fields, when the pairs reform and superconductivity recovers.

Earthquake fault irregularities control rupture speed and influence ground motion

New models show that high-speed rupture propagation produces stronger and longer-duration ground motion

Map showing the Myanmar earthquake rupture. Supershear and subshear segments alternate along the line of the rupture. Parallel blue lines indicate the sites of earlier earthquakes. The location of a CCTV camera that captured the rupture is indicated near the middle of the map.

Encapsulated islet transplants restore blood sugar control in diabetic mice

A thin coating that hides transplanted donor cells from the body’s immune system could enable a novel therapy for type 1 diabetes

Research updates

X-ray camera catches spin waves in the act

Illustration of magnon momentum microscopy

Radiation shielding vest could reduce cancer risk for astronauts on deep space missions

Testing the AstroRad vest inside the Orion spacecraft

Quantum voting system aims to keep ballots secret

Researchers harness sunlight to generate quantum entanglement

Sunlight may provide an energy-efficient alternative to lasers used in quantum computing

Earthquake sensors reveal vital information about how hurricanes move and grow

Seismic stations in Louisiana have been found to provide insights into Hurricane Isaac

Protons and neutrons are more than just groups of three quarks

Comparison between theoretical models and experimental data favours alternative “baryon junctions” picture

No quantum advantage (yet) in the world of tensor networks

Classical computation is more accurate that quantum annealer for some Ising spin glasses

Betelgeuse is not alone

Orion constellation's red supergiant has a companion star, say astronomers

Colliding molecules reveal their ‘cone of reaction’

New measurements advance our understanding of chemical reactions at the atomic scale and could shape our ability to optimize them

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Latest news

US orders universities to audit foreign research ties

A building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Researchers propose ‘economic Q’ metric for judging fusion power plant viability

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

The latest opinion and reviews

Honor Powrie: 10 things I wish I’d known (or done better) when I started my career

Seven writers, four physicists, one room, lots of plushies

Robert P Crease attends a workshop bringing physicists and journalists together

Knowing through uncertainty: probability and the evolution of our cosmos

Chrysi Malouchou Kanellopoulou reviews The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help us Make Sense of the Cosmos by Andrew H Jaffe

Physics World podcasts

With e-MERLIN facing the axe, what next for Jodrell Bank and UK astronomy?

Aerial view of Jodrell Bank Observatory, surrounded by fields and hedges

Gamma Knife radiosurgery brings precision treatment to benign brain conditions

Photo of Katherine Hunt in front of a Gamma Knife facility

The Quantum Kid: childhood curiosity makes physics more accessible

Photo of Katia Moskvitch and her son Kai

Explore our two regular podcast series! Physics World Weekly looks at the latest events and headlines in physics, as well as featuring short interviews with scientists and our team of journalists. Physics World Stories takes a more in-depth look at a topic.

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Quiz of the week: how will the new ‘AstroRad’ vest be of benefit to astronauts?

Have you been keeping up to date with physics news? Try our short quiz to find out

3D render of testing the new vest inside the Orion spacecraft

Word wave puzzle no.8

Can you work out the word in this puzzle, which relates to a recent Physics World article?

Physics-based simulations could improve earthquake-damage predictions, why aren’t they being used?

Discussion and debate at the US National Conference on Earthquake Engineering

The 12 August 2026 partial solar eclipse as seen from the Isle of Wight

Sean G Ryan snaps an astronomical spectacle that captured the public imagination

Quiz of the week: where does new research say the universe’s ‘missing’ baryonic matter is?

Have you been keeping up to date with physics news? Try our short quiz to find out

Materials
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Advances in molecularly imprinted polymers for electrochemical sensing

Discover how molecular imprinting enables selective electrochemical sensors for next-generation chemical detection

Physics research in India: a slide puzzle

Can you reconstruct the quantum computing image in our interactive slide puzzle?

‘Little red dots’ could herald the birth of supermassive black holes

Did cocoons of dense gas shine brightly in the early universe?

Upconverting colloidal quantum dots bring ‘colour vision’ to the infrared

The nanostructures can be incorporated into wearable eyeglasses

Photo of eyeglasses that allow the wearer to see infrared light in colour

Careers
Analysis
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Careers at the frontier of space technology

The European Space Agency recruits from all over Europe (and beyond) to further its mission of peacefully exploring and using space for the benefit of everyone

The physics of novel computation: beyond bits and chips to spikes and spins

Sidney Perkowitz looks into alternative computing methods inspired by physics to improve computational efficiency and power

Fast radio bursts reveal that the universe’s ‘missing matter’ is found far from galaxies

Counterintuitive finding could help us better understand how highly energetic galactic activities impact the formation of cosmological structures

Simulated gas distribution around galaxies

Featured employer

Physics World Jobs offers a range of opportunities for jobseekers with a background in physics or engineering. At all stages of your career, we can help find the job for you

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

For more than 60 years, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has applied science and technology to make the world a safer place. Its defining responsibility is ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent

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Changes in structure and ionic resistance of lithium-ion battery graphite electrodes

Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. EDT on 5 August 2026

For modellers and experimentalists: discover how SEI formation and graphite expansion define Li‑ion transport in electrodes

Sponsored by The Electrochemical Society, BioLogic, Hiden Analytical

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

Innovations in Applied Mechanics 2026

23—26 September 2026 | London, UK

Innovations in Applied Mechanics brings together two previous, highly successful conferences MPSVA – Modern Practice in Stress and Vibration Analysis and DAMAS – International Conference on Damage Assessment in Structures to present research findings in stress analysis, vibration dynamics and structural damage assessment with the intention of providing directed focus on the state-of-the-art in theoretical and experimental methodology.

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