Read article: Polarized light throws birds’ magnetic compass off course Biophysics Research update Polarized light throws birds’ magnetic compass off course Birds are completely disorientated when light is polarized perpendicularly to the direction of the magnetic field
Read article: Our favourite pictures of 2015 Telescopes and space missions Research update Our favourite pictures of 2015 From bursting balloons and fossils under a laser to visions of Pluto and gravitationally lensed supernovae
Read article: Algae ‘breaststroke’ is synchronized from within Soft matter and liquids Research update Algae ‘breaststroke’ is synchronized from within Internal fibres co-ordinate flagella, not fluid forces, say biophysicists
Read article: Cyborg roses become transistors and logic gates Transport properties Research update Cyborg roses become transistors and logic gates Conductive polymer turns living plants into electronic devices
Read article: Surviving at the extremes: the physics of ‘extremophiles’ Biophysics Feature Surviving at the extremes: the physics of ‘extremophiles’ Lorna Dougan explains how physicists are helping to unravel the properties of organisms in Earth's least hospitable places
Read article: Swarming fire ants show solid and liquid properties Soft matter and liquids Research update Swarming fire ants show solid and liquid properties New research delves into the mechanics of aggregated fire ants
Read article: Genetic engineering boosts energy transport in artificial photosynthesis Transport properties Research update Genetic engineering boosts energy transport in artificial photosynthesis Viral scaffolding allows excitons to travel faster and further
Read article: Could ‘Schrödinger’s bacterium’ be placed in a quantum superposition? Soft matter and liquids Research update Could ‘Schrödinger’s bacterium’ be placed in a quantum superposition? Physicists explain how to bring a famous thought experiment to life
Read article: Do general anaesthetics trigger a phase transition in the brain? Mathematical physics Research update Do general anaesthetics trigger a phase transition in the brain? Model suggests tiny change in communication could have large effect on neuron interaction