Read article: Dark solitons emerge into the light Soft matter and liquids Research update Dark solitons emerge into the light "Upside-down" wave created in laboratory tank
Read article: Why water prefers the single life Soft matter and liquids Research update Why water prefers the single life Researchers challenge idea that liquid water has two separate forms
Read article: Star-shaped waves spotted in shaken fluid Soft matter and liquids Research update Star-shaped waves spotted in shaken fluid Nonlinear waves interact to break symmetry
Read article: Voltage boosts bubble fluid flow Transport properties Research update Voltage boosts bubble fluid flow Effects could have applications in microfluidic systems
Read article: Proteins boost quantum coherence in bacteria Transport properties Research update Proteins boost quantum coherence in bacteria Study sheds new light on photosynthesis
Read article: Our favourite pictures of 2012 Telescopes and space missions News Our favourite pictures of 2012 From bio-engineered jellyfish and levitating drops to lunar landscapes
Read article: Vital forces Soft matter and liquids Opinion and reviews Vital forces A rare popular-science book on biophysics, reviewed by Richard Jones
Read article: Physicists claim microwave-imaging ‘breakthrough’ Soft matter and liquids Research update Physicists claim microwave-imaging ‘breakthrough’ Thermoacoustic technique could be used on patients within five years
Read article: Soft matter’s charismatic pioneer Superconductivity Opinion and reviews Soft matter’s charismatic pioneer A biography of Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, now available in English translation, reviewed by Tom McLeish
Read article: Web life Surfaces and interfaces Opinion and reviews Web life Ask Nature: a whole website devoted to biomimicry and its many applications