Mathematics and computation

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Photo of the sneeze simulator being tested in the laboratory. The simulator is a three-dimensional model that incorporates a representation of the nasal cavity as well as other parts of the human upper respiratory tract, and it's shown here as an apparatus inside a transparent box, bathed in green light and emitting a burst of aerosols while being tended by a person in a lab coat

‘Sneeze simulator’ could improve predictions of pathogen spread

Modelling the motion of confined crowds could help prevent crushing incidents

A new study of how dense human crowds move in confined spaces could help predict potentially life-threatening collective motions

Elastic response explains why cordierite has ultra-low thermal expansion

Interplay between lattice vibrations and elasticity explains anisotropic behaviour

Research headlines

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Theorists propose a completely new class of quantum particles

The physics of George R R Martin’s Wild Card virus revealed

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String theory may be inevitable as a unified theory of physics, calculations suggest

Defying gravity: insights into hula hoop levitation

Successful hula hooping requires a gyrating body with a particular slope and curvature

Virtual patient populations enable more inclusive medical device development

University of Leeds spin-out adsilico is using computational medicine to enable more inclusive and patient-centric medical device development

Generative AI has an electronic waste problem, researchers warn

Without mitigation measures, the computing infrastructure for large language models could generate 2.5 million tons of e-waste a year by 2030

Mathematical model sheds light on how exercise suppresses tumour growth

A simple mathematical model examines the intricate relationship between exercise, immune function and cancer

Optimization algorithm gives laser fusion a boost

Simulations suggest that iterative technique could increase the energy output of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion

Electromagnetic waves solve partial differential equations

New photonic technique could boost analogue alternatives to numerical methods

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Opinion and reviews

Collage styled urban graphic for Artificial Intelligence concept. Large robotic figure looms over crowd of silhouetted people

Why AI is a force for good in science communication

Universe’s lifespan too short for monkeys to type out Shakespeare’s works, finds study

Photo of a small bonfire at night in a forest clearing with flames rising skywards. A camera on a tripod and other equipment are silhouetted against the flames, and aluminium baking trays can be seen scattered around the forest floor near the fire.

Bursts of embers play outsized role in wildfire spread, say physicists

Explore more in mathematics and computation

AI enters the fold with the 2024 Nobel Prize for Physics:

Matin Durrani is pleased that the 2024 Nobel Prize for Physics brings AI under physicists' wing

Aerial photo of a crowd of people in Frankfurt, Germany

Flocking together: the physics of sheep herding and pedestrian flows

Learn how the science of crowd movements can help shepherds and urban designers

Confused by the twin paradox? Maybe philosophy can help

Robert P Crease discusses a puzzle that goes to the heart of science and philosophy

Physics-based model helps pedestrians and cyclists avoid city pollution

New immersive reality method could also inform policymakers and urban planners about risks, say researchers

Deep connections: why two AI pioneers won the Nobel Prize for Physics

Our podcast guest is Anil Ananthaswamy, author of Why Machines Learn

Study finds preschool children form ‘social droplets’ when moving around the classroom

The movement of preschool children results in two distinct phases, find study

Genetically engineered bacteria solve computational problems

A cell-based biocomputer can identify prime numbers, recognize vowels and answer mathematical questions

Field work – the physics of sheep, from phase transitions to collective motion

Physics sheds a new insight on the behaviour of sheep flocks, helping with new tips on shepherding

Close up of the air-powered sensing device

Air-powered computers make a comeback

Novel device contains a pneumatic logic circuit made from 21 microfluidic valves

The simulated Pong game environment, 1000 × 1000 pixels, separated into six regions

Electro-active material ‘learns’ to play Pong

Memory-like behaviour emerges in a polymer gel

Open problem in quantum entanglement theory solved after nearly 25 years

Non-existence of universal maximally entangled isospectral mixed states has implications for research on quantum technologies

Sunflowers ‘dance’ together to share sunlight

Zigzag patterns created by circular motion of growing stems

Image showing a stylized circuit board with strings of 0's and 1's in the background

AI-assisted photonic detector identifies fake semiconductor chips

New technique could reduce risks of unwanted surveillance, chip failure and theft, say researchers

Goats, sports cars and game shows: the unexpected science behind machine learning and AI

Matt Hodgson reviews Why Machines Learn by Anil Ananthaswamy

Spot the knot: using AI to untangle the topology of molecules

Solving a centuries-old mathematical puzzle could hold the key to understanding the function of many of the molecules of life

Kirigami cubes make a novel mechanical computer

New device can store, retrieve and erase data

The eyes have it: how to spot the difference between a deepfake portrait and a real picture

How do you spot a deepfake image of a person? The answer might be to look into their eyes.

Image of a tornado and dark clouds against a bright horizon

Why North America has a ‘tornado alley’ and South America doesn’t

There’s a scientific reason why Twisters is set in the US Great Plains rather than Argentina, and it has to do with the Gulf of Mexico

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Optics and photonics | Meeting SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning 2025 23—27 February 2025 | San Jose, US
Quantum | Workshop Machine Learning for Quantum Matter 24—28 February 2025 | Dresden, Germany
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