Physics
press releases.

Physics22 Oct 2025

Discovery of new mechanism concerning plasma confinement performance

Around the world, research is advancing to efficiently confine fusion plasma and harness its immense energy for power generation. However, it is known that turbulence occurring at various scales within the plasma causes the release of plasma energy and constituent particles, degrading the confinement performance. Elucidating this physical phenomenon and suppressing performance degradation is critically important. Particularly in the high-temperature plasma experiments currently conducted worldwide, micro-scale (just a few centimeters) turbulent eddies forming at various locations within the plasma significantly impact this confinement ...

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Physics21 Oct 2025

The Lancet: Antidepressants vary widely in their physical side effects, highlighting the need for personalised prescribing, says major meta-analysis

Antidepressants can differ widely in how they physically affect the body, including around a 4 kg difference in weight change between certain drugs (approximately 2.5 kg weight loss from agomelatine and 2kg weight gain from maprotiline), confirms a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet. The authors emphasise that these findings should not deter people from taking antidepressants, which remain vital and effective treatments for mental health conditions. Instead, they say the results ...

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Physics20 Oct 2025

2D devices have hidden cavities that can modify electronic behavior

In the right combinations and conditions, two-dimensional materials can host intriguing and potentially valuable quantum phases, like superconductivity and unique forms of magnetism. Why they occur, and how they can be controlled, is of considerable interest among physicists and engineers. Research published in Nature Physics reveals a previously hidden feature that could explain how and why enigmatic quantum phases emerge. Using a new terahertz (THz) spectroscopic technique, the researchers revealed that tiny stacks of 2D materials, found in research labs around the world, can naturally form what are known as cavities. These cavities confine light and electrons into even ...

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Physics20 Oct 2025

Do animals fall for optical illusions? What fish and birds can teach us about perception

Have you ever looked at two circles of exactly the same size and sworn one was larger? If so, your eyes have been tricked by the Ebbinghaus illusion, a classic example of how context can shape what we see. Place a circle among other smaller circles, and it seems bigger; place it among larger ones, and it shrinks before our eyes. This illusion fascinates psychologists because it reveals that perception is not a mirror of the outside world but a clever construction of the brain. But here is the question that inspired our study: do other animals fall for the same tricks? If a tiny fish or a bird perceives ...

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Physics16 Oct 2025

Polyoxometalate hybrid comb-like crosslinked polymer networks for anhydrous proton conductors

The urgent demand for sustainable energy solutions faces a critical bottleneck: proton exchange membranes (PEMs) in high-temperature fuel cells (HT-FCs) struggle with rapid conductivity loss under anhydrous conditions above 100°C. Commercial perfluorosulfonic acid membranes fail in low humidity, while phosphoric acid-doped alternatives suffer from acid leakage, limiting efficiency and durability in next-generation energy devices. A research team led by Kun Chen from the South China University of Technology pioneered a comb-like crosslinked polymer-polyoxometalate (POM) nanocomposite, integrating polymer with superacidic ...

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Physics16 Oct 2025

Ru-Co single-atom alloy catalysts for efficient amination of alcohols

Primary amines are extensively used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and material science. Among various reported methods to access primary amines, the direct amination of alcohols with ammonia is most promising and environmentally benign since alcohols can be derived from renewable biomass and the sole byproduct is water. While a large number of catalyst systems have been developed for alcohol amination, challenges remain to be addressed such as the low selectivity to primary amines at high alcohol ...

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Physics15 Oct 2025

Shedding light on materials in the physical, biological sciences

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Materials scientists can learn a lot about a sample material by shooting lasers at it. With nonlinear optical microscopy — a specialized imaging technique that looks for a change in the color of intense laser light — researchers can collect data on how the light interacts with the sample and, through time-consuming and sometimes expensive analyses, characterize the material’s structure and other properties. Now, researchers at Penn State have developed a computational framework that can interpret the nonlinear optical microscopy images to characterize the material in microscopic ...

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Physics14 Oct 2025

Rice physicists probe quark‑gluon plasma temperatures, helping paint more detailed picture of big bang

A research team led by Rice University physicist Frank Geurts has successfully measured the temperature of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) at various stages of its evolution, providing critical insights into a state of matter believed to have existed just microseconds after the big bang, a scientific theory describing the origin and evolution of the universe. The findings were published in Nature Communications Oct. 14. The study addresses the long-standing challenge of measuring the temperature of matter under extreme conditions where direct access is impossible. By using thermal ...

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Physics10 Oct 2025

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

University of Tennessee, Knoxville Nuclear Engineering Department Head Brian Wirth has been elected a 2025 Fellow of the American Physical Society. Wirth, a UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair Professor of Computational Nuclear Engineering, was recommended for the prestigious honor by the APS Division of Plasma Physics (DPP). He was recognized for “seminal advances in understanding plasma-surface interactions involving helium in metallic plasma-facing components, and for extensive community leadership and service.” The APS is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance physics by fostering a vibrant and global community dedicated to science and ...

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Physics10 Oct 2025

Towards light-controlled electronic components

In the future, could our mobile phones and internet data operate using light rather than just electricity? Now, for the first time, an international research team led by CNRS researchers1 has discovered how to generate an electron gas, found for example in LED screens, by illuminating a material made up of layers of oxides2. When the light is switched off, the gas disappears. This phenomenon, which lies at the interface of optics and electronics, paves the way for numerous applications in electronics, spintronics and quantum computing. It is described in an article to be published on 10 October in the journal Nature Materials. Electronic components that can be controlled by light ...

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Physics9 Oct 2025

Uncovering new physics in metals manufacturing

For decades, it’s been known that subtle chemical patterns exist in metal alloys, but researchers thought they were too minor to matter — or that they got erased during manufacturing. However, recent studies have shown that in laboratory settings, these patterns can change a metal’s properties, including its mechanical strength, durability, heat capacity, radiation tolerance, and more. Now, researchers at MIT have found that these chemical patterns also exist in conventionally manufactured metals. The surprising finding revealed a new physical phenomenon that explains the persistent patterns. In a paper published in Nature Communications today, ...

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Physics9 Oct 2025

AIM-HI Accelerator Fund announces winners of the 2025 Venture Competition

Rockville, MD. (October 9, 2025) – In its mission to accelerate transformative cancer innovations and drive cures forward, the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition: ResNovas Therapeutics, co-founded by Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., Michelle Arkin, Ph.D., CTO Ian Churcher, Ph.D., and CEO Gabriele Sulli, Ph.D.; and Chiara Biosciences, co-founded by National Academy of Inventors Fellow Francis Barany, Ph.D. and CEO Kirsten Flowers, MBA. The 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition Committee reviewed more than 80 applications from early-stage oncology ...

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Physics8 Oct 2025

Designing polymers for use in next-generation bioelectronics

Engineered polymers hold promise for use in next generation technologies such as light-harvesting devices and implantable electronics that interact with the nervous system – but creating polymers with the right combination of chemical, physical and electronic properties poses a significant challenge. New research offers insights into how polymers can be engineered to fine-tune their electronic properties in order to meet the demands of such specific applications. “Silicon-based electronics have been around for decades, and we have a thorough understanding of the electronic properties of materials used in those technologies,” says Aram Amassian, co-corresponding author of ...

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Physics7 Oct 2025

Physicists uncork a message in a bottle from another star

(Auburn, AL) For millions of years, a fragment of ice and dust drifted between the stars—like a sealed bottle cast into the cosmic ocean. This summer, that bottle finally washed ashore in our solar system and was designated 3I/ATLAS, only the third known interstellar comet. When Auburn University scientists pointed NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory toward it, they made a remarkable find: the first detection of hydroxyl (OH) gas from this object, a chemical fingerprint of water. Swift’s space-based telescope could spot the faint ultraviolet glow that ground observatories can’t see—because, ...

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Physics6 Oct 2025

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

A team of researchers at the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has created a new breakthrough in photonics: the design of the first optical device that follows the emerging framework of optical thermodynamics. The work, reported in Nature Photonics, introduces a fundamentally new way of routing light in nonlinear systems—meaning systems that do not require switches, external control, or digital addressing. Instead, light naturally finds its way through the device, guided by simple thermodynamic principles. From Valves to Routers to Light Universal routing is a familiar engineering ...

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Physics6 Oct 2025

New survey: Most Americans believe plasma donation saves lives, yet few have donated

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL OCT 6 at 12:01 a.m. ET Media Contact: media@pptaglobal.org New Survey: Most Americans Believe Plasma Donation Saves Lives, Yet Few Have Donated October 6 – Washington, D.C. – International Plasma Awareness Week (IPAW) takes place globally from October 6-10. The week encourages communities around the world to recognize the vital role of plasma in creating lifesaving medicines and honors those who donate. A new survey has found that 72% of respondents agree that plasma-derived medicines can save lives, yet most have not donated plasma. The survey asked over 1,000 American adults questions about their understanding of plasma donation and lifesaving plasma-derived ...

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Physics1 Oct 2025

Scientists discover a key role of protons and superoxide ions in the respiratory chain

Researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and CIBER-BBN, in collaboration with teams from the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Institute of Chemical Research – cicCartuja, University of Seville-CSIC, have discovered that long-distance charge transport between two key proteins in the mitochondrial respiratory chain — cytochrome c and respiratory complex III — is mediated by protons and superoxide ions, which are reactive oxygen species. The study was recently published in the journal Small ...

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Physics24 Sep 2025

Rice scientists use electrons to pattern light sources and wiring directly onto crystals

HOUSTON – (Sept. 24, 2025) – Rice University researchers used a focused electron beam to pattern device functions with submicron precision directly into an ultrathin crystal. The approach produced traces narrower than the width of a DNA helix that glow with bright blue light and conduct electricity, showing it could be used to manufacture compact on-chip wiring and built-in light sources. “The electron beam essentially works as a nanoscale pencil,” said Hae Yeon Lee, an ...

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Physics24 Sep 2025

Rice sociologist’s journey from simple curiosity to NSF-backed research reveals how physical infrastructure shapes inequality

As a graduate student living in New Haven, Connecticut, Elizabeth Roberto said she couldn’t stop wondering why certain neighborhoods seemed connected while others were quietly walled off. “There were these places where the roads just stopped,” Roberto recalled. “Like they were meant to go somewhere — but didn’t.” It was the kind of everyday thing the average person might drive past without a second thought. But for Roberto, it sparked a question that would stay with her for years: What happens when barriers separate people — not ...

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Physics23 Sep 2025

Sarah Veatch to receive 2026 Agnes Pockels Award in Lipids and Membrane Biophysics

BETHESDA, MD – The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce that Sarah Veatch, of the University of Michigan, USA, will receive the 2026 Agnes Pockels Award in Lipids and Membrane Biophysics. Veatch will be honored at the Society’s 70th Annual Meeting, being held in San Francisco, California from February 21-25, 2026. Veatch is being honored for foundational scientific research understanding the miscibility phase transition and associated critical phenomena in membranes and for the rigorous application of these biophysical ...

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Physics23 Sep 2025

Biophysical Society announces 2026 Society Fellows

BETHESDA, MD – The Biophysical Society is proud to announce its 2026 Society Fellows. This award honors the Society’s distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in science and contributed to the expansion of the field of biophysics. The Fellows will be honored at the Biophysical Society’s 70th Annual Meeting, being held in San Francisco, California from February 21-25, 2026. The 2026 Fellows are: Kenneth J. Breslauer, Linus Pauling Distinguished Professor, Rutgers, The State ...

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Physics23 Sep 2025

Ken A. Dill to receive Biophysical Society’s 2026 Founders Award

BETHESDA, MD – The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce that Ken A. Dill, of Stony Brook University, USA, will receive the Society’s 2026 Founders Award. Dill will be honored at the Society’s 70th Annual Meeting, being held in San Francisco, California from February 21-25, 2026. Dill is being honored for his work on the protein folding problem and the development of statistical mechanical theories and foundational principles in biophysics. “I am honored to recognize Ken with ...

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Physics19 Sep 2025

2025 Ig Physics Nobel Prize for perfect pasta sauce

The Ig Nobel Prize honors research that first makes people laugh, then makes them think. Its 35th award ceremony possibly also makes people hungry: ISTA physicist Fabrizio Olmeda and colleagues researched the secret of a perfect cacio e pepe pasta sauce. They received the popular award for their findings on Thursday evening in Boston, USA. Cacio e pepe is one of Italy's most popular pasta dishes, but even (Italian) scientists often fail to prepare the perfect creamy sauce. Fabrizio Olmeda, a physicist at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), also struggled ...

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Physics16 Sep 2025

‘Wiggling’ atoms may lead to smaller, more efficient electronics

MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. Why this matters: Wiggling atoms in new quantum materials could lead to more efficient electronics that are smaller and faster. These new materials have surprising properties and could be key elements for next-generation quantum computers. EAST LANSING, Mich. – Researchers at Michigan State University have figured out how to use a fast laser to wiggle atoms in a way that temporarily changes the behavior of their host material. Their novel ...

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Physics16 Sep 2025

Strong-confinement low-index-rib-loaded waveguide structure for etchless thin-film integrated photonics

As modern communication and sensing systems demand ever higher speeds and efficiencies, integrated photonics has emerged as a critical enabling technology. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), known for its exceptional electro-optic and second-order nonlinear properties, is poised to become the material of choice for high-performance modulators and frequency converters. However, manufacturing TFLN-based devices typically relies on dry etching processes, which suffer from low selectivity, limited reproducibility across different tools, and long recipe development cycles. These challenges become more severe ...

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