Universal pattern revealed in quantum matter
When different materials transition from one phase to another, such as water coming to a boil or a magnet losing its ability to attract metals, something remarkable can happen: Th…
A little bit more than magic: The secret to quantum computing may lie in negativity
Quantum computers hold great promise for applications from drug discovery to cybersecurity. Yet figuring out what would give quantum computers their edge over everyday "classical"…
AI screens 100,000+ membrane combinations, predicting carbon capture performance within seconds
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and energy production remains one of the major technological challenges in addressing climate change. Membrane-based ga…
Soft vibrations reveal warning signs before granular crystals yield
Sand, powders, and other collections of visible-sized grains are found throughout daily life, from food and pharmaceuticals to soils and industrial materials. When grains of simil…
Light-driven proteins in artificial membranes—a new method for biohybrid systems
Light-driven membrane proteins are key components in biohybrid systems because they can convert light energy into ion gradients, enabling energy conversion or sensory applications…
Metastable 3D printing 'ink' enables a closed-loop material cycle
Polymers used for light-based 3D printing are very stable because of their chemical structure, but they are typically hard to recycle. A research team led by Professor Dr. Eva Bla…
Connecting the power of the stars to geometry
In the world of fusion energy, scientists and engineers study the fourth state of matter known as plasma in an effort to design and build a new type of power plant. Relying on the…
Foldamer–protein pair unlocks precise building blocks for artificial molecular materials
Proteins form complex three-dimensional shapes and can join together to create larger structures. Researchers want to use these properties to make artificial materials. However, a…
Turning a quantum battery's environmental sensitivity into an advantage
Quantum batteries, devices that store energy by exploiting quantum mechanical phenomena, could, in principle, be charged faster and more efficiently than classical ones. Despite t…
Search in strange quark sector reveals new particle possibilities
Despite science's best efforts to classify the vast menagerie of subatomic particles discovered over the past few decades, some exotic varieties defy explanation. Now, nuclear phy…
An echo of Einstein: An unexpected link between whale calls and special relativity
Standing on the sandy, windswept shores of Provincetown, Massachusetts, people may find themselves squinting at the horizon, waiting for a whale to make its grand entrance with a …
Scientists give aircraft composite waste a second life
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a method to turn waste from the tough, lightweight composites used in aircraft and other high-performanc…
Reusing liquid pickle waste to produce omega-3 fatty acids
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are omega-3 fatty acids known to have beneficial effects and are popular as functional foods and dietary supplements. Th…
Quantum simulators gain quantitative error bars in 51-ion test
In the coming years, increasingly larger and more powerful quantum systems are expected to tackle problems that are difficult or impossible to solve using conventional computers. …
Neutron capture experiment sheds light on ancient stardust
Niobium-94, an isotope of niobium with 41 protons and 53 neutrons, is a critical crossroads in the complex nuclear processes that forge heavy elements under the intense pressures …
Are subsea oil and gas pipelines a previously unrecognized source of ocean microplastics?
Decommissioning pipelines used by the oil and gas industry could result in substantial quantities of microplastics being released into the UK's marine environment annually, a new …
Laser stability method advances precision control of electrons with light
Researchers at the University of Oldenburg's Institute of Physics are working on techniques for precision control of electric fields of light, which allow the dynamics of individu…
Krypton gas emerges as a new ingredient for quantum computing
To commercialize quantum computing, manufacturers need high-quality superconducting materials for microchips, but they also require a reliable, sustainable nanofabrication process…
New photonic crystal method improves single-photon sources for quantum networks
Quantum communication promises many advantages over today's standard technologies, including absolutely secure transmission of large amounts of data. However, it requires single p…
Curved surfaces reshape active materials, localizing vibrations near defects
Many materials, both living and engineered, are powered from within. Scientists have thoroughly investigated how such 'active' materials operate, but so far, mostly in circumstanc…
'Switchable' smart gel may pave way for next-gen drug delivery and sensing tech
University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantle…
Deep-learning approach rapidly predicts where metals bind within proteins
In the living world, roughly a third of all proteins we know rely on metals to function. Zinc helps enzymes break down molecules, iron helps carry oxygen in the blood, calcium hel…
Sound-based traps reveal how fragile biomolecular droplets move, merge and change stiffness
Being able to measure something plays a vital role in our ability to understand many phenomena. But measuring can often affect what we are trying to measure. This is particularly …
Moving nitrogen within pyridine opens a new path for molecular editing
A research team has developed a new molecular editing strategy that can directly convert pyridine compounds into their positional isomers. Instead of moving individual substituent…