One of the most fascinating ideas in physics is how we can turn heat into useful work. This is the basic principle behind all sorts of engines, like the ones that power cars or generate electricity in power plants. For […]
Our planet has experienced dramatic climate shifts throughout its history, oscillating between freezing “icehouse” periods and warm “greenhouse” states. Scientists have long linked these climate changes to fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, new research reveals the source of this […]
Astronomers have, for the first time, captured a detailed snapshot of planetary systems in an era long shrouded in mystery. The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS), using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), has produced the sharpest […]
Although science was not born in the seventeenth century (since the need for reliable information about the environment is intrinsic to any human society, and disciplines such as mathematics, astronomy, or biology had already flourished splendidly in Classical Antiquity), we […]
Most of the electronic devices we use every day, from smartphones to solar panels, depend on electrons moving smoothly through crystal structures. In recent years, however, researchers have discovered that stacking extremely thin materials in carefully chosen ways can produce […]
Author: Ari Koeppel, Postdoctoral Scientist in Earth and Planetary Science, Dartmouth College Andy Weir’s bestselling story “The Martian” predicts that by 2035 NASA will have landed humans on Mars three times, perfected return-to-Earth flight systems and collaborated with the China […]
Two-dimensional (2D) materials have become a centrepiece of modern materials science, captivating researchers with their electronic, mechanical, and optical properties. Since Geim and Novoselov discovered the exfoliation technique in 2004, thousands of 2D materials have been discovered, synthesised, or predicted […]
Universe’s rapid expansion challenges existing physics Scientists have confirmed that the universe is expanding at a rate faster than current physics models can explain, based on precise measurements of the Coma galaxy cluster. This discrepancy, known as the Hubble tension […]
Proteins, the pillars of cellular function, often assemble into “complexes” to fulfil their functions. A new study reveals why this assembly often begins during the very process of protein synthesis or “birth.” These early interactions involve proteins whose stability depends […]
Scientists have long puzzled over how pterosaurs became the first vertebrates to master flight. Some pterosaur species, such as the Quetzalcoatlus were the largest known animals to ever take to the skies, with wingspans of over ten meters (on par […]
Vincent van Gogh sliced off his ear with a knife during a psychotic episode. Ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky developed schizophrenia and spent the last 30 years of his life in hospital. Virginia Woolf lived with bipolar disorder, eventually taking her […]
A Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) is a resonant cavity with a cylindrical symmetry divided in four lobes resembling a clover-like geometry and four vanes to focus and accelerate charged particles. This structure can accept a continuous flow of low-energy massive particles […]
Author: Marika Taylor, Pro-vice-chancellor, Professor, University of Birmingham In 1980, Stephen Hawking gave his first lecture as Lucasian Professor at the University of Cambridge. The lecture was called “Is the end in sight for theoretical physics?” Hawking, who later became […]
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy with a poor prognosis and limited options for targeted therapies . Since the targeted therapies benefiting T-ALL are still limited owing to the biological heterogeneity of T-ALL , identifying novel […]
Authors: Peter Jacobson, Senior Lecturer in Condensed Matter Physics, The University of Queensland and Beck Wise, Lecturer in Professional Writing, The University of Queensland In 1977, an American physicist named John H. Van Vleck won the Nobel prize for his […]