Fysik & material

Two competing approaches to commercial fusion power—magnetic and inertial confinement—are sharing diagnostic tools and expertise to speed progress toward viable reactors. The collaboration targets critical measurement challenges that both pathways face as they move closer to commercial deployment, potentially shaving years off timelines for companies betting on fusion energy.EN

Researchers have developed a faster way to map hidden geological structures using electromagnetic waves, solving a decades-old computational headache. The breakthrough could accelerate subsurface surveying for resource exploration, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure planning—industries that depend on accurate underground mapping but struggle with unreliable data processing.EN

Researchers at China's BESIII detector found no evidence for two exotic decay pathways of the D* particle, setting the most stringent limits to date. The null result refines theoretical models of particle physics and helps guide where physicists should focus billion-dollar experiments searching for physics beyond the standard model.EN

Researchers have developed a Bayesian framework that allows neural networks to recover scientific equations while handling noisy experimental data—a longstanding limitation. The advance could accelerate discovery in physics, chemistry, and engineering by automating the extraction of clean mathematical rules from imperfect measurements.EN

Researchers at CERN have demonstrated a new method to detect particles that decay in billionths of a second—a capability now embedded in the Large Hadron Collider's real-time data filter. The advance improves the precision of particle physics experiments and could accelerate the discovery of rare phenomena that might reveal physics beyond current understanding.EN

Researchers created custom boron-based molecules that bind cyanide more strongly than competing ions, a capability that could enable better detection systems for environmental and industrial monitoring. The approach systematically tunes molecular properties through a simple chemical modification, potentially accelerating development of next-generation chemical sensors.EN

Researchers have designed machine learning models that can classify particle jets from the Large Hadron Collider in just 100 nanoseconds—fast enough to filter data on specialized hardware rather than in costly computing centers. The breakthrough enables CERN to process the vastly larger data streams arriving during the collider's upgrade, potentially reducing infrastructure costs and accelerating physics discoveries.EN

Researchers have mapped out how to find a previously undetected type of Higgs boson weighing around 400 billion electron volts using the Large Hadron Collider's next-generation runs. The discovery would validate an extended physics theory and could reshape understanding of fundamental particle interactions—with implications for next-generation physics experiments and the future direction of particle research funding.EN

Researchers recorded X-ray emissions during upward positive lightning strikes at a Swiss tower, filling a gap in decades of lightning research. The finding could improve understanding of lightning's energy dynamics, with implications for better lightning protection systems and forecasting models used in critical infrastructure.EN

Scientists have synthesized a new class of benzimidazole-quinoline compounds and tested their ability to kill cancer cells. The work could accelerate drug discovery by providing a template for chemists to rapidly test variations of these hybrid molecules for therapeutic potential.EN

Researchers have identified how the position of nitro groups on aromatic molecules determines whether they glow or go dark—a finding with immediate applications for display technology, medical imaging, and optical sensors. By mapping the quantum mechanics of electron flow, the team shows how to preserve brightness in materials that typically lose it, opening new design pathways for commercial light-emitting devices.EN

Researchers have refined the computer models that predict outcomes of high-energy particle collisions, making them more accurate at extreme energies where weak nuclear forces matter. The improvement automates calculations for thousands of physics scenarios, potentially accelerating discoveries at major research facilities and strengthening the tools used to test fundamental physics theories.EN

Researchers analyzing data from the world's most powerful particle collider have detected hints of a new elementary particle that could reshape our understanding of fundamental physics. If confirmed, the discovery would be the first new particle found in over a decade and could open new paths for technologies from quantum computing to materials science.EN

Researchers have mapped the competing strategies to manufacture heparin synthetically, addressing a critical supply vulnerability for a drug used in millions of surgeries yearly. While chemical synthesis works for small molecules, enzymatic and biological approaches show promise for scaling up production and reducing dependence on animal farming.EN

Researchers analyzing millions of particle collisions have detected anomalies in a rare decay process that could point to undiscovered physics beyond current theory. The findings, while not yet conclusive, suggest gaps in our fundamental understanding—the kind of breakthrough that could reshape physics and open new technology frontiers.EN

Physicists have successfully built and tested advanced silicon detector modules for the upgraded LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The achievement matters because these modules enable the detector to process collision data at higher rates—opening new avenues for discovering rare particles and potentially unpredictable physics that could reshape fundamental science.EN

Researchers discovered how anaerobic bacteria control ribonucleotide reductase, an enzyme essential for DNA production and survival in oxygen-free environments. The finding could unlock new strategies for antibiotics targeting pathogens in the human gut and other anaerobic niches where standard treatments fail.EN

Researchers have identified how spiders use specialized protein domains to create silk stronger than current lab-made versions. The discovery opens a path for engineers to mass-produce high-performance bio-based materials for textiles, construction, and aerospace—potentially displacing petroleum-dependent synthetics.EN

Physicists have identified a rare decay pattern at the world's most powerful particle collider that could definitively prove a leading dark matter theory. The signature is impossible to replicate with existing models, giving researchers a concrete way to test whether dark matter comes from a new class of Higgs particles—with major implications for fundamental physics and technology development.EN

A new workshop analysis reveals how photocatalysis—the use of light to drive chemical reactions—could revolutionize both renewable energy and manufacturing if researchers break down silos between separate subfields. Integrating artificial photosynthesis with molecular assembly could accelerate sustainable hydrogen production and plastic degradation at industrial scale.EN

Researchers at China's BESIII detector have precisely counted 2.7 trillion rare particle events collected over more than a decade, establishing a crucial baseline for fundamental physics research. The meticulous inventory—with negligible measurement error—enables scientists worldwide to search for new physics and validates the detector's reliability for future discoveries in particle behavior.EN

Researchers combing through a decade of data from the IceCube neutrino observatory found no correlation between high-energy particles from space and radio signals from distant black holes—challenging leading theories about where cosmic neutrinos originate. The null result narrows the hunt for these sources and could reshape how scientists plan next-generation particle detectors worth billions in funding.EN

Researchers have determined the identity of an exotic particle called X(2370), finding it matches theoretical predictions for a "glueball"—matter composed entirely of gluons, the force-carrying particles that bind quarks together. The discovery, reported in Physical Review Letters, validates decades-old theories and could reshape understanding of fundamental particle physics and the composition of matter.EN

Researchers have precisely measured the mass, size, and temperature of three giant stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud by analyzing their orbital behavior—a technique that works independently of theoretical models. The breakthrough expands a crucial benchmark dataset for testing stellar evolution theory and refining how scientists estimate the ages and properties of distant galaxies.EN

Scientists have developed a technique that squeezes more cosmological data from the upcoming Euclid mission by combining two separate survey methods. The approach dramatically improves forecasts for measuring dark energy — the mysterious force driving cosmic expansion — with implications for fundamental physics research and space mission planning.EN