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A flaming good feeling Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Dan Roach
As a mature student with the Open University, Dan Roach rekindles his love of practical experiment.
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Ask me anything: Sally Oey Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Margaret Harris
Sally Oey is a professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan, US, where she studies massive stars and their effects on their host galaxies. She is especially interested in how ultraviolet ionizing radiation escapes from so-called “starburst” galaxies, which contain many bright, young stars that heat interstellar gas to millions of degrees.
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Coldest: how new quantum states of matter emerged Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Chad Orzel
The road to Bose–Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases was paved with ideas that shouldn’t have worked, but did, as Chad Orzel explains in the final segment of his three-part history of laser cooling.
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Did natural erosion help carve Egypt’s Great Sphinx? Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Katherine Skipper
Sphinx could have been created by the natural erosion of a rock formation, according to researchers at New York University.
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Researchers build first all-electric organic laser Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Isabelle Dumé
Researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have made the first organic semiconductor laser that does not require a separate light source to operate.
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First simultaneous production of a top quark and a photon observed Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Sam Jarman
Researchers at the CERN particlephysics lab have observed the simultaneous production of a photon and a top quark for the first time.
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Mysterious ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray puzzles astronomers Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Jacklin Kwan
One of the most energetic particles ever observed has been spotted by researchers using the Utah-based Telescope Array.Much of the body of Egypt’s Great
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‘Perfectly-tuned’ planetary system found Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Keith Cooper
Astronomers have discovered a new planetary treasure trove that provides one of the best opportunities for characterizing “mini-Neptunes”, as Keith Cooper reports.
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How networking can bolster diversity in physics Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Claire Malone
Physicists who want to solve the world’s great challenges don’t just need deep technical expertise, but also excellent networking skills. Claire Malone explains that getting the most out of networking is all a question of practice – and providing those opportunities is key to increasing diversity in physics.
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The two faces of Wernher von Braun Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Ian Randall
Ian Randall reviews Depravity’s Rainbow by Lewis Bush.
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A hard time in space Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01
After subjecting rats to cosmic rays similar to those experienced on the Moon or Mars, researchers found evidence of impaired blood flow to the erectile tissue in the penis of male rats.
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Spinal cord implant wins award Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Tami Freeman, Michael Banks, Margaret Harris, Hamish Johnston
The Physics World 2023 Breakthrough of the Year goes to the development of a link between the brain and spinal cord that enabled an individual with paralysis to stand and walk naturally, as Tami Freeman reports.
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Shocking finding Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01
Researchers have found volcanic eruptions and grinding coffee beans both produce static electricity, which may help resolve parallel issues in geophysics.
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Denial of reality Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Robert P Crease
Robert P Crease reviews On Disinformation: How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy by Lee McIntyre.
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Slippery slopes Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01
Researchers in Germany and Turkey have devised a transparent coating that could lead to cleaner toilets by making porcelain more water-repellent.
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On the run Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01
Harvard University materials physicist Jenny Hoffman has became the fastest woman to run across the US, taking just over 47 days to make the 5000 km journey from San Francisco to New York City.
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The laws of division Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Anna Demming
Across the world, varying factions of society seem to be angrier and more divided than ever. But as Anna Demming explains, physicists are doing their best to shed light on what has gone wrong.
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Oppenheimer: icon of the nuclear age Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Sidney Perkowitz
Oppenheimer was the blockbuster movie of 2023 featuring a stellar cast of Hollywood A-listers. But as Sidney Perkowitz reminds us, many other movies, books and stage performances have examined the moral and political implications of the Manhattan Project too.
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Oppenheimer lessons Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Robert P Crease
US authorities celebrated Robert Oppenheimer for developing atomic weapons but sidelined him when he wanted to advise them on their use. It’s an episode that has many lessons for us today, says Robert P Crease.
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Why it’s time to bin the boffin Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Rachel Youngman
Rachel Youngman explains the rationale behind the Institute of Physics’ “Bin the boffin” campaign.
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Technology triumphs Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 James McKenzie
James McKenzie celebrates firms in photonics and instrumentation that have won business awards from the Institute of Physics in 2023.
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Awards named after male scientists rarely given to women Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Laura Hiscott
The gender of the person an award is named after can have a big impact on who is likely to receive it, finds a new study, which notes that men win almost 90% of awards named after male scientists.
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Oppenheimer on screen Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Matin Durrani
Who’d have thought a film about a physicist would be up for eight Golden Globes?
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Scientists with disabilities suffer $14 000 pay penalty Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Michael Allen
Scientists who suffer from a disability that occurred early in their life earn around $14,000 less per year than their colleagues.
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Ireland releases national strategy for quantum research Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Anthony King
A new Irish government report says the country is ideally situated to capitalize on a quantum industry, noting the potential for quantum technologies in computing, communication, simulation and sensing.
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US unveils international plan to boost commercial fusion Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Peter Gwynne
The US government has announced ambitious plans to boost collaboration with international partners on commercializing fusion energy as a tool to tackle climate change.
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Meet in person to make breakthroughs, says study Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Laura Hiscott
The online world makes it easier for researchers to collaborate – but does not result in more groundbreaking work, finds a new study.
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Ireland set to join CERN particle-physics lab Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Anthony King
The Irish government has finally applied to join the CERN particle-physics laboratory near Geneva as an associate member.
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‘Now is the time’ for net-zero action Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Michael Banks
A new report by the Institute of Physics finds that most physicists believe that the UK will fail to hit its climate goals, as Michael Banks reports.
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On the origins of inequality Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Isabel Rabey
Isabel Rabey reviews The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule by Angela Saini.
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Evidence of tellurium found in neutron star mergers Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Ethan van Woerkom
Physicists in Japan and Lithuania have found evidence that tellurium is produced when neutron stars merge.
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CERN makes best-ever measurement of the strong force Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Sam Jarman
Physicists working on the ATLAS experiment at CERN have determined the strength of the strong force to the highest level of precision to date.
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Scientists link earthquakes to fast radio bursts Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Ethan van Woerkom
Researchers in Japan have found striking similarities between the statistical behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) and earthquakes.
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Electrons accelerated by firing lasers into nanophotonic cavities Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Tim Wogan
Laser-driven particle accelerators on silicon chips have been created by two independent research groups.
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Photonic crystals formed over time in ancient Roman glass Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Isabelle Dumé
Researchers have found that distinctive iridescent patina on an ancient Roman glass fragment stems from a photonic crystal structure that formed naturally within the material over time.
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A question of humanity Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Kyla Rushman
Kyla Rushman reviews The Creator by Gareth Edwards.
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Truth in fiction Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Kate Gardner
Kate Gardner reviews Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
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Quantum entanglement observed in top quarks Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Martijn Boerkamp
Physicists working on the ATLAS experiment at CERN have observed entanglement between pairs of top quarks for the first time.
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Nuclear physics – stamped Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Ian Briggs
Postage stamps are not just tokens we use to send letters – they also form part of our social history. Ian Briggs looks at how developments in nuclear physics have been depicted in postage stamps.
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Ask me anything: Kim Nygård Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Joe McEntee
Kim Nygård manages the ForMAX beamline at Sweden’s MAX IV synchrotron laboratory in Lund, where his team helps scientists from academia and industry to develop sustainable products based on materials from the forest.
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Boost for neutral-atom qubits Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Dina Genkina
Quantum gates based on neutral-atom qubits can have low error rates and benefit from a new “error erasure” strategy, as Dina Genkina reports
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From scientist to science communicator Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Moiya McTier
Moiya McTier describes her journey from academic research in astrophysics, to setting up her own science communication business.
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Your ticket to the stars Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Clár-Bríd Tohill
Clár-Bríd Tohill reviews Under Alien Skies: a Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe by Philip Plait.
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Einstein the human being Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Kate Gardner
Kate Gardner reviews Einstein in Time and Space: a Life in 99 Particles by Samuel Graydon.
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Size matters Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Tom Tierney
Tom Tierney reviews Size: How It Explains the World by Vaclav Smil.
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Bad vibrations Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01
What makes a belly flop dive so unpleasant? Physicists from Brown University found that dropping a cylinder with a soft “nose” into a body of water had a higher impact force because the vibrations of the body itself compounded the impact with the water.
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The physics of brain–computer interfaces Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Sidney Perkowitz
Sidney Perkowitz delves into the cutting-edge work being done to make brain–computer interfaces safer, more durable and widely available.
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Cool Copper Collider most environmentally friendly Higgs factory Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Michael Allen
Changes to the operation of a planned Higgs factory could make it much more energy efficient, but construction will have the biggest impact on the facility’s overall carbon footprint.
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Call of the crickets Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01
Researchers from Western University in Canada have used data from cricket species to find that all species could benefit from creating sound-amplifying baffles by boring holes in leaves.
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Underground icons Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01
Transport for London has partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering to create a Tube-style map showcasing 274 people in the history of engineering.
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A century not out Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01
University of Hull physicist Brad Gibson has celebrated his 1000th outreach visit to a school in his local region.
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Exploration without exploitation Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Margaret Harris
Margaret Harris reviews Astrotopia: the Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race by Mary-Jane Rubenstein.
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Questions of trust Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Alexandre Zagoskin
A reply to the November 2023 Forum article by Caitlin Duffy about how best to preserve academic integrity.
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The high price of excellence Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Emma Chapman
Emma Chapman reviews Fascination of Science: 60 Encounters with Pioneering Researchers of Our Time by Herlinde Koelbl (translated by Lois Hoyal).
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Sharing a love for astronomy Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Hamish Johnston
Victoria Grinberg, who is the first “liaison scientist” at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands, talks to Hamish Johnston about her interest in binary stars, why she wants to make astronomy more sustainable and her love of scientific illustrations.
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Prolific polymath Thomas Young at 250 Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Martin Rees
To mark the 250th anniversary of Thomas Young’s birth, Martin Rees, the UK’s Astronomer Royal, highlights the wide-ranging expertise and discoveries of the maverick British scientist.
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Correction Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01
A clarification on James McKenzie’s November 2023 feature “Magnets that don’t cost the rare earth”.
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Thermo-tie-namics Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 David Nettleton
A question about why clothes in a washing machine always end up inside a duvet cover.
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Condensed matters Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Maurice Goodman, Felix Flicker
A reply to James Kakalios’s October 2023 feature “What’s the matter with condensed matter?” which called for physicists to do more to promote solid-state and condensed-matter physics.
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Oppenheimer’s apple Phys. World (IF 0.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Philip Harris, Alan Watson
In reply to Andrew Robinson’s October 2023 letter about the incident in the mid-1920s where Robert Oppenheimer is supposed to have given his tutor Patrick Blackett a poisoned apple.