entangled dot cloud

MIT engineers develop a magnetic transistor for more energy-efficient electronics

Transistors, the building blocks of modern electronics, are typically made of silicon. Because it’s a semiconductor, this material can control the flow of electricity in a circuit. But silicon has fundamental physical limits that restrict how compact and energy-efficient a transistor can be.MIT researchers have now replaced silicon with a magnetic semiconductor, creating a magnetic transistor that could enable smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient circuits. The material’s magnetism strongly

Astronomers solve 50-year mystery of a naked-eye star’s extreme X-rays

A star you can see with the naked eye has kept astronomers guessing for decades with its unusually powerful X-rays. Now, thanks to highly precise observations from Japan’s XRISM space telescope, scientists have finally uncovered the source: a hidden white dwarf companion pulling in material and generating extreme heat. This discovery not only solves a 50-year-old mystery surrounding Gamma Cassiopeiae, but also confirms the existence of a long-predicted type of binary star system.

Project Hail Mary meets reality: 45 planets could harbor alien life

Astronomers have narrowed down the cosmic search for life, identifying fewer than 50 rocky planets among thousands of known exoplanets that may have the right conditions to support life. Using new data from ESA’s Gaia mission and NASA archives, researchers pinpointed worlds in the “habitable zone,” where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist. Some of the most intriguing targets include nearby systems like TRAPPIST-1 and Proxima Centauri, offering tantalizing possibilities just dozens of

First ever atomic movie reveals hidden driver of radiation damage

Researchers have visualized atoms in motion just before a radiation-driven decay process occurs, revealing a surprisingly dynamic scene. Instead of remaining fixed, the atoms roam and rearrange, directly influencing how and when the decay unfolds. This “atomic movie” shows that structure and motion play a central role in radiation damage mechanisms. The findings could improve our understanding of how harmful radiation affects biological matter.

This tiny implant, smaller than a grain of salt, can read your brain

A new neural implant is so small it can rest on a grain of salt, yet it can track and wirelessly transmit brain activity for over a year. It’s powered by laser light that safely passes through tissue and communicates using tiny infrared signals. This ultra-miniature device could transform how scientists study the brain without invasive wiring.

These Mini Brains Just Learned to Solve a Classic Engineering Problem

In a step toward biological computing, brain organoids rewired their networks as they learned to balance a digital pole on a cart. Try balancing a ruler vertically on the palm of your hand while walking. It’s not easy. Your eyes constantly track its movement. Your arm and hand make tiny adjustments to prevent tilting. All the while, your brain sparks with activity with one clear goal: Keep the ruler upright.Scientists have now trained mini brains, or brain organoids, to master the same problem,

Boron arsenide semiconductor sets record in quantum vibrations

You may not be able to hear it, but all solid materials make a sound. In fact, atoms—bound in lattices of chemical bonds—are never silent nor still: Under the placid surface of each and every object in our surroundings, a low hum hovers or a high-energy squeak titters.

Supercomputers just solved a 50-year-old mystery about giant stars

Astronomers have finally cracked a decades-old mystery about red giant stars—how material from their deep interiors makes its way to the surface. Using cutting-edge supercomputer simulations, researchers discovered that stellar rotation plays a powerful role in mixing elements across a previously unexplained barrier inside the star.

Mathematical framework maps landscape of student knowledge via short quizzes

When we learn something new, that information does not exist in isolation. It integrates into the complex landscape of our knowledge, forging connections with existing ideas and opening up possibilities for new learning. In a study in Nature Communications, Dartmouth researchers report a mathematical technique for mapping the unique landscape of a student's conceptual knowledge from their performance on short multiple-choice quizzes.

Physicists just turned glass into a powerful quantum security device

Scientists have turned simple glass into a powerful quantum communication device that could safeguard data against future quantum attacks. The chip combines stability, speed, and versatility—handling both ultra-secure encryption and record-breaking random number generation in one compact system.

New light trap design supercharges atom-thin semiconductors

Scientists have found a clever way to supercharge ultra-thin semiconductors by reshaping the space beneath them rather than altering the material itself. By placing a single-atom-thick layer of tungsten disulfide over tiny air cavities carved into a crystal, they created miniature “light traps” that dramatically boost brightness and optical effects—up to 20 times stronger emission and 25 times stronger nonlinear signals. These hollow structures, called Mie voids, concentrate light exactly where

A surprising foam discovery could change everyday products

Foams have long baffled scientists because liquid drains from them far sooner than theory predicts. New research shows the reason: the bubbles don’t stay put—they rearrange, opening pathways for liquid to escape. The key factor is the pressure needed to shift bubbles, not just push liquid through them. This insight reshapes how we understand foams and could improve everyday products.

Astronomers reconstruct a galaxy’s 12-billion-year history using chemical clues

For the first time, scientists have reconstructed the full history of a galaxy outside the Milky Way using chemical clues. By analyzing oxygen across NGC 1365 and comparing it with simulations, they traced its growth over 12 billion years. The findings show how its core formed early while its outer regions were built through repeated mergers. This new approach could transform how astronomers study galaxy evolution.

Reviving Brain Activity After ‘Cryosleep’ Inches Closer in Pioneering Study

Rebooting frozen brains is still science fiction, but advanced freezing techniques could preserve wiring and function. Floating in a warm, nutritious bath, the slices of mouse brain buzzed with electrical activity. Researchers gave them a few zaps, and parts of the hippocampus strengthened their wiring.This type of experiment is an extremely common way to decipher how the brain works. The slices, not so much. Preserved in a deep freeze for roughly a week, they restarted some basic processes afte

First quantum oscillations observed in gallium nitride holes

Gallium nitride, a semiconductor that can operate at high voltages, temperatures, and frequencies, has enabled technologies from LED lighting to high-power electronics. Now Cornell researchers have observed a quantum property of the material for the first time, an advance that could expand its technological reach.

15-year-old has a PhD in quantum physics and plans to 'create superhumans'

Laurent Simons, a 15-year-old Belgian researcher, has earned a PhD in quantum physics and says he plans to create "superhumans."

Scientists Discovered Light Follows Quantum Rules. It Could Change Physics.

It's long been known that the quantum Hall effect impacts electrons in strong magnetic fields, but it turns out light also follows the fundamental constant.

Inside the quantum loop: New tool cracks a long-standing physics mystery

Superconductors are among the most puzzling materials in physics. They conduct electricity with zero resistance, but only under specific conditions that researchers have struggled for decades to fully explain.

Physicists find electronic agents that govern flat band quantum materials

Physicists have directly visualized the fundamental electronic building blocks of flat-band quantum materials, a class of ...

Quantum-inspired laser system delivers distance measurements with sub-millimeter accuracy

A new laser range-finding technique, inspired by quantum physics, that can measure distances under strong solar background ...