Science

Follow the flow: Graphs showing the smooth flow of photocurrent streamlines around a microscopic structure shaped like an aeroplane wing. This electrofoil (top left) makes it possible to contort, compress and expand photocurrent streamlines in the same way that aeroplane wings (shown in silhouettes at right) contort, compress and expand the flow of air. (Courtesy:

The source of the sound Researchers find that the Kortokoff sounds heard through a stethoscope may not be sound waves at all. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Elle Aon) Tap, tap, tap… Swish, swish… Tap, tap… Whoooo… Silence. The Korotkoff sounds heard through a stethoscope are routine in non-invasive clinical blood pressure measurement. For over a century since the

Cataclysmic collision: It is thought that ‘rapid neutron-capture processes’ that occur during a neutron star merger could be responsible for producing heavy elements (courtesy: NSF/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet) Physicists in Japan and Lithuania have found evidence that tellurium is produced in neutron star mergers. Their findings bolster the idea that neutron star mergers are responsible

Engineering icons: a small section of the new Tube map. (Courtesy: Transport for London) Perhaps the most iconic map ever is Harry Beck’s depiction of the London Underground, which first appeared in the 1930s. Now, Transport for London (TfL) – which runs the Underground – has partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering to create

Some of the biggest mysteries of physics – including the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the origin of the universe – are in the sights of cosmologists and astroparticle physicists. In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast I am in conversation with three editorial board members of the Journal of

Hot topic: For over the past decade, JET has been carrying out “ITER relevant” experiments, in anticipation of the opening of giant fusion reactor in Cadarache, France (courtesy: EUROfusion) More than 750 people have signed a petition against the planned closure of the Joint European Torus (JET), a major fusion experiment that has been running

While automation and machine-learning technologies hold great promise for radiation oncology programmes, speakers at the ASTRO Annual Meeting cautioned that significant challenges remain when it comes to clinical implementation. Joe McEntee reports Automation for the people The challenges around automated treatment planning proved to be a talking point for speakers and delegates at the ASTRO

Mitigating skin tone bias Conventional (top rows) and SLSC (bottom rows) photoacoustic images of volunteer 1 (light skin tone) and volunteer 18 (dark skin tone) at 750, 810 and 870 nm. The green arrows indicate the radial artery location; the white arrows show a smaller blood vessel enhanced with SLSC imaging. (Courtesy: CC BY 4.0/G

Join the audience for a live webinar at 2 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. CET on 14 November 2023 exploring MRI-guided radiotherapy quality assurance Want to take part in this webinar? We will delve into the world of MRI-guided radiotherapy systems and the critical role of quality assurance in delivering precise, personalized cancer treatments. This webinar will address

Multiple qubit platform: in this diagram, an STM tip coated with iron (top) operates the sensor spin qubit. Also shown are the remote spin qubits, which are aligned by the magnetic fields of nearby iron atoms. (Courtesy: Institute for Basic Science) A quantum computing platform that is capable of the simultaneous operation of multiple spin-based

[embedded content] Earlier this year, the Institute of Physics (IOP), which publishes Physics World, launched a campaign to persuade journalists to stop using the outdated slang term “boffin” when referring to scientists. The initiative was aimed at the red-top tabloids such as The Sun as well as The Daily Star, who have a particular soft spot

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features two pioneers in their fields. Margaret Gardel is a biophysicist who is setting up a new National Science Foundation Physics Frontier Center at the University of Chicago. The Center for Living Systems will focus on the physics of adaptation, a new field that looks at how

Tiny device: photograph of the microchip containing the Friedrich-Alexander University dielectric laser accelerator. A one cent euro coin is shown for comparison. (Image: FAU/Laser Physics, Stefanie Kraus, Julian Litzel) Laser-driven particle accelerators on silicon chips have been created by two independent research groups. With further improvements, such dielectric laser accelerators could be used in medicine

How it works: the noninvasive imaging technique combines acoustic radiation force and optical coherence tomography to produce 3D elastic wave speed maps of multiple eye components simultaneously. Left: cross-sectional image of a wave speed map of the anterior segment of the eyeball depicting different eye components: lens (L), iris (I), cornea (C), and sclera (S).

Michael Riordan argues that if the US had followed a more conservative strategy when building the Superconducting Super Collider, the history of particle physics could have been different Tunnel vision The Superconducting Super Collider in Texas was spiked after some $2bn had already been ploughed into its design and construction. (Courtesy: DOE) Thirty years ago

Reaching out: Brad Gibson at Thoresby Primary School in Hull. (Courtesy: University of Hull) Congratulations to University of Hull physicist Brad Gibson who this week celebrated his 1000th visit to a school in the region. Gibson began doing schools outreach in 2016, focusing on those that have a significant proportion of children who grew up

Common trends: researchers at the University of Tokyo have used data taken by telescopes such as the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico (pictured here in 2019) to uncover similarities between fast radio bursts and earthquakes (Courtesy: UCF) Researchers in Japan have found striking similarities between the statistical behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) and