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Phys.org / Twisted bilayer photonic crystals dynamically tune light's handedness

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a chip-scale device that can dynamically control the "handedness" of light as it passes through—also known as its ...

Mar 11, 2026
Phys.org / Photonic 'ski jumps' efficiently beam light into free space

Photonic chips use light to process data instead of electricity, enabling faster communication speeds and greater bandwidth. Most of that light typically stays on the chip, trapped in optical wires, and is difficult to transmit ...

Mar 11, 2026
Phys.org / AI weather models show promise for hurricane forecasts, but new study finds key physical limitations

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming weather prediction, enabling forecasts that once required hours of supercomputing time to run in just minutes. But as AI tools play an expanding role in high-stakes hazard modeling, ...

Mar 11, 2026
Medical Xpress / The timing of rewards plays a key role in learning, study finds

For almost a century, psychology and neuroscience researchers have been trying to understand the processes via which humans and other animals acquire new skills or learn to deal with specific situations. One well-known and ...

Mar 10, 2026
Phys.org / How a shift in the Gulf Stream could signal the collapse of a major ocean current system

Changes in the Gulf Stream, a strong ocean current in the Atlantic, could serve as an early warning of the imminent collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The AMOC is a massive system of ocean ...

Mar 9, 2026
Phys.org / New African species confirms evolutionary origin of magic mushrooms

A long-standing debate about the evolutionary origin of the world's most widely cultivated "magic mushroom"—Psilocybe cubensis—may now have been settled by scientists from southern Africa and the United States.

Mar 10, 2026
Medical Xpress / Open 3D Human Organ Atlas lets users explore anatomy in unprecedented detail

An international team of scientists and clinicians has announced the launch of a new open-access 3D portal that allows users to explore intact human organs in unprecedented detail—from the whole organ down to individual ...

Mar 11, 2026
Tech Xplore / Low-cost, high-performance plastic heat exchanger rivals traditional metal systems

A recent study in Advanced Science reports an innovative, low-cost polymer heat exchanger that could transform how industries manage heat. The device was developed by a Rice University research team led by Daniel J. Preston, ...

Mar 11, 2026
Phys.org / Study finds nanocube cation exchange can begin on one face, not six

In a paper published today in Nature Synthesis, a team from the lab of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and Chemistry Department Prof. Paul Alivisatos explores the role of cation ...

Mar 11, 2026
Phys.org / Titanium complexes cleanly edit the core skeleton of highly stable organic compounds

Multi-titanium hydrides can selectively snip the strong structural bonds of stable organic molecules called pyridines, RIKEN researchers have shown. This discovery could guide designing catalysts for applications in multiple ...

Mar 11, 2026
Phys.org / Precisely measuring quantum signals in large spin ensembles

Quantum mechanical effects are known to be easily disrupted by disturbances from the surrounding environment, commonly referred to as noise. To minimize these disturbances, physicists often study these effects in small and ...

Mar 10, 2026
Phys.org / 3D-printed rattlesnake reveals how the rattle is a warning signal

A team of researchers from The University of Texas at El Paso has uncovered new evidence explaining why the rattlesnake's rattle—one of nature's most iconic warning signals—has persisted and proven so effective across ...

Mar 11, 2026