Prof. Michael Murrell’s group (lead author Zachary Gao Sun, graduate student in physics) in collaboration with Prof. Garegin Papoian’s group from the University of Maryland at College Park has found critical phenomena (self-organized criticality) that are reminiscent of the earthquakes and avalanches inside the cell cytoskeleton through self-organization of purified protein components.

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have found that the cell’s cytoskeleton—the mechanical machinery of the cell—behaves much like Earth’s crust, constantly regulating how it dissipates energy and transmits information. This self-regulating behavior enables cells to carry out complex processes such as migration and division with remarkable precision.

Even more striking, the study draws parallels between the behavior of microscopic cellular structures and massive celestial bodies, suggesting that the principles of criticality—where systems naturally tune themselves to the brink of transformation—may be universal across vastly different scales of nature.

Usually, light waves can pass through each other without any resistance. According to the laws of electrodynamics, two light beams can exist in the same place without influencing each other; they simply overlap. Lightsaber battles, as seen in science fiction films, would therefore be rather boring in reality.

A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger

The researchers came up with a new way to describe how an electron’s spin interacts with the material it moves through, without using the complicated and unreliable tool called the orbital angular momentum operator, which usually causes problems in crystals.

Instead, they introduced a new idea called relativistic spin-lattice interaction. This basically means they focused on how an electron’s spin reacts to the structure of the solid itself, using principles from Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Scientists control atomically thin semiconductors using ultrashort pulses of terahertz light.

Discover how ultrashort terahertz light pulses can control semiconductors, leading to faster electronic components.

A team of researchers, led by Raúl Jiménez, an ICREA scientist at the University of Barcelona’s Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB), and working in partnership with the University of Padua (Italy), has introduced a groundbreaking new theory about how the Universe began.

Published in Physical Review Research, their study offers a major shift in how scientists understand the earliest moments following the Big Bang.

The Big Bang is the leading cosmological model explaining how the universe as we know it began approximately 13.8 billion years ago.

RIKEN physicists have found a magnetic material that converts heat into electricity with high efficiency, making it promising for use in energy-harvesting devices. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Photos you take on your smartphone are saved as a series of zeros and ones in a ferromagnetic material —magnetic materials that resemble iron in that their magnetic moments all point in the same direction.

Ferromagnets are easy to manipulate, making it easy to save data. However, because their magnetic moments are all aligned, they generate strong magnetic fields, and so it is not possible to cram a lot of them into a small space.

Most cosmologists agree that our universe had a beginning. But the finer details about the Big Bang remain a mystery. A history of everything would explain all, or so theoretical physicists hoped. In his final years, Stephen Hawking working with Thomas Hertog proposed a striking idea: The laws of physics were not precisely determined before the Big Bang; they evolved as the universe evolved.

In this episode of The Joy of Why, Hertog speaks with co-host Janna Levin about his work and partnership with Hawking. Hertog, now at KU Leuven in Belgium, explains why they rejected the popular multiverse theory and instead explored the idea that the universe’s properties are a result of cosmological natural selection. According to Hertog and Hawking, these properties must be viewed through the lens of human observers, who are also the consequence of natural selection.

So, how could the universe have created the conditions needed for life to emerge? Listen to the episode below to find out.

Physicists at Bielefeld University and the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW Dresden) have developed a method to control atomically thin semiconductors using ultrashort light pulses. The study, published in Nature Communications, could pave the way for components that are controlled at unprecedented speeds directly by light—ushering in a new generation of optoelectronic devices.

IN A NUTSHELL The new copper-based alloy developed in Japan maintains its properties in extreme cold, offering breakthroughs in space exploration and hydrogen technology. This alloy showcases a unique shape memory effect at temperatures as low as −328 °F, surpassing traditional materials like nickel-titanium. Applications include high-performance actuators for space telescopes and.