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Our understanding of black holes, time and the mysterious dark energy that dominates the universe could be revolutionized, as new University of Sheffield research helps unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

Black holes—areas of space where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape—have long been objects of fascination, with astrophysicists, and others dedicating their lives to revealing their secrets. This fascination with the unknown has inspired numerous writers and filmmakers, with novels and films such as “Interstellar” exploring these enigmatic objects’ hold on our collective imagination.

According to Einstein’s theory of , anyone trapped inside a black hole would fall toward its center and be destroyed by immense gravitational forces. This center, known as a singularity, is the point where the matter of a giant star, which is believed to have collapsed to form the black hole, is crushed down into an infinitesimally tiny point. At this singularity, our understanding of physics and time breaks down.

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Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA) researchers at TU Delft, QuTech, University of Innsbruck, INRIA and CNRS recently announced the creation of the first operating system designed for quantum networks: QNodeOS. The research, published in Nature, marks a major step forward in transforming quantum networking from a theoretical concept to a practical technology that could revolutionize the future of the internet.

“The goal of our research is to bring quantum network technology to all. With QNodeOS we’re taking a big step forward. We’re making it possible—for the first time—to program and execute applications on a quantum network easily,” says Prof. Dr. Stephanie Wehner, Professor of Quantum Computer Science at TU Delft’s quantum technology research institute QuTech, who led the study. “Our work also creates a framework opening entirely new areas of quantum computer science research.”

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A multi-institutional team of physicists and engineers has developed a laser-based radiation detection system that operates from as far away as 10 meters and perhaps farther. Their research is published in the journal Physical Review Applied.

Working with , whether in creating weapons or energy, requires monitoring radiation levels to ensure the safety of workers. However, most detectors only allow for testing in close proximity to the source, which means a worker can be in danger of overexposure before they know it has happened. In this new study, the team assigned themselves the goal of developing a new type of system or device that could be used to test from much farther away.

The team started by noting that radiation interacts with in the air around it, resulting in the creation of , so it should be possible to measure the energy of those electrons using a . In testing their ideas, they found that firing a laser into irradiated air did lead to molecule collisions, which produced free electrons.

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Simulations of quantum many-body systems are an important goal for nuclear and high-energy physics. Many-body problems involve systems that consist of many microscopic particles interacting at the level of quantum mechanics. They are much more difficult to describe than simple systems with just two particles. This means that even the most powerful conventional computers cannot simulate these problems.

Quantum computing has the potential to address this challenge using an approach called quantum simulation. To succeed, these simulations need theoretical approximations of how quantum computers represent many-body systems. In research on this topic, at the University of Washington developed a new framework to systematically analyze the interplay of these approximations. They showed that the impact of such approximations can be minimized by tuning simulation parameters.

The study is published in the journal Physical Review A.

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Astronomers have finally traced mysterious radio pulses in the Milky Way.

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System and is part of the Local Group of galaxies. It is a barred spiral galaxy that contains an estimated 100–400 billion stars and has a diameter between 150,000 and 200,000 light-years. The name “Milky Way” comes from the appearance of the galaxy from Earth as a faint band of light that stretches across the night sky, resembling spilled milk.

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AI-driven research is making titanium 3D-printing faster, stronger, and more efficient, transforming aerospace and defense manufacturing.

Producing high-performance titanium alloy.

A mixture of two metallic elements typically used to give greater strength or higher resistance to corrosion.

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Cells in the developing heart must find the perfect match, much like a game of microscopic speed dating.

Using filopodia—tiny tentacle-like structures—they probe their environment and latch onto potential partners. If they mismatch, proteins step in to separate them, ensuring precise alignment. Researchers modeled this process in fruit flies, uncovering the delicate balance of adhesive energy and elasticity that guides cell organization.

How developing heart cells find their perfect match.

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From across the Milky Way galaxy, something has been sending out signals.

Every two hours or so, a pulse of radio waves ripples through space-time, appearing in data going back years. Now a team of astronomers led by Iris de Ruiter of the University of Sydney has identified the source of this mystery signal – and it’s something we’ve never seen before.

Around 1,645 light-years from Earth sits a binary star system, containing a white dwarf and a red dwarf on such a close orbit that each revolution smacks their magnetic fields together, producing a burst of radio waves our telescopes can detect. This source has been named ILT J110160.52+552119.62 (ILT J1101+5521).

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