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Barbell ‘whip’ may shape Olympic lifts more than lifters realize

In Olympic weightlifting, a single kilogram plate can be the difference between gold and silver. As much as possible, elite athletes must use everything they can to their advantage.

One of these variables is known as the barbell’s “whip,” the bouncy bendiness of a bar under dynamic movements. Joshua Langlois, a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University, presented his work studying these Olympic barbell vibrations at the 190th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, running May 11–15.

“Weightlifters use the bar’s whip to assist in the upward acceleration by timing the oscillation of the bar so that they drive upwards into the bar when the vibration in the bar is already moving the weight upwards,” Langlois said.

Liquid crystals enable on‑demand skyrmion formation at room temperature

Researchers have recently found a new way to summon useful structures in magnetic materials using light, heat, and electric fields. This new method, described in a new study published in Physical Review Letters, may lead to more energy-efficient and flexible technologies for data storage and optical devices.

Within the realm of condensed matter physics, scientists study how macroscopic properties emerge from the interactions of vast numbers of microscopic particles in materials. In magnetic materials, skyrmions—nanoscale, topologically stable swirling magnetic structures—arise under certain conditions.

While they have been observed in magnets, superconductors, and liquid crystals, their nucleation is often random or requires extreme conditions. Creating these structures on demand is difficult due to high energy barriers and lack of easy, reversible control.

Mostly empty foam overturns assumptions of electron beam stopping

When physicists fire beams of fast electrons at materials, they often need to know exactly how much energy those electrons will lose as they travel through. Through new research published in Physical Review Letters, a team led by Ke Jiang at Shenzhen Technology University in China has found that porous, mostly empty foam materials can stop high-current electron beams far more effectively than denser materials—overturning many previous assumptions about how these beams interact with solid materials.

When a beam of electrons travels through a solid, its energy is lost through collisions with the atoms and electrons already present in the material. But when electron beams carry extremely intense currents, driving electrons to travel close to the speed of light, individual collisions are no longer the dominant factor.

Instead, the beam generates powerful electromagnetic fields as it moves, which shape how the beam propagates and loses energy. In fields ranging from nuclear fusion to studies of planetary interiors, it is often crucial for physicists to manage this energy loss as tightly as possible.

Atomic bands in two transition metal dichalcogenides hint at long-theorized quantum state

Insulators are materials in which electrons cannot move freely. Past theoretical studies predicted the existence of an unusual insulating state dubbed obstructed atomic insulator (OAI), in which electrons are localized inside a crystal, while their centers of charge lie in empty spaces between atoms, rather than on the atoms themselves.

Two independent research teams, one at Princeton University and Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), and the other at Columbia University recently observed signatures of this long-theorized quantum state in two different transition metal dichalcogenides, niobium diselenide (NbSe₂) and tungsten diselenide (WSe₂). Their papers, both of which were published in Nature Physics, could open new possibilities for the study of topological quantum phenomena.

Natural malaria immunity: Human volunteers may hold the secret to why some people never get sick

People living in regions where malaria outbreaks are common experience repeated exposure to the disease, which gradually teaches the body how to fight back. Over time, they develop naturally acquired immunity that helps the body control the density of malaria parasites (Plasmodium falciparum) in the blood and prevent the development of clinical symptoms.

A recent study set out to pinpoint the specific parts of the malaria parasite that the immune system targets to protect the body from disease. The researchers deliberately infected 142 Kenyan adults known to be immune to malaria, then monitored their symptoms and parasite levels. They successfully identified six merozoite antigens —proteins on the surface of the malaria parasite—that were linked to natural immunity against the disease. The findings were published in Nature Communications.

Signal-folding design helps neuromorphic chip slash AI energy use

Artificial intelligence systems, such as large language models (LLMs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), can analyze large amounts of data and rapidly generate desired content or identify meaningful patterns. However, when running on existing hardware, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, these systems typically consume a large amount of energy.

Over the past decade or so, electronics engineers have been increasingly working on alternative hardware systems that could run AI models more energy efficiently. Many of these systems are neuromorphic, meaning that they are inspired by the structure and functioning of the human brain.

Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong recently introduced a new approach for designing neuromorphic computing hardware based on two-dimensional materials. Their proposed strategy, introduced in a paper published in Nature Electronics, was used to develop a chip based on the 2D semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) that can reliably run AI algorithms while consuming less power.

Precision DNA editing targets root cause of severe childhood epilepsy in preclinical study

Gene editing can repair a DNA error in mice that causes Dravet syndrome, a rare, incurable, and potentially deadly form of childhood epilepsy. After the edit, the mice have far fewer seizures and live much longer. As published in Science Translational Medicine, the results suggest that a one-time genetic correction could someday treat the root cause of the disease rather than just managing its symptoms. The work represents a major step for genetic medicine, as restoring disease-relevant brain function with gene editing tools remains a major challenge.

The study also reflects growing momentum behind gene editing as a therapeutic platform for rare diseases. In February 2026, the Food and Drug Administration issued its Plausible Mechanism Framework guidance, outlining a regulatory pathway for individualized therapies targeting specific genetic conditions. It recognizes that for rare genetic diseases, a well-characterized biological mechanism can serve as the foundation for approval where large clinical trials are not feasible.

“For families affected by Dravet syndrome, our study provides proof of concept that a genetic correction approach could have real impact, a future with treatments that don’t just manage the disease but actually address its cause,” said Matthew Simon, a senior study director at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) Rare Disease Translational Center (RDTC) who co-led the study. “We’re at an inflection point in genetic medicine, where we can now actually repair the DNA itself.”

Chemists discover and isolate a new boron–oxygen molecule

Oxygen is a cornerstone of chemistry, largely because it is so good at building the organic molecules that make up our world. Some oxygen-based compounds called peroxides are famous for being highly reactive—they act like oxygen delivery trucks, transferring atoms to other molecules. This process is essential for everything from creating new medicines to industrial manufacturing.

In a study published in Nature Chemistry, researchers from the labs of MIT professors Christopher C. Cummins and Robert J. Gilliard, Jr. have revealed a brand-new type of peroxide containing boron. This molecule, called a dioxaborirane, represents a major advance in a field where such structures were long-proposed, but considered too unstable to actually isolate.

A twinkling pulsar reveals invisible structures in space

The twinkling stars in the night sky are not just beautiful to look at. Their flickering reveals something about the varying temperatures and densities in the layers of Earth’s atmosphere, which refract the light as it travels toward us. Certain stellar remnants that emit radio waves can exhibit a very similar effect.

Although their radio waves—which have longer wavelengths than visible light—can penetrate Earth’s atmosphere almost undisturbed, they are scattered by the thin gas between the stars. Their twinkling—known as scintillation—thus provides unique insights into interstellar space.

An international team led by Tim Sprenger from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) has measured the flickering radio radiation from an object using an innovative observation technique. The results are published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Statistical technique could uncover secrets of ‘ringing’ black holes

Researchers have developed a technique to analyze how black holes “ring” when they collide and merge: one of the universe’s most dramatic events. When black holes merge, the collision produces a new, larger black hole that “rings” like a plucked guitar string or a bell while it settles into its final, stable shape. But instead of sound waves, the new black hole rings with gravitational waves: ripples in spacetime first predicted by Albert Einstein.

The new black hole vibrates at a specific set of frequencies, depending on its mass and spin, which help scientists learn about the object formed in the collision.

These vibrations, known as quasinormal modes, are the fingerprint of a black hole. Detecting them is central to testing Einstein’s general theory of relativity in the most extreme gravitational environments in the universe.

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