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Light can now be shaped in empty space, and it could simplify sensing and boost data links

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform medical testing, data transmission and future quantum technologies, researchers from the UK and South Africa have shown that light can be “programmed” simply by exploiting its natural geometry.

The discovery overturns decades of scientific thinking and reveals that light can develop chiral behavior—meaning it can act like a left or right hand—while traveling freely through space. This, the team says, could ultimately lead to a world where light carries information, probes biology, manipulates matter and protects quantum signals. The research is published in the journal Light: Science & Applications.

Investigating the disordered heart of glass

Recent research led by the University of Trento reveals that fundamental atomic vibrations remain unchanged also in ultra-stable glasses. This discovery advances the decade-long debate on the physics of disorder and opens the way to new applications, from electronics to pharmaceuticals. The research work was carried out by the Department of Physics in collaboration with other European research institutions and published in Physical Review X.

We are used to thinking of glass as a fragile and common material, but glass is still one of the greatest enigmas for physics. In crystals, atoms are arranged in geometric order, while chaos reigns in glass. This disorder generates unique properties, especially near absolute zero, where the glass behaves very differently from crystals. A study conducted by the Department of Physics of the University of Trento in collaboration with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble and other European research centers sheds new light on this mystery.

The working group analyzed the so-called ultra-stable glasses, which are produced with advanced techniques that make them perfect candidates for the title of “ideal glass.” The first author of the paper is Irene Festi, who worked on the project for her Ph.D. thesis at the Department of Physics of the University of Trento. Giacomo Baldi, professor of Experimental Physics of Matter and head of the Laboratory of Structure and Dynamics of Complex Systems at the same Department of UniTrento, is the scientific coordinator of the study.

A mechanical blue LED: Stretching GaN shifts light from UV to blue without changing chemistry

A research team from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has successfully used mechanical stretching technology to dynamically control the emission color of gallium nitride (GaN) material from ultraviolet (UV) to blue light. This technological breakthrough provides a new semiconductor material control solution for future advanced power transistors, optoelectronic components, radio frequency components, and micro-LED displays.

The findings have been published in Physical Review X in a paper titled “Deep Elastic Strain Engineering of Free-Standing GaN Microbridge.”

Led by Professor Yang Lu from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the team utilized micro-nano processing technology to fabricate single-crystalline GaN material into tiny bridge-like structures.

Team develops modulator for compact photonic integrated circuits

Researchers at Skoltech have developed an ultra-compact electro-optic modulator based on silicon photonics and plasmonics that enables high-efficiency optical signal control within a small device footprint. The development could find applications in optical communication systems, analog-to-digital conversion, as well as in devices for generating and processing ultra-high-frequency signals based on photonic technologies.

The work was published in the journal Light: Advanced Manufacturing.

The proposed device uses a multimode silicon waveguide of about 7 micrometers in width and 220 nanometers in thickness, with a thin layer of indium tin oxide on top.

Why do high-speed particles bounce higher in wet collisions?

Researchers have uncovered a counterintuitive phenomenon in collision dynamics: high-speed particles bounce back from wet walls much more strongly than expected. Integrating experimental observations with advanced numerical simulations revealed that increasing the impact speed induces a morphological transition in the post-collision liquid film, shifting it from a bridge to a dome shape. Further, it clarified the relevance of cavitation to such a dramatic change and to the stronger bounce.

The outcomes, published in the International Journal of Multiphase Flow, provide critical guidelines for predicting high-speed particle collisions on wet surfaces and pave the way for safer and optimized designs in applications such as next-generation aerospace and automotive rotors operating at higher speeds.

Ancient DNA Study Reveals Human Evolution Is Happening Faster Than We Thought

New research challenges long-standing assumptions about human evolution, revealing that natural selection has been more active—and more recent—than once believed. A sweeping analysis of ancient DNA from nearly 16,000 people is reshaping how scientists understand human evolution. By tracking genet

VECT 2.0 Ransomware Irreversibly Destroys Files Over 131KB on Windows, Linux, ESXi

Threat hunters are warning that the cybercriminal operation known as VECT 2.0 acts more like a wiper than a ransomware due to a critical flaw in its encryption implementation across Windows, Linux, and ESXi variants that renders recovery impossible even for the threat actors.

The fact that VECT’s locker permanently destroys large files rather than encrypting them means even victims who opt to pay the ransom cannot get their data back, as the decryption keys are discarded by the malware during the time encryption occurs.

“VECT is being marketed as ransomware, but for any file over 131KB – which is most of what enterprises actually care about – it functions as a data destruction tool,” Eli Smadja, group manager at Check Point Research, said in a statement shared with The Hacker News.

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