Physics on The Soothsayer / page 12

Scientists at the University of Queensland have made a significant breakthrough in aluminium-ion batteries, overcoming a major technical hurdle that could make them a more abundant, affordable, and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The team discovered that pre-cycling, a process where the battery is charged and discharged in a controlled way before regular use, can…

Researchers at the University of Iowa and University Medical Center Utrecht have made a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment by incorporating volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery capabilities into the MR-linac. This innovation could improve plan quality and efficiency, reduce patient discomfort, and make MRI-guided treatments more accessible to patients. The team demonstrated that VMAT deliveries…

A team of scientists in the US has developed a non-invasive headset device that tracks changes in blood flow to assess a patient’s stroke risk. This innovative technology could make it easier to detect early signs of stroke, offering patients and physicians a direct and cost-effective approach to stroke prevention. The device uses laser-based technology…

A recent study by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) collaboration has confirmed the existence of a “cooling break” in the energy spectrum of cosmic ray electrons and positrons at around 1 TeV. The research, published in Physical Review Letters, suggests that the origins of these particles are still hotly debated, with possible explanations including…

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new transistor made from semiconducting vertical nanowires of gallium antimonide (GaSb) and indium arsenide (InAs). This innovation could lead to ultra-low-power electronics, ideal for applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence. The new transistor uses electrons tunneling through an energy…

A team of researchers from the USA and India has developed a mathematical model to investigate the complex relationship between exercise, immune function, and cancer. The model reveals that increasing exercise intensity and duration leads to greater and sustained tumour suppression, offering valuable insights into how exercise can influence immune responses and potentially guide cancer…

Physicists at the Niels Bohr Institute and Peking University have made a groundbreaking discovery in particle physics, revealing that xenon nuclei change shape as they collide. Using simulations of experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the researchers found that the nuclei transform from soft, oval-shaped particles to rigid, spherical ones. This finding could lead to…

Physicists at MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University/University of California, Berkeley have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of graphene research. They have found an explanation for why electrons in pentalayer moiré graphene carry fractional charges even in the absence of a magnetic field. This phenomenon, known as the fractional quantum anomalous Hall…

Researchers at Colgate University have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change our understanding of the universe’s origins. By analyzing the parameters of a “Dark Big Bang” theory, they found that dark matter may have been created just after the Big Bang, rather than at the same time. This theory suggests that dark matter particles…

Physicists at the University of Bordeaux have developed a new algorithmic technique that could enhance the output of fusion reactors by smoothing out laser pulses used to compress hydrogen to fusion densities. This breakthrough could lead to more efficient and cost-effective fusion energy production, a promising future energy source. The technique has already been applied…