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A mysterious magnetic material once thought to host an exotic “quantum spin liquid” has turned out to be something entirely different—and possibly just as intriguing。 Scientists studying cerium magnesium hexalluminate found it showed the hallmark signs of this elusive quantum state, like a lack of magnetic order and a spread of energy states。 But a
Scientists have created tiny “optical tornadoes” — swirling beams of light that twist like miniature whirlwinds — using a surprisingly simple setup based on liquid crystals。 Instead of relying on complex nanotechnology, the team used self-organizing structures called torons to trap and manipulate light, causing it to spiral and rotate in intricate
Scientists have uncovered the true boundary of the Milky Way’s star-forming region using stellar “age mapping。” They found a telltale U-shaped pattern showing that star formation drops sharply around 35,000–40,000 light-years from the center。 Beyond that, stars are mostly migrants, slowly drifting outward rather than forming in place
Scientists have developed a fuel cell that uses microbes in soil to produce electricity。 The device can power underground sensors for tasks like monitoring moisture or detecting touch, without needing batteries or solar panels。 It works in both dry and wet conditions and even lasts longer than similar technologies
Quantum physics once shocked scientists by revealing that particles can behave like waves—and now, that strange behavior has been pushed even further。 For the first time, researchers have observed wave-like interference in positronium, an exotic “atom” made of an electron and its antimatter partner, a positron。 This breakthrough not only strengthen
Deep inside planets like Uranus and Neptune, scientists may have uncovered a bizarre new state of matter where atoms behave in unexpected ways。 Advanced simulations suggest that carbon and hydrogen, under crushing pressures and scorching temperatures, can form a strange hybrid phase—part solid, part fluid—where hydrogen atoms spiral through a rigid
Researchers have, for the first time, directly visualized how electronic patterns known as charge density waves evolve across a phase transition。 Using cutting-edge microscopy, they found these patterns form unevenly, breaking into patches influenced by tiny structural distortions。 Unexpectedly, small pockets of order persist even above the transit
A breakthrough in brain-inspired computing could make today’s energy-hungry AI systems far more efficient。 Researchers have engineered a new nanoelectronic device using a modified form of hafnium oxide that mimics how neurons process and store information at the same time。 Unlike conventional chips that waste energy moving data back and forth, this
A mysterious cosmic explosion has astronomers buzzing, as a strange event may hint at an entirely new kind of stellar cataclysm。 After detecting ripples in space-time, scientists spotted a fast-fading red glow that initially looked like a rare kilonova—the kind of collision that forges gold and uranium。 But just days later, the signal shifted, beha
A spectacular cosmic event nicknamed “SN Winny” could help solve one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries: how fast the universe is expanding。 This rare superluminous supernova, located 10 billion light-years away, appears five times in the sky thanks to gravitational lensing, creating a dazzling “cosmic fireworks” effect。 By measuring the slight delay
A group of undergraduate students pulled off something remarkable: they built their own dark matter detector and used it to probe one of physics’ biggest mysteries。 Working with limited resources but plenty of creativity, they designed a stripped-down experiment to hunt for axions — hypothetical particles that could make up dark matter
Acoustic fire suppression goes commercial