The surprising new particle that could finally explain dark matter

Physicists are eyeing charged gravitinos—ultra-heavy, stable particles from supergravity theory—as possible Dark Matter candidates. Unlike axions or WIMPs, these particles carry electric charge but remain undetectable due to their scarcity. With detectors like JUNO and DUNE, researchers now have a chance to spot their unique signal, a breakthrough that could link particle physics with gravity.

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Scientists finally capture water’s hidden state that’s both solid and liquid

Water, though familiar, still hides astonishing secrets. When squeezed into nanosized channels, it can enter a bizarre “premelting state” that is both solid and liquid at once. Using advanced NMR techniques, Japanese researchers directly observed this strange new phase, revealing that confined water molecules move like a liquid while maintaining solid-like order.

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Scientists just made atoms talk to each other inside silicon chips

Researchers at UNSW have found a way to make atomic nuclei communicate through electrons, allowing them to achieve entanglement at scales used in today’s computer chips. This breakthrough brings scalable, silicon-based quantum computing much closer to reality.

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Lasers just unlocked a hidden side of gold, copper, and aluminum

Scientists have cracked a century-old physics mystery by detecting magnetic signals in non-magnetic metals using only light and a revamped laser technique. Previously undetectable, these faint magnetic “whispers” are now measurable, revealing hidden patterns of electron behavior. The breakthrough could revolutionize how we explore magnetism in everyday materials—without bulky instruments or wires—and may open new doors for quantum computing, memory storage, and advanced electronics.

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Catalysis that neutralizes air-polluting NOx from power plant emissions

New research describes the mechanism behind catalysis that neutralizes air-polluting NOx from power plant emissions. Researchers used a High Field (HF) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer in conjunction with reaction studies to test three theories around titania-supported vanadium oxide. They found that tungsten oxide changes the structure of vanadium oxide from a less active form to a highly active form.

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Magnets sustainably separate mixtures of rare earth metals

A new study describes a novel approach for purifying rare earth metals, crucial components of technology that require environmentally-damaging mining procedures. By relying on the metal's magnetic fields during the crystallization process, researchers were able to efficiently and selectively separate mixtures of rare earth metals.

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Mix master: Modeling magnetic reconnection in partially ionized plasma

Many of the most dramatic events in the solar system — the spectacle of the Northern Lights, the explosiveness of solar flares, and the destructive impact of geomagnetic storms that can disrupt communication and electrical grids on Earth — are driven in part by a common phenomenon: fast magnetic reconnection. In this process the magnetic field lines in plasma — the gas-like state of matter consisting of free electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions — tear, come back together and release large amounts of energy.

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