news 2016

Scientists have shown the weird world of quantum mechanics operating in the molecule of life, DNA. The research describes how double-stranded DNA splits using delocalized sound waves that are the hallmark of quantum effects. DNA contains the code to life and holds a blueprint for each and every living thing on earth.

Scientists from Imperial College London have created a type of nanoscale 'baking tray' to help reveal the structure and shape of proteins. The team, from the Departments of Surgery & Cancer, and Chemistry, hope this technology will enable new drugs and treatments to be developed. Proteins are crucial to numerous reactions in the body - yet scientists are still in the dark about what most of them look like, explained Professor Naomi Chayen, lead author of the research.

A Lancaster University scientist has successfully tested a new analytical approach that will help advance our understanding of molecules used in the biopharmaceutical sector. Dr Lorna Ashton , of Lancaster University's Chemistry department, has used Ramen spectroscopy to determine the topology, or shape, of plasmid DNA (small DNA molecules).

The hunt for Dark Matter taking place at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN has taken a great leap forward thanks to new detection technology developed by a team from the UK, including physicists from the University of Bristol. The system, installed on the CMS experiment, is being used for the first time anywhere in the world and the pioneering approach will enhance our understanding of the fundamental physics of the universe.

New research has revealed that fewer than predicted planets may be capable of harbouring life because their atmospheres keep them too hot. When looking for planets that could harbour life, scientists look for planets in the 'habitable zones' around their stars - at the right distance from the stars to allow water to exist in liquid form.

Researchers have modelled every atom in a key part of the process for switching on genes, revealing a whole new area for potential drug targets. Proteins are essential for processes that sustain life. They are created in cells through a process called gene expression, which uses instructions from stretches of DNA called genes to build proteins.

Scientists and engineers from the Universities of Bristol and Western Australia have developed how to efficiently simulate a "quantum walk" on a new design for a primitive quantum computer. Quantum computers have significant potential to open entirely new directions for processing information and to overhaul the way that we think about and use the science of computation.

Scientists have tracked the reaction of a protein responding to light, paving the way for a new understanding of life's essential reactions. Every process that sustains life is carried out by proteins, but understanding how these complex molecules do their jobs depends on learning the arrangement of their atoms - and how this structure changes - as they react.

Researchers have observed the 'fingerprint' of a mysterious new quantum state of matter in a two-dimensional material, in which electrons break apart. It's an important step for our understanding of quantum matter. Dmitry Kovrizhin An international team of researchers have found evidence of a mysterious new state of matter, first predicted 40 years ago, in a real material.

A new method of implementing an 'unbreakable' quantum cryptographic system is able to transmit information at rates more than ten times faster than previous attempts. This protocol gives us the highest possible degree of security at very high clock rates Lucian Comandar Researchers have developed a new method to overcome one of the main issues in implementing a quantum cryptography system, raising the prospect of a useable 'unbreakable' method for sending sensitive information hidden inside particles of light.

University of Bristol scientists researching how drones can be used to speed up landmine clearance will fly a drone over Old Trafford today [Monday 4 April] - UN International Day for Mine Awareness - to demonstrate how large, football pitch-sized areas can be mapped quickly. The research, led by Dr John Day of the Interface Analysis Centre in Bristol's School of Physics , is funded by Find A Better Way , the charity founded by England and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

Researchers have found that quantum effects are the reason that hydrogen sulphide - which has the distinct smell of rotten eggs -behaves as a superconductor at record-breaking temperatures, which may aid in the search for room temperature superconductors. That we are able to make quantitative predictions with such a good agreement with the experiments is exciting and means that computation can be confidently used to accelerate the discovery of high temperature superconductors.

Perovskite materials can recycle light particles - a finding which could lead to a new generation of affordable, high-performance solar cells. It's a massive demonstration of the quality of this material and opens the door to maximising the efficiency of solar cells Felix Deschler Scientists have discovered that a highly promising group of materials known as hybrid lead halide perovskites can recycle light - a finding that they believe could lead to large gains in the efficiency of solar cells.

Solar storms trigger Jupiter's intense 'Northern Lights' by generating a new X-ray aurora that is eight times brighter than normal and hundreds of times more energetic than Earth's aurora borealis, finds new UCL-led research using NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory. It is the first time that Jupiter's X-ray aurora has been studied when a giant storm from the Sun has arrived at the planet.

Why I care about the Higgs boson To coincide with Sussex hosting the Institute of Physics' J oint HEPP and APP conference, 21-23 March 2016, experimental physicist Professor Antonella de Santo , who leads the Sussex team involved with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, reveals what drives new discoveries.

Imperial and Oxford researchers have demonstrated a novel method for measuring the evolving waveforms of laser pulses just a few femtoseconds long. Femtosecond laser pulses, measured in terms of quadrillionths (10 -15 ) of a second, are used in a wide range of scientific and technological applications from the study of ultrafast processes in atoms and molecules to the precision laser machining of materials.

Theoretical physicists at the University of Warwick have helped colleagues at Lawrence Livermore and Berkeley solve a puzzle dating from 1967 when a hexagonal form of diamond, later named lonsdaleite, was identified for the first time inside fragments of the Canyon Diablo meteorite, the asteroid that formed the Barringer Crater in Arizona in a violent impact.

New research could pave the way for mass production of new forms of nanotech devices for use in the renewables and medical sectors. In a new paper published today (Thursday March 10) in the journal Nature , researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Ohio and Massachusetts discuss how they have been able for the first time to limit chemical reactions to specific areas of nanostructures they create.

Creation of first practical silicon-based laser has the potential to transform , healthcare and energy systems A group of researchers from the UK, including academics from Cardiff University, has demonstrated the first practical laser that has been grown directly on a silicon substrate. It is believed the breakthrough could lead to ultra-fast communication between computer chips and electronic systems and therefore transform a wide variety of sectors, from and healthcare to energy generation.

The first successful detection of gases in the atmosphere of a super-Earth reveals the presence of hydrogen and helium, but no water vapour, according to UCL researchers. The exotic exoplanet, 55 Cancri e, is over eight times the mass of Earth and has previously been dubbed the 'diamond planet' because models based on its mass and radius have led some astronomers to speculate that its interior is carbon-rich.