news 2018

The research published considers the longstanding scientific question of how comets are able to radiate X-rays. A conundrum that is particularly puzzling, given that such emission is normally associated with very hot objects like the Sun, and comets are among the coldest objects in the Solar System. When comets travel through the Solar System they interact with Solar radiation, the Solar wind and the Solar magnetic field.

In laser facilities in the UK, Imperial physicists are testing an 84-year-old theory which was once thought impossible to prove. The theory of the Breit-Wheeler process says it should be possible to turn light into matter by smashing two particles of light (photons) together to create an electron and a positron.

New cutting edge technology can be used to grade cancer tumours, eradicating human subjectivity and ensuring patients get the right treatment. A new imaging technology to grade tumour biopsies has been developed by a team of scientists led by the Department of Physics and the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London.

Digital memory and security could be transformed according to new research, which has for the first time showed that antiferromagnets can be easily controlled and read by switching the direction of ordinary electrical currents at super-fast speed.

A new study published today suggests that how empathic we are is not just a result of our upbringing and experience but also partly a result of our genes. This is an important step towards understanding the small but important role that genetics plays in empathy Varun Warrier Empathy has two parts: the ability to recognize another person's thoughts and feelings, and the ability to respond with an appropriate emotion to someone else's thoughts and feelings.

Sitting down to binge watch more than four hours of TV over a day could increase the risk of bowel cancer The research team, which included researchers from Imperial College London, compared the risk to those watching less than an hour of TV. In one of the largest studies to date investigating the link between sedentary behaviour and bowel cancer risk, researchers analysed data from more than half a million men and women and found that men who spent less time in front of the TV were also less likely to develop bowel cancer later in life.

An international team of quantum scientists and engineers led by the University of Bristol and involving groups from China, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Poland, have realised an advanced large-scale silicon quantum photonic device that can entangle photons to incredible levels of precision. While standard quantum hardware entangles particles in two states, the team has found a way to generate and entangle pairs of particles that each has 15 states.

Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered a way to re-use a common plastic to break down harmful dyes in our waste water. The paper published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces by a joint UK and Brazilian research team describes how synthetic dyes, used in the clothing industry world-wide, could be treated by the plastic found in packaging and cutlery - polystyrene.

Scientists have managed to separate two liquids in a mixture using a laser, which they claim will lead to new ways of manipulating matter and creating crystals for industry. Promotional video In a paper published today (5 March 2018) , researchers from the University of Glasgow present a novel approach to separate and create new phases using a simple laser.

A rare mineral with potential industrial and medical applications has been discovered on alpine plants at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

Researchers from the UK and Denmark have developed a new method to predict the physical stability of drug candidates, which could help with the development of new and more effective medicines for patients. The technology has been licensed to Cambridge spin-out company TeraView, who are developing it for use in the pharmaceutical industry in order to make medicines that are more easily released in the body.

Scientists at UCL have explained for the first time the mystery of why adhesive tape is so useful for graphene production. The study, published in Advanced Materials , used supercomputers to model the process through which graphene sheets are exfoliated from graphite, the material in pencils. Graphene is known for being the strongest material in the world, lightweight and with extraordinary electrical, thermal and optical properties.

Children as young as seven apply basic laws of physics to problem-solving, rather than learning from what has previously been rewarded, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.

o Test believed to be the first of its kind o Link found between autism and damage to proteins in blood plasma o Could lead to earlier diagnosis of the condition New tests which can indicate autism in children have been developed by researchers at the University of Warwick. The academic team who conducted the international research believe that their new blood and urine tests which search for damage to proteins are the first of their kind.

Cancer drugs activated by light, minimizing toxic side-effects, are a step closer thanks to new research from University of Warwick and Monash University through the Monash Warwick Alliance.

By hitting electrons with an ultra-intense laser, researchers have revealed dynamics that go beyond 'classical' physics and hint at quantum effects. Whenever light hits an object, some of the light scatters back from the surface of the object. However, if the object is moving extremely fast, and if the light is incredibly intense, strange things can happen.

Artist's illustration of a black hole called a quasar at the centre of a distant galaxy: credit NASA/JPL-Caltech By hitting electrons with an ultra-intense laser, researchers have revealed dynamics that go beyond 'classical' physics and hint at quantum effects. Whenever light hits an object, some of the light scatters back from the surface of the object.

Three Earth-like planets orbiting the TRAPPIST-1 star have atmospheres that might be hospitable to life, a new study shows. Researchers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have analyzed the atmospheres of four Earth-sized extrasolar planets orbiting the nearby star TRAPPIST-1 , located about 40 light-years from Earth.

New research led by WMG, at the University of Warwick has found an effective approach to replacing graphite in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries using silicon, by reinforcing the anode's structure with graphene girders. This could more than double the life of rechargeable lithium-ion based batteries and also increase the capacity delivered by those batteries.

Acoustic tractor beams use the power of sound to hold particles in mid-air, and unlike magnetic levitation, they can grab most solids, liquids or even small insects and food. For the first time University of Bristol engineers have shown that it is possible to stably trap objects larger than the wavelength of sound in an acoustic tractor beam.