news 2018

Professor Stephen Hawking's final theory on the origin of the universe, which he worked on in collaboration with Professor Thomas Hertog from KU Leuven, has been published today in the Journal of High Energy Physics . We are not down to a single, unique universe, but our findings imply a significant reduction of the multiverse, to a much smaller range of possible universes.

The birth of stars from dense clouds of gas and dust may be happening in a completely unexpected way in our own galaxy and elsewhere. This is according to an international team of researchers, including scientists from Cardiff University, who have found that long-held assumptions about the relationship between the mass of star-forming clouds of dust and gas and the eventual mass of the star itself may not be as straightforward as we think.

Physicist Professor Manus Hayne has been congratulated for his "extraordinary achievement" after his research paper was ranked in the top 100 most highly read articles in Nature Scientific Reports. His paper 'Photoelectrolysis Using Type-II Semiconductor Heterojunctions' was selected as one of the top 100 read physics papers for the journal in 2017.

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a light-based measuring technique that could transform our ability to characterise biomolecules. Using a microscope that detects light scattering rather than fluorescence, the researchers have demonstrated that single molecules can be observed, and their mass measured, in solution.

A UK team of astronomers working on the European Space Agency Gaia mission have contributed to a revolution in our understanding of the Milky Way with the release today of a new census of the stars in our sky, thanks, in part, to work by physicists from the University of Bristol.

In experiments asking fruit flies to distinguish between ever closer concentrations of an odour, the researchers led by Professor Gero Miesenböck had previously identified a tiny minority of about 200 nerve cells in the brain as critical for decision-making. In new work, the team found that these nerve cells collect evidence for the alternative choices as minute voltage changes across their surface.

Research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggests that empathic, positive messages from doctors may be of small benefit to patients suffering from pain, and improve their satisfaction about the care received. The study, which combined data from 28 clinical trials involving over 6,000 patients, adds weight to the argument that patient outcomes can be improved when doctors enhance how they express empathy and create positive expectations of benefit.

Dr Louisa Campbell with the Summerston distance stone at The Hunterian Museum University of Glasgow archaeologist using cutting edge technology on remnants of the Antonine Wall has shown parts of it were painted in bright colours. Dr Louisa Campbell's research, which has used x-ray and laser technology to analyse parts of the Roman Empire's most north-western frontier, showed it was painted with vibrant red and yellows.

Scientists have discovered a completely new type of opal formed by a common seaweed which harnesses natural technology by self-assembling a nanostructure of oil droplets to control how light reflects from its cells to display a shimmering array of colours that until now, has only been seen in the gem stone.

Physicists explore a safe alternative to x-ray security scanners A team of physicists at the University of Sussex are developing the science to create a safe and efficient 'paint' that can reveal, with terahertz (THz) radiation, the contents of luggage or objects hidden in clothing. THz radiation could replace the use of harmful x-rays and ultraviolet light in security scanners.

The complex properties of water and ice are not well understood but a team from UCL and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source have revealed new information about a phase of ice called 'ice II'. Given that water makes up 60% of our bodies and is one of the most abundant molecules in the universe, it's no wonder that water is known as the "matrix of life".

L: A view of the COSMOS field in the constellation of Sextans, Credit: ESO/UltraVISTA team. Acknowledgement: TERAPIX/CNRS/INSU/CASU. R: A map of the cube of spacetime covered in the new survey, showing the distance to the galaxies in billions of light years, Credit Dr David Sobral Lancaster astronomers have announced one of the largest 3D maps of the infant Universe.

Infrared sensors and a marshmallow offer researchers a new way to monitor and assess social interaction. The ability to use invisible light to determine someone's role and attitude in social settings has powerful implications for individuals and organisations that are concerned about how they communicate.

Scientists at Cern say their NA62 experiment has observed what may be an ultra-rare charged kaon decay. The NA62 experiment is a particle physics experiment at CERN using a 400 GeV proton beam from the SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron) accelerator. The UK has played a leading role in both the detector construction for NA62 and the data analysis and production of results, with Dr Giuseppe Ruggiero from Lancaster University as the Physics Coordinator.

A coupled system of two miniature detectors called nanopores improves detection of biological molecules, including DNA and markers of early disease. The ability to control the motion of single biological molecules is key to improving a wide range of biophysical and diagnostic applications, such as DNA sequencing and the detection of rare molecules linked to diagnosis and prognosis of disease.

Scientists based in the UK and the US have demonstrated for the first time how 'twisted' sound waves from a rotating source can produce negative frequencies, analogous to turning back time. A team of researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Exeter and Illinois Wesleyan report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science how they have built a system capable of reversing the angular momentum of a sound wave without the need for supersonic velocities.

The breakthrough means masers - the microwave version of lasers - could now be used more widely in a range of applications. Masers (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), the older, microwave frequency sibling of the laser, were invented in 1954. However unlike lasers, which have become widespread, masers are much less widely used because in order to function they must be cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero (-273°C).

A simple potassium solution could boost the efficiency of next-generation solar cells, by enabling them to convert more sunlight into electricity. Perovskites are very tolerant to additives - you can add new components and they'll perform better. Mojtaba Abdi-Jalebi An international team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge found that the addition of potassium iodide 'healed' the defects and immobilised ion movement, which to date have limited the efficiency of cheap perovskite solar cells.

The world's first continuous room-temperature solid-state maser has been developed by UCL and Imperial College London scientists. The breakthrough, made using a diamond held in a ring of sapphire, opens up the possibility for masers (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) being used in a wide variety of applications such as medical imaging and airport security scanning.

Oxford University are to play a key role in ARIEL, a new research mission to better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets. Oxford University are to play a key role in ARIEL, a new research mission to better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets. The project was chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) from three academic proposals, with the final selection announced today, 20 March 2018.