news 2021

Cracked and blurry phone screens could someday be a thing of the past, suggests a new study from the and the University of Queensland, Australia. This is an example of how fundamental science leads to fantastic discoveries and possible real-life applications Thomas Bennett The international team of researchers has developed technology for next-generation composite glass, for use in lighting LEDs, smartphones, TVs and computer screens.

Results from a global science experiment have cast doubt on the existence of a theoretical particle beyond the Standard Model. The results were gathered by an international team at the MicroBooNE experiment in the United States, with leadership from a UK team including researchers from the. The two most likely explanations for anomalies that were seen in two previous physics experiments: one which suggests a sterile neutrino, and one which points at limitations in those experiments, have been ruled out by MicroBooNE.

A major new physics experiment has used four complementary analyses to show no signs of a theorised fourth kind of neutrino known as the sterile neutrino. Its existence is considered a possible explanation for anomalies seen in previous physics experiments. New results from the MicroBooNE experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory deal a blow to a theoretical particle known as the sterile neutrino.

The European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) is a scientific collaboration bringing together teams of astronomers around the largest European radio telescopes, as well as groups specialized in data analysis and modelling of gravitational wave (GW) signals. The international research team has today published in, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , a detailed analysis of a candidate signal for the since-long sought gravitational wave background (GWB) due to in-spiralling supermassive black-hole binaries.

A new method of 'sliding' delicate high-performance electronics onto flexible surfaces could enable future developments in electronics, scientists say. Engineers from the University of Glasgow claim they have found a way to solve one of the key problems of contact printing - a method of planting electronics onto bendable plastic surfaces to create flexible electronic circuits and devices.

Results announced by the LHCb experiment at CERN have revealed further hints for phenomena that cannot be explained by our current theory of fundamental physics. The fact that we've seen the same effect as our colleagues did in March certainly boosts the chances that we might genuinely be on the brink of discovering something new Harry Cliff In March 2020, the same experiment released evidence of particles breaking one of the core principles of the Standard Model - our best theory of particles and forces - suggesting the possible existence of new fundamental particles and forces.

New methods of detecting ultra-low frequency gravitational waves can be combined with other, less sensitive measurements to deliver fresh insights into the early development of our universe, according to researchers at the University of Birmingham. Gravitational waves - ripples in the fabric of Einstein's spacetime - that cross the universe at the speed of light have all sorts of wavelengths, or frequencies.

Researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a novel treatment technology that may help to significantly reduce the UK's nuclear waste burden. The management of radioactive graphite waste is one of the major challenges of nuclear power plant decommissioning throughout the world, particularly in the UK, as well as in France and Russia.

Using theory, numerical simulations and lab experiments, a team led by UCL and Harvard researchers have shown for the first time how apples get their distinct shape. Apples are among the oldest and most recognisable fruits in the world. Humans have been drawing apples for millennia - their likeness has been captured by everyone from Caravaggio to Picasso.

Researchers find a way to make single-crystal flake devices that are so thin and defect-free, they might outperform existing components in quantum computers. Last updated on Friday 1 October 2021 Researchers at the University of Bath have found a way to make 'single-crystal flake' devices that are so thin and free of defects, they have the potential to outperform components used today in quantum computer circuits.

A new phase of matter, thought to be understandable only using quantum physics, can be studied with far simpler classical methods. We thought time crystals were fundamentally quantum phenomena, but it turns out a simpler classical approach let us learn more about them Andrea Pizzi Researchers from the used computer modelling to study potential new phases of matter known as prethermal discrete time crystals (DTCs).

Physicists at the University of Bath observe a new physical effect in chiral (twisted) nanoparticles. Last updated on Thursday 23 September 2021 Physics researchers at the University of Bath discover a new physical effect relating to the interactions between light and twisted materials - an effect that is likely to have implications for emerging new nanotechnologies in communications, nanorobotics and ultra-thin optical components.

Dark energy, the mysterious force that causes the universe to accelerate, may have been responsible for unexpected results from the XENON1T experiment, deep below Italy's Apennine Mountains. It was surprising that this excess could in principle have been caused by dark energy rather than dark matter.

Researchers have made a tiny camera, held together with 'molecular glue' that allows them to observe chemical reactions in real time. This platform is a really big toolbox - it opens up lots of new possibilities for imaging chemical reactions Kamil Sokolowski The device, made by a team from the University of Cambridge, combines tiny semiconductor nanocrystals called quantum dots and gold nanoparticles using molecular glue called cucurbituril (CB).

Research led by The University of Manchester has found that ions diffuse 10,000 times faster inside atomically thin clays than in bulk clay crystals. Clays are used in a wide variety of membrane applications, so this result offers the potential to achieve vastly improved desalination or fuel cell performance simply by switching to ultra-thin clays when producing the membranes.

Scientists from The University of Manchester have managed to successfully make actinide metals form molecular actinide-actinide bonds for the first time, opening up a new field of scientific study in materials research. Reported in the journal Nature , a group of scientists from Manchester and Stuttgart universities have successfully prepared and characterised long-sought actinide-actinide bonding in an isolable compound.

Black holes, detected by their gravitational wave signal as they collide with other black holes, could be the product of much earlier parent collisions. Such an event has only been hinted at so far, but scientists at the University of Birmingham in the UK, and Northwestern University in the US, believe we are getting close to tracking down the first of these so-called 'hierarchical' black holes.

Astronomers have developed the most realistic model to date of planet formation in binary star systems. Planet formation in binary systems is more complicated, because the companion star acts like a giant eggbeater, dynamically exciting the protoplanetary disc Roman Rafikov The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for Extra-terrestrial Physics, have shown how exoplanets in binary star systems - such as the 'Tatooine' planets spotted by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope - came into being without being destroyed in their chaotic birth environment.

One of the greatest challenges in science is the study of the brain's anatomy and cellular architecture. Accurately visualising the brain's complex structure at high resolutions is critically important for improving our understanding of the functions of the central nervous system. A promising new technique, developed by scientists in Italy, the UK and Germany, is now bringing the microscopic details of the brain into sharper focus even over macroscopic volumes.

A research team co-led by UCL has solved a decades-old mystery as to how Jupiter produces a spectacular burst of X-rays every few minutes. The X-rays are part of Jupiter's aurora - bursts of visible and invisible light that occur when charged particles interact with the planet's atmosphere. A similar phenomenon occurs on Earth, creating the northern lights, but Jupiter's is much more powerful, releasing hundreds of gigawatts of energy, enough to briefly power all of human civilisation*.