/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A NIMS research team has developed a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) featuring a tunnel barrier made of a high-entropy oxide composed of multiple metallic elements. This MTJ simultaneously demonstrated stronger perpendicular magnetization, a higher tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio (i.e., the relative change in electrical resistance when the magnetization directions of the two ferromagnetic layers switch between parallel and antiparallel alignments) and lower electrical resistance. /news/2025-09-resistance-high-magnetic-tunnel-junctions.html Condensed Matter Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:42:03 EDT news676654921 Scientists at The University of Osaka and Tohoku University have developed a technique for creating nanoscale magnetic thin films with embedded functionality. By leveraging the stretchability of flexible substrates, they can precisely control the atomic spacing within these nanofilms, effectively "programming" desired magnetic properties directly into the material. /news/2025-09-stretchable-nanofilms-tunable-magnetic-properties.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 01 Sep 2025 08:48:32 EDT news675935309 Solid as they are, rocks are not static materials with constant properties. Even small loads are enough to alter their mechanical properties; their reaction to being deformed is a loss of stiffness. Rocks which have been damaged in such a way are then less able to withstand loads, such as gravity or tectonic stresses. This phenomenon is therefore of relevance for understanding the occurrence of material failure, as in landslides or earthquakes. /news/2025-08-seismic-slower-shortly-earthquake.html Earth Sciences Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:53:03 EDT news675687181 Magnetization switching remains one of the central applications of spintronic devices. /news/2025-08-spintronic-devices-magnetic-memory-bits.html Nanophysics Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:28:10 EDT news675401277 A team of researchers has discovered how a little-known type of symmetry in quantum materials, called nonsymmorphic symmetry, governs the way these materials interact with intense laser light. /news/2025-08-hidden-symmetries-ways-quantum-materials.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:31:03 EDT news675012661 Newly developed DNA nanostructures can form flexible, fluid, and stimuli-responsive condensates without relying on chemical cross-linking, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo and Chuo University, in the journal JACS Au. /news/2025-08-dna-nanostructures-mimic-molecular-chemical.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:10:06 EDT news673690201 A puzzling form of superconductivity that arises only under strong magnetic fields has been mapped and explained by a research team including Andriy Nevidomskyy, professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University. Their findings, published in Science, detail how uranium ditelluride (UTe2) develops a superconducting halo under strong magnetic fields. /news/2025-08-superconductivity-halo-theoretical-physicist-rare.html Superconductivity Fri, 01 Aug 2025 09:02:06 EDT news673257721 Scientists have discovered a new way that matter can exist—one that is different from the usual states of solid, liquid, gas or plasma—at the interface of two exotic materials made into a sandwich. /news/2025-07-quantum-state-interface-exotic-materials.html Condensed Matter Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Thu, 31 Jul 2025 08:57:18 EDT news673171030 A team of researchers at the Max Born Institute and collaborating institutions has developed a reliable method to create complex magnetic textures, known as skyrmion bags, in thin ferromagnetic films. Skyrmion bags are donut-like, topologically rich spin textures that go beyond the widely studied single skyrmions. /news/2025-07-laser-pulses-nanoscale-yield-stable.html Condensed Matter Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:29:44 EDT news672924576 Solar cells and computer chips need silicon layers that are as perfect as possible. Every imperfection in the crystalline structure increases the risk of reduced efficiency or defective switching processes. /news/2025-07-cosmic-chips-cooling-triggers-phase.html Condensed Matter Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:30:05 EDT news672386224 Organic thermoelectric devices (OTEs) convert waste heat into useful electric power, but they are not yet efficient enough for practical use. KAUST researchers have now developed a tool that predicts the best solvent to use when processing the devices' polymer films, significantly improving their power output. /news/2025-07-solvent-tool-boosts-thermoelectric-devices.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Mon, 21 Jul 2025 16:30:01 EDT news672332181 Researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington have discovered a surprising new type of magnetic property that could lead to stronger magnets made from tiny particles of common iron oxide. This finding could enhance the performance of everyday technologies while reducing the need for rare-earth metals—materials that are more costly, less sustainable and harder to obtain. /news/2025-07-iron-oxide-behavior-pressure-reliance.html Condensed Matter Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:18:11 EDT news671984288 Researchers, in a recent Â鶹ÒùÔºical Review Letters paper, introduce a new mechanism that may finally allow ultralight dark photons to be considered serious candidates for dark matter, with promising implications for detection efforts. /news/2025-06-cosmic-dark-photons.html Astronomy Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:00:01 EDT news669460467 How do we know exactly what is happening at a molecular level during extremely fast processes, such as burning during combustion? In less than the blink of an eye, one chemical compound and then another are present in a flame only to disperse and give way to more. Understanding which molecules are present gives scientists a way of understanding the inner workings of the chemical processes taking place. /news/2025-06-snap-science-molecular.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:23:04 EDT news669385381 For the first time, scientists have used Earth-based telescopes to look back over 13 billion years to see how the first stars in the universe affect light emitted from the Big Bang. /news/2025-06-earth-based-telescopes-fresh-cosmic.html Astronomy Wed, 11 Jun 2025 02:00:01 EDT news668706422 Improving energy conversion efficiency in power electronics is vital for a sustainable society, with wide-bandgap semiconductors like GaN and SiC power devices offering advantages due to their high-frequency capabilities. However, energy losses in passive components at high frequencies hinder efficiency and miniaturization. This underscores the need for advanced soft magnetic materials with lower energy losses. /news/2025-05-quantum-eyes-energy-loss-diamond.html Condensed Matter Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Fri, 23 May 2025 05:00:03 EDT news667146403 Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed a new type of spintronic device that mimics how synapses work in the brain—offering a path to more energy-efficient and accurate artificial intelligence systems. /news/2025-05-based-memory-advance-brain-closer.html Condensed Matter Wed, 14 May 2025 10:20:33 EDT news666436826 For communities living in the shadow of a volcano, early warning systems are a lifeline—but mistrust in these warnings can have deadly consequences. To avoid false alarms, it is vital that scientists seek more reliable ways to monitor volcanoes. /news/2025-05-eruption-approaches-earthquake-ontake-volcano.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 May 2025 12:20:04 EDT news665320801 Researchers from Max Born Institute have demonstrated a successful way to control and manipulate nanoscale magnetic bits—the building blocks of digital data—using an ultrafast laser pulse and plasmonic gold nanostructures. The findings were published in Nano Letters. /news/2025-04-ultrafast-plasmon-magnetic-bit-nanoscale.html Nanophysics Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:03:24 EDT news664707798 A research team led by Prof. Wang Zhenyang at the Hefei Institutes of Â鶹ÒùÔºical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel 3D-printed graphene/polymer double-layer composite featuring high anisotropic thermal conductivity. /news/2025-04-high-3d-graphene-composites-efficient.html Nanomaterials Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:33:02 EDT news664641181 Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic events ever observed in the universe. These powerful outbursts can shine a quintillion (1018) times brighter than the sun. Since they were first detected in 1967 by the Vela 3 and 4 satellites, which were designed to detect nuclear detonations, astronomers have been searching for the origin of these events. At present, it is generally accepted that long-duration GRBs are caused by the collapse of massive stars, while short-duration bursts are caused by the merger of binary objects (neutron stars and/or black holes). /news/2025-04-gamma-ray-probe-large-scale.html Astronomy Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:42:04 EDT news664101721 Photocatalytic water splitting is a clean energy technology that uses sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen in order to produce green hydrogen—a clean fuel—without relying on fossil fuels. The process is driven by a photocatalyst. /news/2025-04-scandium-doped-tio-boosts-photocatalytic.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:22:03 EDT news663420121 The field of spintronics, which integrates the charge and spin properties of electrons to develop electronic devices with enhanced functionality and energy efficiency, has expanded into new applications. /news/2025-04-iron-nitride-magnetoelastic-properties-potential.html Condensed Matter Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:40:05 EDT news662989202 Scientists have revealed how tiny swimming cells—such as sperm and bacteria—are able to move faster when traveling as a group, and the research could accelerate the development of microscopic robots that deliver drugs to specific regions of the body. /news/2025-03-scientists-uncover-microswimmers-faster-groups.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Fri, 28 Mar 2025 11:43:04 EDT news662380981 The cells in human bodies are subject to both chemical and mechanical forces. But until recently, scientists have not understood much about how to manipulate the mechanical side of that equation. That's about to change. /news/2025-03-mechanical-encode-function-cells-fibrosis.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:16:04 EDT news662044561 Birefringent crystalline materials are essential in advanced optical technologies such as isolators and modulators due to their ability to manipulate light polarization. However, designing high-performance birefringent materials with a birefringence value (Δn > 0.3) is challenging. Achieving superior optical anisotropy requires identifying functional groups with strong polarizability anisotropy and optimizing their arrangement in the crystal lattice. /news/2025-03-hydrogen-bonding-strategy-yields-high.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:11:03 EDT news661705862 As the planet warms, Antarctica's ice sheet is melting and contributing to sea-level rise around the globe. Antarctica holds enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by 190 feet, so precisely predicting how it will move and melt now and in the future is vital for protecting coastal areas. /news/2025-03-ai-reveals-insights-antarctic-ice.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:00:16 EDT news661066442 Recently, a research group led by Prof. Wang Zhenyang and Zhang Shudong from the Hefei Institutes of Â鶹ÒùÔºical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a new type of ceramic fiber aerogel, SiC@SiOâ‚‚, featuring highly anisotropic thermal conductivity and extreme thermal stability through directional bio-inspired design. /news/2025-03-nature-ceramic-fiber-aerogels-advance.html Materials Science Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:20:03 EDT news661087202 Superconductivity, which entails an electrical resistance of zero at very low temperatures, is a highly desirable and thus widely studied quantum phenomenon. Typically, this state is known to arise following the formation of bound electron pairs known as Cooper pairs, yet identifying the factors contributing to its emergence in quantum materials has so far proved more challenging. /news/2025-03-physicists-uncover-superconducting-regimes-kagome.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Thu, 13 Mar 2025 06:30:01 EDT news660905885 A research team led by Prof. Long Shibing from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has, for the first time, made spintronic neuromorphic devices based on CoO/Pt heterostructure. The study is published in Nano Letters. /news/2025-03-antiferromagnetic-neuromorphic-memory-spintronic-device.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 03 Mar 2025 11:15:02 EST news660222901