9 D Universe

Active link Bromo volcano in East Java, Indonesia, which is the most volcanically active country in the world, where heavy rainfall has triggered explosive activity and eruptions at active volcanoes. (Courtesy: iStock/Panya_) A few years ago, Swiss seismologist Verena Simon noticed a striking shift in the pattern of seismic activity and [...]

The near and far sides of the Moon are very different in their chemical composition, their magmatic activity and the thickness of their crust. The reasons for this difference are not fully understood, but a new study of rocks brought back to Earth by China’s Chang’e-6 mission has provided the [...]

Two African science journalists – Paul Adepoju and Mkhululi Chimoio – have won the “Quantum Pitch Competition”, organized by Physics World and Physics Magazine to mark the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). The competition was launched at the 2025 World Conference of Science Journalists in Pretoria, South Africa, where [...]

A major upgrade to the LHCb experiment at CERN is under threat after the UK cancelled its contribution towards it. The decision by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to defund the project means that unless the decision if overturned, the experiment will now likely finish operation in 2033. LHCb [...]

Nothing stays static in today’s job market. Physicist Gabi Steinbach recalls that about five years ago, fresh physics PhDs could snag lucrative data-scientist positions in companies without job experience. “It was a really big boom,” says Steinbach, at the University of Maryland, US. Then, schools started formal data-science programmes that [...]

Two African journalists have won the IYQ Quantum Pitch Competition held at the 2025 World Conference of Science Journalists in South Africa.[Physics 19, 16] Published Mon Feb 09, 2026 [...]

Author(s): Paul AdepojuGalaxies can collect in large filamentary structures that have—until now—been considered rigid. A new study suggests one filament may be rotating.[Physics 19, 17] Published Mon Feb 09, 2026 [...]

Author(s): Xiao-Liang QiA combined experimental and theoretical study reveals the emergence of quantum chaos in a complex system, suggesting that it can be described with a universal theoretical framework.[Physics 19, 12] Published Mon Feb 09, 2026 [...]

Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas produced by splitting water using electrolysis powered entirely by renewable electricity. It is important because it provides a clean fuel option for industries that are very difficult to decarbonise using other methods. Sectors such as steel, cement, glass, and chemicals require extremely high temperatures (1,000–1,600°C), [...]

An unusual signal initially picked up by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors and subsequently by optical telescopes around the world may have been a “superkilonova” – that is, a kilonova that took place inside a supernova. According to a team led by astronomers at the California Institute of [...]

Author(s): Rachel BerkowitzNova Jacobs reflects on how she came to write murder mysteries set in the world of physics.[Physics 19, 14] Published Fri Feb 06, 2026 [...]

Author(s): Michael SchirberExperiments with structured light beams provide the first observation of “lump” solitons, shape-preserving solitary waves in a 2D setting.[Physics 19, s22] Published Fri Feb 06, 2026 [...]

Cosmic rays are extremely fast, charged particles that travel through space at nearly the speed of light. The Amaterasu particle was detected in 2021 by the Telescope Array experiment in the U.S. It is the second-highest-energy cosmic ray ever observed, carrying around 40 million times more energy than particles accelerated [...]

A supermassive black hole with a case of cosmic indigestion has been burping out the remains of a shredded star for four years—and it's still going strong, new research led by a University of Oregon astrophysicist shows. [...]

For the first time, the new scope allowed physicists to observe terahertz “jiggles” in a superconducting fluid. You can tell a lot about a material based on the type of light you shine at it: Optical light illuminates a material’s surface, while X-rays reveal its internal structures and infrared captures a [...]

Author(s): Charles DayA crystal whose arrangement of atoms lacks chirality can nevertheless host a chiral electronic state.[Physics 19, s17] Published Wed Feb 04, 2026 [...]

Author(s): Ryan WilkinsonBy exploiting defects in a superconductor, scientists have observed the switching of a material’s two superconducting states into one.[Physics 19, s14] Published Wed Feb 04, 2026 [...]