Physical Sciences
Using physics to explore virus self-assembly
Through decades of research, biologists have determined that under the right conditions, viruses can assemble themselves from their constituent proteins. So far, however, many of the precise characteristics of this process have eluded researchers. Dr Guillaume Tresset at Université Paris-Saclay aims to fill these gaps in our knowledge through experiments that measure how x-rays are scattered by self-assembling viruses. His […]
Ultrafast electron microscopy Reinventing femtosecond atomic-scale imaging
Transmission electron microscopy may have brought about some of the most cutting-edge research into materials physics, but the technique doesn’t come without its limitations. In his research, Dr Jinfeng Yang at Osaka University in Japan aims to further improve the capabilities of the most powerful microscopes ever made, by accelerating the pulsed beams of electrons they produce to relativistic speeds. Through several […]
The serendipitous discovery of a new green chemistry method
Dr Petri Turhanen was working on a synthesis of a modified version of the biological molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), when he discovered that the cation exchange resin he was using was unintentionally producing another molecule. Closer investigation revealed that the molecule had been iodinated, meaning an iodine atom had been added. This specific reaction is challenging to perform using current […]
Exploring the origins of life with autocatalytic sets
How did we get here? This question has plagued philosophers, scientists and individuals alike for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Evolved species, such as humans, are incredibly complex systems, even down to the microscopic cellular level, and understanding our own origins of life and how our DNA came to be what we know today is a challenging question. The […]
A biochemical device to demystify a century-old thermodynamics puzzle from theoretical physics
Maxwell’s demon and Szilard’s engine – thought experiments from the 19th and early 20th centuries – have long captured the imagination of theoretical physicists. Many still disagree about the interpretation of these ideas, the implications for the second law of thermodynamics and the consequences for thermodynamics of computation. Along with collaborators, Dr Thomas Ouldridge at Imperial College London has designed […]
Air pollution monitoring and its role in public health
Air pollution monitoring is an important factor in air quality management. Both established long-term monitoring stations and short-term seasonal atmospheric field measurements are required to understand how atmospheric chemistry changes in response to air pollution regulation. Professor Schwab and his team from the University at Albany maintain long-term rural monitoring stations as well as highly specific mobile air pollution measurements […]
The not-so-constant presence of Dark Energy
The accelerated expansion of the universe has remained one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in physics for over a century. In his research, Dr Yoshihisa Kitazawa at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization in Japan proposes an idea that could unify the mysterious driving force of this acceleration with the principles of quantum mechanics. If his line of reasoning is […]
Modern techniques for analysing solar activity
After studying the Sun’s activity for many centuries, astronomers are well aware that its magnetic field changes over faithfully repeating cycles. So far, however, they haven’t figured out why. Dr Yusuke Iida at Niigata University, Japan believes that new strides towards a solution to the mystery could be made by moving away from purely theoretical models. Through a combination of […]
Electrode modification techniques for organic electronics
Traditionally, wires and circuitry have been made from conductive metals and inorganic semiconductors such as silicon that allow the controlled flow of charge between one component and another. However, now it is possible to make such circuits on truly miniature scales using organic molecules, i.e., materials mostly made up of carbon. Professor Dr Gregor Witte, Dr Alrun Hauke, Felix Widdascheck […]
The origin of life: The conditions that sparked life on Earth
The origin of life on Earth has been a long-debated issue. There have been many theories as to how life evolved, but Professors Shigenori Maruyama (ELSI, Tokyo Institute of Technology), Ken Kurokawa (National Institute of Genetics), and Dr Toshikazu Ebisuzaki (RIKEN) have found a way to narrow the field to a single likely theory. By identifying a list of nine […]