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‘A new day’ for US science as Democrats sweep mid-term elections

Why do people see colours differently? Sometimes, it’s the display’s fault

University College London team proposes explanation for why the same colours sometimes appear different on different displays

A grid of coloured squares, each of which is split into four quadrants. In all squares, the four quadrants are in the same general region of the colour spectrum (e.g. all are variants of "green"), but the shades are recognizably different to someone with "normal" colour sensitivity

Building an international research institute from the ground up

Our podcast guest is founding director of the IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience in Seoul

Research updates

Mystery of recurring Martian cloud may be solved

Image of the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud on Mars. The cloud looks like a thin, puffy white streak extending to the left of a volcano on the Martian surface. The planet's curvature and the blackness of space beyond are visible.

Electronic implant shows promise for drug-free diabetes control

Scanning electron micrograph of the electrocatalyst

Cool correlations: quantum steering can make cooling more efficient

Reversing Alzheimer’s disease: nanoparticle platform converts brain cells into new neurons

Reprogramming existing brain support cells into neurons offers a novel way to combat brain degeneration in mice with Alzheimer’s disease

Laser cavity boosts nitrogen–vacancy magnetic sensor

System achieves 100% optical contrast

SNAP optics could speed up optical communications

Microscopic structures created on the surface of optical fibres could ease light transmission through fibre-optic networks

Laser-generated muons image hidden objects

Artificially produced particles could probe structures that are inaccessible to X-ray radiography

Primordial black holes could reveal a hidden fifth dimension

Primordial black holes formed in the early universe might experience an extra dimension of space; a recent study suggests new ways to search for these mysterious objects

World’s smallest engines need an entropy accountant

Rebalancing the books of entropy could help bridge the gap between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics

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Latest news

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Laser-cooling pioneer and Nobel laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji dies at 93

Experienced scientists produce more persistently disruptive research, finds study

Male hand writing Eureka and light bulb on a virtual screen. Isolated over white background.

Japan launches sample-return mission to Mars’s moon Phobos

The latest opinion and reviews

The physics of weather, a literary look at gravity, plus philosophical takes on uncertainty and space exploration: micro reviews of recent books

set of 12 weather icons, from full sunshine through rain to snow

GenAI: can we get its good side to outweigh the bad and the ugly?

Honor Powrie reflects on what impact AI might have in the future

3D letters "AI" one with a halo, one with horns and a tail.

Cosmic chronicles: the impact of celestial instabilities on human history

Emma Chapman reviews Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean: How the Solar System Shaped Human History – And May Help Save Our Planet by Dagomar Degroot

Physics World podcasts

From catalysts to quantum materials: exploring the future of platinum group metals

Hawking, warts and all: a new biography of a scientific icon

Theorists use cloud-based Bose–Einstein condensate to study tunnelling

Photo of Daichi Kagamihara and Ippei Danshita

Explore our two regular podcast series! Physics World Weekly looks at the latest events and headlines in physics, as well as featuring short interviews with scientists and our team of journalists. Physics World Stories takes a more in-depth look at a topic.

illustration of laser light in multiple colours

Explore more of our recent articles

The impact of Venutian instabilities: a slide puzzle

Can you reconstruct the image of Venus in our interactive slide puzzle?

SEMICON Europa 2026 showcases semiconductor R&D and product innovation

Europe’s largest event for electronics manufacturing comes to Munich on 10−13 November 2026

Technology companies join forces to boost scientific discovery and quantum scale-up

Quantum Design's acquisition of Oxford Instruments NanoScience has created a global company with the engineering firepower to create innovative measurement solutions and large-scal...

Quiz of the week: what does a new study reveal about primordial black holes?

Have you been keeping up to date with physics news? Try our short quiz to find out

Artist's impression of a supermassive black hole

Word wave puzzle no.10

Can you work out the word in this puzzle, which relates to a recent Physics World article?

Graham Farmelo: ‘What’s really striking is Stephen Hawking’s colossal determination and stubbornness’

Andrew Glester talks to Graham Farmelo, author of a new authorized biography of Stephen Hawking

Bound states in the continuum observed in a solid material

Phenomenon could be used to create new quantum devices

Artist's illustration of bound states in the continuum

Electron spin force moves a macroscopic object

Diamond sample propelled up to 1.5 microns by its own nitrogen-vacancy centres

Controlled collisions reveal predictable pattern in triboelectric charging

New ultrasound trap boosts our understanding of charge transfer

Computer simulation of the new ultrasound trap

Rigid hybrid perovskites achieve ultralow thermal conductivity

Exceptional mechanical and thermal properties come from specially engineered organic cations in a layered halide structure

Quiz of the week: what happens to the structure and dynamics of the human genome under microgravity conditions?

Have you been keeping up to date with physics news? Try our short quiz to find out

Microscopy image showing elongated green blobs surrounded by wisps of purple

Levitated nanoparticle detects single-atom collisions

Pressure sensors and particle detectors could benefit from research

Photo of three researchers with the Yale experiment

Featured employer

Physics World Jobs offers a range of opportunities for jobseekers with a background in physics or engineering. At all stages of your career, we can help find the job for you

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

For more than 60 years, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has applied science and technology to make the world a safer place. Its defining responsibility is ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent

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Featured webinar

Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications

Changes in structure and ionic resistance of lithium-ion battery graphite electrodes

Join the audience for a live webinar at 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. EDT on 5 August 2026

For modellers and experimentalists: discover how SEI formation and graphite expansion define Li‑ion transport in electrodes

Sponsored by The Electrochemical Society, BioLogic, Hiden Analytical

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Featured event

Stay up to date with the latest international conferences, symposia and exhibitions for interdisciplinary scientists working across academic research and industry

Innovations in Applied Mechanics 2026

23—26 September 2026 | London, UK

Innovations in Applied Mechanics brings together two previous, highly successful conferences MPSVA – Modern Practice in Stress and Vibration Analysis and DAMAS – International Conference on Damage Assessment in Structures to present research findings in stress analysis, vibration dynamics and structural damage assessment with the intention of providing directed focus on the state-of-the-art in theoretical and experimental methodology.

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