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Anomalous electronic state opens pathway to room-temperature superconductivity

Superconductive materials can conduct electricity with no resistance, but typically only at very low temperatures. Realizing superconductivity at room temperature could enable advanced, energy-efficient electronics and other technologies.

Now, an international research team is one step closer to such an achievement. The researchers made the first observation of a special electronic state known as a “nodal metal,” which provides more insight into electronic behavior at different temperatures, in a multilayer system comprising copper and oxygen.

The team, which includes researchers based in Japan, Taiwan and the United States, published their results in Nature Communications.

Quantum key distribution enables secure communication via hybrid and mobile channels

As part of the QuNET project, researchers have demonstrated how quantum key distribution works reliably via hybrid and mobile channels. The results are milestones for sovereign, quantum-secured communication in Germany and have been published in the New Journal of Physics.

Quantum communication is considered a crucial technology for long-term data security and thus also for technological sovereignty in Germany and Europe. At its core is the distribution of secure cryptographic keys based on quantum physical processes—quantum key distribution (QKD).

QKD will not only be important for highly secure communication in government agencies, the military, and businesses, but will also help protect the data we use in our daily lives.

Defining work and heat in quantum systems: Laser light coherence offers a consistent approach

Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a new approach to applying thermodynamics to microscopic quantum systems.

In 1798, the officer and physicist Benjamin Thompson (a.k.a. Count Rumford) observed the drilling of cannon barrels in Munich and concluded that heat is not a substance but can be created in unlimited amounts by mechanical friction.

Rumford determined the amount of heat generated by immersing the cannon barrels in water and measuring how long it took the water to reach boiling. Based on such experiments, thermodynamics was developed in the 19th century. Initially, it was at the service of the Industrial Revolution and explained, physically, for instance, how heat can be efficiently converted into useful work in steam engines.

A 100-Year-Old Problem Solved? Scientists Discover How To Freeze Organs Without Cracking Them

The breakthrough approach could lead to successful, long-term organ transplants, bringing science fiction closer to becoming medical reality. Cryopreservation, the process of preserving biological tissues by cooling them to subzero temperatures, might sound like something out of science fiction.

Physicists Observe a Nuclear “Memory” Thought Impossible

UT researchers have made rare measurements of exotic nuclear decay that reshape how scientists think heavy elements form in extreme cosmic events.

You can’t have gold without the decay of an atomic nucleus, yet the details behind that transformation have long been difficult to confirm. Researchers in nuclear physics at UT have now reported three key findings in a single study that clarify important parts of this process. Their work offers new guidance for developing models that explain how stars create heavy elements and may improve predictions about the behavior of exotic, short-lived nuclei found across the universe.

The Physics of Bling.

Hidden Thyroid Problem in Pregnancy Linked to Autism

Researchers found that mothers with untreated or persistent thyroid hormone imbalance across pregnancy face a higher chance of having children diagnosed with autism.

The study also revealed that longer periods of imbalance led to higher autism rates in offspring. The results emphasize the importance of frequent thyroid monitoring.

Thyroid imbalance in pregnancy linked to higher autism risk.

Scientists Unveil Breakthrough Low-Temperature Fuel Cell That Could Revolutionize Hydrogen Power

Researchers at Kyushu University have created a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) exhibiting exceptionally high proton conductivity at 300°C. As worldwide energy needs continue to rise, scientists, industry leaders, and policymakers are collaborating to find reliable ways to meet growing demand. This

“We Have Never Seen This Before” — New Crystal Superconductor Is the Strangest of Its Kind

A new study reveals that PtBi2, an otherwise ordinary-looking crystal, hosts an entirely new form of superconductivity confined to its top and bottom surfaces. Something unusual is happening inside the compound platinum-bismuth-two (PtBi2). A new investigation by scientists at IFW Dresden and the

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