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Wormholes may not exist—we’ve found they reveal something deeper about time and the universe

Wormholes are often imagined as tunnels through space or time—shortcuts across the universe. But this image rests on a misunderstanding of work by physicists Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen.

In 1935, while studying the behavior of particles in regions of extreme gravity, Einstein and Rosen introduced what they called a “bridge”: a mathematical link between two perfectly symmetrical copies of spacetime. It was not intended as a passage for travel, but as a way to maintain consistency between gravity and quantum physics. Only later did Einstein–Rosen bridges become associated with wormholes, despite having little to do with the original idea.

But in new research published in Classical and Quantum Gravity, my colleagues and I show that the original Einstein–Rosen bridge points to something far stranger—and more fundamental—than a wormhole.

Ancient Type II supernova discovered from universe’s first billion years

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new Type II supernova. The newly detected supernova, named SN Eos, exploded when the universe was only 1 billion years old. The finding was reported January 7 on the arXiv pre-print server.

Supernovae (SNe) are powerful and luminous stellar explosions. They are important for the scientific community as they offer essential clues into the evolution of stars and galaxies. In general, SNe are divided into two groups based on their atomic spectra: Type I (no hydrogen in their spectra) and Type II (showcasing hydrogen spectral lines).

Type II SNe are the result of rapid collapse and violent explosion of massive stars (with masses above 8.0 solar masses). Type II core-collapse supernovae (CC SNe), which can be brighter than the total emission of their host galaxies, allow astronomers to probe the final stages of stellar evolution, and studies of early-universe Type II CC SNe could be crucial to constrain early stellar evolution models.

Perovskite display technology demonstrates record efficiency and industry-level operational lifetime

A research team has developed a hierarchical-shell perovskite nanocrystal technology that simultaneously overcomes the long-standing instability of metal-halide perovskite emitters while achieving record-breaking quantum yield, operational stability, and scalability. This work paves the way for next-generation vivid-color display technologies.

The research is published in the journal Science as a cover article.

The team was led by Professor Tae-Woo Lee (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea & SN Display Co., Ltd).

New microscopy technique preserves the cell’s natural conditions

Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) have developed an innovative microscopy technique capable of improving the observation of living cells. The study, published in Optics Letters, paves the way for a more in-depth analysis of numerous biological processes without the need for contrast agents. The next step will be to enhance this technique using artificial intelligence, opening the door to a new generation of optical microscopy methods capable of combining direct imaging with innovative molecular information.

The study was conducted under the guidance of Alberto Diaspro, Research Director of the Nanoscopy Unit and Scientific Director of the Italian Nikon Imaging Center at IIT, by Nicolò Incardona (first author) and Paolo Bianchini.

Temporal anti-parity–time symmetry offers new way to steer energy through systems

The movement of waves, patterns that carry sound, light or heat, through materials has been widely studied by physicists, as it has implications for the development of numerous modern technologies. In several materials, the movement of waves depends on a physical property known as parity-time (PT) symmetry, which combines mirror-like spatial symmetry with a symmetry in a system’s behavior when time runs forward and backwards.

Systems with PT symmetry can suddenly alter their behavior when they pass specific thresholds known as phase transitions, where they shift from balanced to unbalanced states. So far, systems exhibiting PT symmetry are mostly static, meaning that they exhibit fixed properties over time.

In Nature Physics, researchers at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Fudan University and National University of Singapore introduce a new concept called temporal anti-parity–time (APT) symmetry, which delineates more clearly both where and when a phase transition happens in a non-Hermitian system, a system that exchanges energy with its surroundings.

Chemist proposes shared ‘model proteins’ to improve reproducibility in protein science

Protein scientists could improve reproducibility and coordination across the field by rallying around a small, shared set of “model proteins,” according to a new Perspective by Connecticut College chemist Marc Zimmer.

The article appears in the 40th-anniversary issue of Protein Engineering, Design and Selection. Zimmer argues that protein science is ready to adopt a framework similar to the one that transformed research using model organisms such as fruit flies, mice, yeast and C. elegans.

Those organisms became powerful research tools not only because their biology is conserved, Zimmer notes, but because scientific communities coordinated around them. Shared protocols, databases and benchmarks made results easier to compare, reproduce and build upon.

Slowing down muon decay with short laser pulses

Muons are unstable subatomic particles that spontaneously and rapidly transform into other particles via a process known as electroweak decay. Altering the speed with which muons decay into other particles was so far deemed a challenging quest, requiring very strong electromagnetic fields that cannot be produced in conventional laboratory settings.

Researchers at the University of Plymouth, however, explored the possibility of influencing muon decay using short laser pulses. Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, suggests that the behavior of muons can be altered when they pass through laser beams, an effect that could, in principle, also be achieved using laboratory lasers.

“Records are regularly being set for the highest intensity electromagnetic fields we can produce in the lab,” Dr. Ben King, co-author and Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Plymouth, told Phys.org.

Exploring metabolic noise opens new paths to better biomanufacturing

Much like humans, microbial organisms can be fickle in their productivity. One moment they’re cranking out useful chemicals in vast fermentation tanks, metabolizing feed to make products from pharmaceuticals and supplements to biodegradable plastics or fuels, and the next, they inexplicably go on strike.

Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have found the source of the fluctuating metabolic activity in microorganisms and developed tools to keep every microbial cell at peak productivity during biomanufacturing.

The work, published in Nature Communications, tracks hundreds of E. coli cells as they produce a yellow food pigment—betaxanthin—while growing, dividing and carrying out normal metabolic activities.

Hidden magma oceans could shield rocky exoplanets from harmful radiation

Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-Earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous cosmic radiation and other harmful high-energy particles.

Earth’s magnetic field is generated by movement in its liquid iron outer core—a process known as a dynamo—but larger rocky worlds like super-Earths might have solid or fully liquid cores that cannot produce magnetic fields in the same way.

In a paper published in Nature Astronomy, University of Rochester researchers, including Miki Nakajima, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, report an alternative source: a deep layer of molten rock called a basal magma ocean (BMO). The findings could reshape how scientists think about planetary interiors and have implications for the habitability of planets beyond our solar system.

Do-it-yourself ammonia production: Renewable-powered system uses calcium to reduce emissions and scale for farmers

The last time you scrubbed a streaky window or polished a porcelain appliance, you probably used a chemical called ammonia.

Also known as ammonium hydroxide when mixed with water, ammonia is more than a common household cleaner. More than 170 million metric tons of it are produced globally every year, with most of it ending up as fertilizer for corn, cotton and soybeans.

UIC researchers are scaling up a system for farmers to produce ammonia in their own backyards. The method, which uses renewable electricity and Earth’s natural resources, appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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