New Atlas

Biology Audio available

"Primordial" proteins successfully inserted into engineered E. coli in synthetic biology breakthrough

Michael Irving July 1, 2019

After studying proteins that are key to metabolism in modern cells, researchers reverse engineered a simplified protein that may have been responsible for kickstarting the process in ancient times. And to prove the idea, they then implanted it into living bacteria and found that it works just fine.

Rice University researcher Ian Campbell, with a vial of ferredoxin proteins

Physics

Physicists measure quantum tunneling time to be near-instantaneous

Michael Irving March 18, 2019

If you throw a particle at a wall, there’s a chance that it will suddenly appear on the other side. This is thanks to a phenomenon known as quantum tunneling, and now a team of physicists has measured just how long that process takes.

Physicists have measured how long it takes particles to quantum tunnel through barriers, and found it ...

Physics Audio available

Mini antimatter accelerator to open doors to particle physics mysteries

Michael Irving August 9, 2018

Particle accelerators have plenty to teach us, but these facilities involve kilometers of tunnels and equipment. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have developed a new way to accelerate antimatter particles using common equipment already found in many labs, in a much smaller space.

A simulation of antimatter particles being concentrated and accelerated into a positron beam

Physics

Beams of antimatter spotted blasting towards the ground in hurricanes

Michael Irving May 22, 2018

NOAA flew a scientific aircraft right through Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Now, the researchers have reported their findings, including the detection of a beam of antimatter being blasted towards the ground, accompanied by flashes of x-rays and gamma rays.

Scientists have detected beams of antimatter being blasted towards the ground in the eyewall of a ...

Physics

"Giant atoms" swallow other atoms to form new state of matter

Michael Irving February 26, 2018

As tiny as they are, there's a relatively large amount of empty space inside an atom. Now, scientists from Austria and the US have filled in some of those gaps, creating a new state of matter in the form of "giant atoms" filled with other atoms.

An excited electron (blue) orbits the nucleus (red) of an atom at such a wide distance ...

Physics

Upgrades begin on Stanford's chillingly powerful X-ray laser

Michael Irving January 21, 2018

The world’s most powerful X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), is about to get far more powerful. The first of 37 “cryomodules” has arrived at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, which will boost the speed and power of the facility.

The first of 37 cryomodules has arrived at Stanford's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, which will boost ...

Physics

Attosecond-scale X-ray laser pulse is the shortest controlled event ever created by humans

Michael Irving October 31, 2017

To better understand molecular events, scientists use short-pulse X-ray lasers to take precise snapshots. Now, researchers at ETH Zurich have managed to shorten the pulse of an X-ray laser down to 43 attoseconds – which the team says is the shortest controlled event ever created by humankind.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have created an x-ray laser pulse lasting just 43 attoseconds (one quntillionth ...

Physics

Does quantum tunneling take time or is it instantaneous?

Michael Irving August 7, 2017

In quantum physics particles can tunnel through barriers that they shouldn’t normally be able to. While this process, called quantum tunneling, is well documented, physicists haven’t been able to tell if it happens instantly or takes time, but now a team from the Max Planck Institute has an answer.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have determined how long it takes electrons to quantum tunnel

Physics

New form of light promises boost for photonic computing

Colin Jeffrey August 5, 2016

Researchers at Imperial College London have surprised everyone with research suggesting that binding light to a single electron could result in a new type of light that boasts the properties of both light and electricity.

"The results of this research will have a huge impact on the way we conceive light"

Science

Electron state-changing device could be used in quantum computing

Richard Moss February 19, 2016

An international team of researchers has found a way to control the spin of electrons – from a normal state to excited and back again – in a silicon-based material. The scientists believe their work holds promise for quantum computing as well as improved magnetic resonance imaging.

The discovery could be useful in quantum computing, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and dynamic nuclear polarization