Headlines

A laser can draw superconductivity at the nanoscale

Researchers from ICMAB-CSIC, the Politecnico di Milano and Université de Liège have adapted a direct laser writing technique that allows them to "draw" superconducting properties in a material. The result is a new way to locally program the behavior of a superconductor, tuning

A single measurement makes quantum bits more reliable

Researchers at the University of Regensburg and their international partners have found a way to significantly reduce errors in quantum bits. In an experiment, they demonstrated that a single additional measurement before a series of quantum operations can cut the error rate by

Mapping Kīlauea's magma reservoirs at high resolution

The Hawaiian volcano Kīlauea is among the most active on Earth. Not only did it erupt almost continuously from 1983 to 2018, but it also began a new series of eruptions in late 2024 that continue as of late 2026. The activity and accessibility of the volcano have enabled

Could One Brain Region Be Tied to Feeling Sick All Over?

When you break your foot, the pain is mostly confined to your foot. When you get the flu or another systemic infection, your entire being aches: Lethargy creeps into your limbs, your appetite vanishes, your temperature jags between scorching and chilled to the bone, and you

Life on the move in a changing Chesapeake Bay

In 2025, a local crabber reached out to professor Romuald Lipcius with some news: He'd been catching stone crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Native to Florida, the species had reached its northernmost documented occurrence to date. News got out, and William & Mary's VIMS & Batten

Plants' immune memory hints at new crop breeding approach

A study published in Nature Communications, led by professor Jurriaan Ton and Dr. Adam Hannan Parker at the University of Sheffield, has identified mechanisms by which plants maintain and reset stress memory from past infections. This immune memory enables plants to defend

Boat burial reveals leprosy strain in fifth-century Germany

Visigothic and Vandal forces marched into Italy and conquered Rome; the Huns spread fear and terror on their campaigns through Western Europe; the Franks expanded their domain southward—the fifth century was an era of profound, often violent upheavals in Europe, and at the same

Red and green auroras may share electron-driven origins

With their mysterious glow and swirling veils of color, auroras enchant even experienced researchers. When a particularly intense solar storm reached Earth on the night of May 10, 2024, and relevant websites predicted auroras even for southern Lower Saxony, several researchers