When analyzing odorants in food or their raw materials, the formation of artifacts can significantly distort the results. In a new comparative study, two researchers from the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich have shown that the injection method in gas chromatographic odorant analysis has a decisive influence on the formation of artifacts. On-column injection proved to be the gold standard, while solvent-free methods performed significantly worse.

Traditional black holes, as predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, contain what are known as singularities, i.e. points where the laws of physics break down. Identifying how singularities are resolved in the context of quantum gravity is one of the fundamental problems in theoretical physics. Now, a team of experts from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) has described for the first time the creation of regular black holes from gravitational effects and without the need for the existence of exotic matter required by some previous models.

Is it possible to tile a surface with a single shape in such a way that the pattern never repeats itself? In 2022, a mathematical solution to this “einstein problem” was discovered for the first time. Empa researchers have now also found a chemical solution: a molecule that arranges itself into complex, non-repeating patterns on a surface. The resulting aperiodic layer could even exhibit novel physical properties.

The National University of Singapore’s Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials (NUS I-FIM) is organising AI4X 2025 for leading researchers, innovators, and industry experts to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving breakthroughs across Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Climate Science, Materials Science, Mathematics, Finance, and more. The conference, which will be held in Singapore on 8 – 11 July 2025, aims to bolster and refine the use of AI research in Natural Sciences, technology and beyond, thereby accelerating scientific discovery and translational potential on all fronts.

An interdisciplinary team of physicists and biomedical engineers unlocked new properties in capillary waves thanks to superhydrophobicity.

DNA hydrogels are biocompatible drug delivery systems for targeted therapeutic interventions. Conventional DNA hydrogels, formed with many DNA nanostructure units, lead to increased preparation costs and design complexities. To address this, researchers from Japan constructed a Takumi-shaped DNA nanostructure with minimal DNA units and optimized its structure for improved in vivo retention abilities and sustained drug release. This study presents a promising DNA-based drug delivery system, which can potentially improve patient outcomes.

New findings from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope explain the Phoenix cluster’s mysterious starburst. Data confirm the cluster is actively cooling and able to generate a huge amount of stellar fuel on its own.