Together with an international team, researchers from the Molecular Physics Department at the Fritz Haber Institute revealed how atoms rearrange themselves before releasing low-energy electrons in a decay process initiated by X-ray irradiation. For the first time, they gain detailed insights into the timing of the process – shedding light on related radiation damage mechanisms.

Muons are particles used to study fundamental physics and to image large structures such as volcanoes, bridges and ancient buildings. But despite their apparent benefits to science – and even society more broadly – muons only have a half-life of around one microsecond. Now researchers at the University of Plymouth have suggested a means of overcoming that, using intense laser pulses to reduce the rate of decay and at least double the muon’s lifetime.

Researchers built a living biosensor made of bacteria that lights up when it detects acetic acid, the main chemical signal that wine is starting to spoil. It works in real time, even in high-alcohol conditions, so wineries can catch problems early, before flavor and quality are damaged. The approach could offer a simpler, lower-cost alternative to lab testing and strengthen quality control across fermentation-based industries.

Organic semiconductors are useful materials for both electronic displays and solar cells, but combining efficient light emission and power generation in a single device has been difficult. In a recent study, researchers from Japan addressed this challenge by precisely tuning energy states at the interface of advanced optoelectronic materials. Their approach enables high-efficiency operation and full-color emission, paving the way for multifunctional devices that can both produce and harvest light.

Scientists from the Departments of Inorganic Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the University of Malaga participate in an international collaboration which has optimized, through artificial intelligence, the process of producing bio-hydrogen from wastewater.