What is the role of dissolved organic matter in the deep sea? In a study relating to this question, researchers from the Universities of Bremen and Oldenburg have investigated the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in detail. Their samples were obtained during an expedition to the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.

New study shows that electron spins—tiny magnetic properties of atoms that can store information—can be protected from decohering (losing their quantum state) much more effectively than previously thought, simply by applying low magnetic fields. Normally, these spins quickly lose coherence when they interact with other particles or absorb certain types of light, which limits their usefulness in technologies like quantum sensors or atomic clocks. But the researchers discovered that even interactions that directly relax or disrupt the spin can be significantly suppressed using weak magnetic fields. This finding expands our understanding of how to control quantum systems and opens new possibilities for developing more stable and precise quantum devices.