The inherent directionality of speakers and complex shapes of car cabins can exacerbate sound disparities between the drivers and passengers, no matter how advanced a speaker system. In the Journal of Applied Physics, researchers create a prototype using a fractal to mitigate the sound differences. To create their metamaterial, they used precise molding to shape the fractal and then placed it over a car speaker. They measured the sound pressure levels at different seats in the car and found their disparity significantly decreased, including at higher frequencies.

SAN ANTONIO — November 11, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has expanded the capabilities of its world-class Metering Research Facility (MRF) to ensure existing natural gas infrastructure is compatible with hydrogen fuels. This initiative is supported by internal funding and combines SwRI’s expertise in energy, power, and automotive engineering to help several industries evaluate how blending hydrogen with natural gas affects infrastructure and technology.

Do renewables always make power cheaper? In the UK, it depends on how much is on the system. Using causal machine learning on 2018–2024 market data, researchers find wind’s causal effect is U-shaped: at low penetration, +1 GWh can reduce prices by up to £7/MWh, the effect weakens mid-range, then strengthens again at higher penetration. The impacts have grown over time as renewables’ share rose, providing an evidence base for market design and support policy. These findings support adaptive support schemes and capacity planning that reflect changing marginal value rather than one-size-fits-all assumptions.

Every sheet of frost contains ionic defects. In a new paper published in Small Methods, Jonathan Boreyko’s team uses high voltage to polarize these ions and rip off the frost.

Researchers from the Department of Molecular Physics at the Fritz Haber Institute have demonstrated the first magneto-optical trap of a stable ‘closed-shell’ molecule: aluminum monofluoride (AlF). They were able to cool AlF with lasers and selectively trap it in three different rotational quantum levels - breaking new ground in ultracold physics. Their experiments open the door to advanced precision spectroscopy and quantum simulation with AlF. 

A recent study published in National Science Review has estimated the global biological nitrogen fixation from natural terrestrial ecosystems as 78.2–89.8 Tg N yr^-1, revealing an underestimation of this flux up to ~18% in existing Earth System Models (ESMs). The findings suggest many ESMs may overstate the nitrogen limitation or vegetation internal nitrogen recycling efficiency.