WRITING ON THE WALL A new type of radiation detection could make it much harder to keep radioactive material under wraps.
Aleksey Klints/Shutterstock
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Magazine
In the July 8 SN: DNA traces many roads to domestication, seeking quantum supremacy, the 25th anniversary of the qubit, bones’ secret messages, how monkeys see faces, redating Homo sapiens, a record-breaking gas giant, strange dragonfly wings and more.
Matter & Energy
Topic Image Rail
MAJORANAS IN MOTION Majorana fermions (blue, red, and purple lines) travel through a topological insulator (horizontal bar) with a superconductor layered on top in this illustration of new experiments to detect the fermions. Green lines indicate electrons travelling on the edges of the topological insulator.
Beijing Sondii Technology Co Ltd.
ORDER FROM DISORDER Maxwell’s Demon (illustrated above) is a hypothetical creature that could illegally decrease entropy, or disorder, by separating faster molecules (blue) from slower ones (green) within a box of gas. Scientist have probed this demon’s memory for the first time.
J. Hirshfeld
Matter & Energy
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Physics
News
Scientists peek inside the mind of Maxwell’s demon
Scientists probe information retained by Maxwell’s demon.50 Years Ago
50 years ago, a millionth of a degree above absolute zero seemed cold
Today, scientists have reached temperatures less than a billionth of a degree above absolute zero. -
Chemistry
News
Radioactive substances leave electron ‘fingerprints’ behind
A new method of nuclear forensics could make it harder to handle radioactive material in secret.Reviews & Previews
Every breath you take contains a molecule of history
In 'Caesar’s Last Breath', best-selling author Sam Kean tells vivid stories about the gases we can’t see. -
Materials
Teaser
Bone-inspired steel cracks less under pressure
Steel that’s structured like bone resists cracks better that the traditional form of the heavy-duty building material.50 Years Ago
Germanium computer chips gain ground on silicon — again
Having pushed silicon to its limit, engineers are turning back to germanium. -
Quantum Physics
News in Brief
China’s quantum satellite adds two new tricks to its repertoire
Satellite performs quantum teleportation and securely transmits encryption keys.Essay
A quarter century ago, the qubit was born
The invention of the qubit a quarter century ago enabled the quantum information revolution. -
Condensed Matter
News
Majorana fermion detected in a quantum layer cake
Scientists found evidence of a particle that is its own antiparticle.News
Faux particles commit physics faux pas
Quasiparticles present in a solid material break the rules of particle physics.
