Scientists have come a step closer to understanding how collisionless shock waves – found throughout the universe – are able to accelerate particles to extreme speeds.

A new milestone in nuclear physics has been achieved with the direct observation of three different deformations in the atomic nucleus of lead-190 (190Pb). These deformations, associated with three distinct shapes–spherical, oblate (resembling a tomato), and prolate (similar to a watermelon)–exist simultaneously near the ground state. The findings, published in Communications Physics in January 2025, were made possible by complementary experimental techniques and call for better theoretical models. 

In a study published in Science Bulletin, researchers developed a high-performance contactless solar evaporation design with a 3D solar-heating and vapor-escaping structure, addressing challenges in the scalable and durable contactless solar evaporation. The 3D design significantly improves the vapor transport, achieving a laboratory evaporation rate of 1.03 kg m^-2 h^-1 under one-sun illumination, 110% higher than conventional methods and 1.21 kg m^-2 h^-1 in outdoor tests under dilute solar flux (589.98 W m^-2). The design demonstrated excellent scalability, with minimal performance variation (3%) between small and large devices, offering a robust, contamination-resistant solution for sustainable water treatment.

In a paper published in National Science Review, scientists present the first regional-scale assessment of the drainage effect on metal-organic carbon interactions in wetlands, an under-investigated mechanism mediating wetland soil carbon response to water-table drawdown. The team found that long-term drainage enhanced metallic protection of soil organic carbon in vascular plant-dominated (non-Sphagnum) wetlands in contrast to (Sphagnum) moss-dominated wetlands due to varied vegetational shifts.

Researchers have developed a new software tool that provides unprecedented capabilities to see inside 3D images, which allowed them to analyze never-before-seen dynamics of embryonic mouse heart development using optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. 

Cordierite, the material behind heat-resistant pizza stones, has been shown to resist changes in size despite significant temperature fluctuations. The reasons for this have been largely unexplained until the publication of this new study from Queen Mary University of London, published in Matter. The findings have profound implications for the design and development of advanced materials. 

Dr John Coxon, esteemed member of Northumbria University’s world-leading Solar and Space Physics research group, has been recognised by the Royal Astronomical Society for his work.