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Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Apr-2026 05:16 ET (29-Apr-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

InnoCORE Research Group successfully achieves AI protein design with Nobel Laureate David Baker

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Under the foundation of research cooperation established through the Ministry of Science and ICT's InnoCORE (InnoCORE) project, KAIST InnoCORE researchers have derived meaningful research results. Following a visit by Professor David Baker (University of Washington, USA), the 2024 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, KAIST has revealed research findings on designing proteins that accurately recognize desired compounds using AI through joint research.

Linker histone H1 acts as a liquid-like “glue” for chromatin

Research Organization of Information and Systems
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The human genome is about two meters long, yet it fits inside a nucleus only ~10 micrometers in diameter. A research team led by Kazuhiro Maeshima reports that linker histone H1—traditionally thought to form rigid chromatin structures—acts instead as a dynamic liquid-like “glue” in living human cells. Combining single-nucleosome imaging with computational modeling, the study shows that H1 organizes chromatin into a fluid, accessible structure.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Takeda Science Foundation, The UK High-End Computing Consortium for Biomolecular Simulation (EP/R029407/1), The UK Government’s Guarantee scheme (EP/Z002028/1) following funding from the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant), The Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Postdoctoral Fellowships Guarantee scheme (EP/X02332X/1), JSPS Research Fellowship, The National Institute of Genetics 2023 NIG-JOINT (4I2023)

Salk Institute to lead ARPA-H project with up to $41.3M to advance sonogenetics as a noninvasive therapeutic

Salk Institute
Grant and Award Announcement

Salk Institute scientist Sreekanth Chalasani, PhD, has received an award of up to $41.3 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to transform his lab’s sonogenetics discovery—using ultrasound to precisely control mammalian cells—into a potential new therapy for a number of human conditions, such as peripheral neuropathies.

New technique for synthesizing branched molecules could accelerate the development of future medicines

Scripps Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scripps Research chemists solve a longstanding problem in the construction of branched molecular frameworks, unlocking a faster path to the complex structures found in drugs and materials.

Journal: Science

Physicists zero in on the mass of the fundamental W boson particle

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team reports a new, ultraprecise measurement of the mass of the W boson that’s in line with predictions of the Standard Model, physicists’ best rulebook for describing the fundamental particles and forces of nature.

Journal: Nature
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy, SubMIT computing facility, sponsored by the MIT Department of Physics

UH engineer exposes structural weakness driving lithium-ion battery failure

University of Houston
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A University of Houston engineer has found that lithium dendrites—hazardous growths inside lithium-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles—are unexpectedly strong and brittle, signaling a need to rethink future battery design.

Journal: Science

A new trick brings stability to quantum operations

ETH Zurich
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Quantum exchange or swap gates are an important part of quantum computers with a large number of qubits. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a swap gate for qubits made of neutral atoms that is based on a particular physical effect: the state of the particles switches depending on the path they take and is independent of external disturbances. These so-called geometric phases make the system much less susceptible to experimental noise or imperfections. This novel swap gate works with a precision of more than 99,9 percent and can be applied to 17,000 qubits simultaneously.

Journal: Nature

Insilico Medicine nominates ISM6200, a potential best-in-class selective NR3C1 inhibitor for ovarian cancer, Cushing’s Syndrome, hypercortisolism-associated obesity and glaucoma

InSilico Medicine
Business Announcement

Insilico Medicine (03696.HK), a clinical-stage, generative AI-driven drug discovery company, today announced the nomination of ISM6200 as a potent, potentially best-in-class preclinical candidate (PCC) targeting NR3C1, for the treatment of ovarian cancer, Hypercortisolism (Cushing’s Syndrome), and other disorders related to excess cortisol including obesity. The process was empowered by Chemistry42, the generative chemistry engine affiliated to Insilico’s Pharma.AI, as well as the specialized applications across the molecule discovery and optimization cycle.

Optical control of nuclear spins in molecules points to new paths for quantum technologies

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have reported important progress in quantum physics and materials science by optically initializing, controlling, and reading out nuclear spin states in a molecular material for the first time. Because of their weak interaction with the environment, nuclear spins are particularly stable quantum information carriers. The research shows that molecular nuclear spins could be a promising building block for future quantum technologies. The results have been published in Nature Materials. (DOI: 10.1038/s41563-026-02539-0)

Journal: Nature Materials

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