Topic description and stories

A huge range of materials are classified as granular – including sand, gravel, snow, nuts, coal, rice, barley, coffee and cereals. Globally, they are the second-most processed type of material in industry, after water.

Study reveals mysterious equality with which grains pack it in

26 Jun 2017

For the first time, researchers have been able to test a theory explaining the physics of how substances like sand and gravel pack together, helping...

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Artistic representation of one of the encapsulated tellurium nanowire types predicted by researchers.

Scientists construct a stable one-dimensional metallic material

19 May 2017

Researchers have developed the world’s thinnest metallic nanowire, which could be used to miniaturise many of the electronic components we use every...

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Artist's impression

World’s 'smallest magnifying glass' makes it possible to see individual chemical bonds between atoms

10 Nov 2016

Using the strange properties of tiny particles of gold, researchers have concentrated light down smaller than a single atom, letting them look at...

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Left to right: David Thouless, Duncan Haldane, and Michael Kosterlitz

Cambridge alumni win 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics

04 Oct 2016

Three alumni of the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge were today awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work in the field of condensed...

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Regime of a single 1D wire subband filled

A tight squeeze for electrons – quantum effects observed in ‘one-dimensional’ wires

15 Sep 2016

Researchers have observed quantum effects in electrons by squeezing them into one-dimensional ‘quantum wires’ and observing the interactions between...

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Polariton fluid emits clockwise or anticlockwise spin light by applying electric fields to a semiconductor chip.

Liquid light switch could enable more powerful electronics

08 Aug 2016

Researchers have built a record energy-efficient switch, which uses the interplay of electricity and a liquid form of light, in semiconductor...

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Basal cell carcinoma in mouse tail epidermis derived from a single mutant stem cell

Where did it all go wrong? Scientists identify ‘cell of origin’ in skin cancers

08 Jul 2016

Scientists have identified for the first time the ‘cell of origin’ – in other words, the first cell from which the cancer grows – in basal cell...

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Antimatter matters at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition

04 Jul 2016

Scientists from the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge are presenting their research into the nature of antimatter at this year’s Royal Society Summer...

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Computer simulations motivated by GW150914

Using gravitational waves to catch runaway black holes

30 Jun 2016

Black holes are the most powerful gravitational force in the Universe. So what could cause them to be kicked out of their host galaxies? Cambridge...

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Mixing light with dye molecules, trapped in golden gaps

Nano ‘hall of mirrors’ causes molecules to mix with light

13 Jun 2016

Researchers have successfully used quantum states to mix a molecule with light at room temperature, which will aid in the exploration of quantum...

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Polymer Opals

Squeezing out opal-like colours by the mile

03 Jun 2016

Researchers have devised a new method for stacking microscopic marbles into regular layers, producing intriguing materials which scatter light into...

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Expanding polymer-coated gold nanoparticles

Little ANTs: researchers build the world’s tiniest engine

02 May 2016

Researchers have built a nano-engine that could form the basis for future applications in nano-robotics, including robots small enough to enter...

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