Issues
From the Editor
Readers’ Forum
Commentary: Enabling a quantum leap
Search and Discovery
Antarctica is not protected from an influx of new species
Nonnative organisms have the unexpected potential to colonize the southern polar region, according to an interdisciplinary study that combined DNA analysis and ocean-current dynamics.
Vibrational spectroscopy dissects a surface reaction
When a metal surface catalyzes a chemical process, each surface atom’s local environment matters.
Semiconductor crystals achieve record thermal conductivity
The synthesis of low-defect boron arsenide crystals could reduce overheating in electronic devices.
Issues and Events
Engineered geothermal systems have wide potential as a renewable energy source
A test site in Utah will focus on tackling technical barriers.
Can carbon capture from air shift the climate change equation?
Critics dismiss the idea of scrubbing meaningful amounts of carbon dioxide from the air, but proponents say the approach could be scaled up for the job.
Articles
Coffee stains, cell receptors, and time crystals: Lessons from the old literature
Perhaps the most important reason to understand the deep history of a field is that it is the right thing to do.
Time crystals in periodically driven systems
When the discrete time-translation symmetry of isolated, periodically driven systems is spontaneously broken, a new phase of matter can emerge.
Homi Bhabha master builder of nuclear India
The founder of two of India’s preeminent nuclear-science research centers insisted that scientists be surrounded by culture and beauty.
Books
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Obituaries
Hellmut Fritzsche
Bradford Adelbert Smith
Quick Study
A bright approach to geochronology
Optical dating uses light signals emitted from buried sediment grains to measure how long those grains were underground.