Physics | Future Timeline | Blogs | Technology | Singularity | 2020 | 2050 | 2100 | 2150 | 2200 | 21st century | 22nd century | 23rd century | Humanity | Predictions

Blogs »

Physics

17th May 2025

Large Hadron Collider turns lead into gold

Using the ALICE experiment at CERN, scientists have produced gold from lead in quantities far exceeding those of earlier attempts.

22nd April 2025

Laser-cooled chips could transform data centre efficiency

A new laser-based photonic cooling system could reduce the energy needed for cooling in data centres, while improving the performance of computer chips.

7th April 2025

"Big Crunch" universe more likely than previously thought

A major survey of nearly 15 million galaxies suggests that dark energy might be weakening, potentially changing the ultimate fate of the cosmos and increasing the possibility of a "Big Crunch" in the distant future.

31st March 2025

Climate feedback loops could push warming to 7°C by 2200

Even under moderate emissions, global warming could reach up to 7°C by 2200, due to underestimated climate and carbon cycle feedbacks.

3rd March 2025

"e-Taste" could enhance VR experiences

A new electronic device, developed by Ohio State University, replicates the perception of taste with 70% accuracy.

20th February 2025

New world record for nuclear fusion

The WEST tokamak in France has maintained plasma for 1,337 seconds, a new world record duration for nuclear fusion and 25% longer than a similar effort by China last month.

15th February 2025

Cryopreservation breakthrough: mouse brain tissue revived

Scientists have successfully revived mouse brain tissue after storage at –150°C for a week, reactivating near-normal function – a notable breakthrough in cryopreservation.

28th December 2024

Quantum teleportation achieved over Internet cable

A study in Optica reports the first demonstration of quantum teleportation over fibres carrying conventional telecommunications traffic.

11th December 2024

Google reveals new "Willow" quantum chip

A new quantum chip from Google, "Willow", can perform calculations in minutes that would take classical supercomputers around 10 septillion years.

23rd November 2024

Climate change has made Atlantic hurricanes stronger

A new study concludes that hurricane wind speeds in the Atlantic have increased by an average of 18 mph (29 km/h) as a result of climate change.

3rd November 2024

New material boosts CO2 capture efficiency

A breakthrough material with a highly resilient, porous structure could accelerate efforts to achieve negative emissions.

24th October 2024

Solid-state batteries edge closer to reality

A breakthrough in solid-state battery design could eliminate key barriers to electric vehicle performance, making future EVs safer, more efficient, and longer-lasting.

22nd October 2024

New speed record for wireless transmission

A team at University College London has achieved 938 Gigabits per second (Gb/s) over a wireless connection.

16th October 2024

Industrial X-ray scans made 100x faster

A breakthrough in 3D X-ray imaging could allow rapid, detailed internal views of products, cutting inspection times by 99% for high-volume manufacturing.

3rd October 2024

Climate study forecasts Antarctic ice trends to 2300

Scientists have published the first ever multi-century, multi-model forecast of Antarctic ice sheet loss derived from global climate simulations, indicating that the West Antarctic ice sheet has potential to undergo a near-total collapse by 2300.

28th September 2024

DNA can now be stored for billions of years

Scientists have stored a full human genome on a 5D memory crystal, paving the way for eternal data archiving and potential restoration of species in the distant future.

4th August 2024

Warp drive failure simulated by researchers

Scientists have published research on the simulation of gravitational waves from a failing warp drive.

2nd July 2024

Robots with living skin

Researchers in Japan have found a way to bind engineered skin tissue to the complex forms of humanoid robots.

22nd May 2024

Microplasma device enables faster healing of injuries

Scientists in Japan report a substantial acceleration of tendon repair, using helium plasma jet therapy on rats.

18th May 2024

Heat from solar energy could decarbonise heavy industry

Solar energy has been combined with synthetic quartz to generate temperatures of more than 1,000°C. This proof-of-concept method shows the potential of clean energy to replace fossil fuels in heavy manufacturing.

13th May 2024

Record-high growth in atmospheric CO2

A record annual increase in Earth's atmospheric CO2 is reported, with a jump of 4.7 parts per million (ppm) compared to a year earlier.

1st May 2024

Record-breaking 3D printer is four times larger than predecessor

The University of Maine has demonstrated the world's largest 3D printer. The machine can print objects as large as 29 m (96 ft) long by 9.8 m (32 ft) wide by 5.5 m (18 ft) high, at a rate of 230 kg (500 lbs) per hour.

27th April 2024

Synthetic diamonds created under ambient pressure

A team of scientists from South Korea has created synthetic diamond in just 150 minutes, without needing seed particles and using only 1 atmosphere of pressure.

17th April 2024

Warp drive research boosted by new modelling tool

A numerical toolkit designed for modelling warp drive spacetimes has been released by Applied Physics.

4th March 2024

New carbon capture plant will boost capacity by an order of magnitude

A direct air capture facility known as "Mammoth" will remove up to 36,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year – nearly 10 times the capacity of its predecessor. The company involved is aiming for gigatons per year by 2050.

9th February 2024

New record for nuclear fusion power: 69 MJ

Researchers have successfully generated 69 megajoules (MJ) of energy using the Joint European Torus (JET) – the largest amount ever in a fusion experiment and a new world record.

9th January 2024

First functional semiconductor made from graphene

The first functional semiconductor made from graphene has been created. This could enable smaller and faster electronic devices and may have applications for quantum computing.

3rd January 2024

Neutron star cores revealed by supercomputer

One of the world's most powerful supercomputers has simulated the largest and densest neutron stars. This new model shows there is a 90% chance that they contain quark-matter cores.

7th December 2023

IBM launches Quantum System Two and first 1,000+ qubit chip

Computing giant IBM has launched the first utility-scale quantum computer, the first 1,000+ qubit chip, and the most efficient quantum processor in terms of error correction.

1st December 2023

Transatlantic jet uses 100% sustainable fuel

Virgin Atlantic has conducted the first ever transatlantic flight by a large plane using 100% sustainable aviation fuel.

24th November 2023

America's first commercial Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility is unveiled

A new direct air capture (DAC) facility developed by California-based startup Heirloom uses limestone rocks to pull already-emitted CO2 from Earth's atmosphere.

18th November 2023

New record solar cell efficiency

A new record high efficiency of 33.9% is reported for a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell.

30th October 2023

1,000+ qubit quantum computer announced

California-based startup Atom Computing has announced a quantum computer featuring 1,225 qubits, the first to break the 1,000+ barrier, which it plans to release in 2024.

29th September 2023

Supercontinent predicted to make Earth uninhabitable in 250m years

A study on Pangaea Ultima finds that the hypothetical supercontinent will make Earth uninhabitable for most forms of life in 250 million years, due to extreme temperatures.

28th September 2023

UK to deploy its first military laser

A high-energy laser weapon developed by Raytheon is now operationally ready and will be integrated onto the UK's Wolfhound military vehicle.

21st September 2023

X-ray laser could transform atomic-scale research

A major upgrade of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) has been completed. This latest version is 8,000 times faster and 10,000 times brighter, enabling scientists to observe molecular events in unprecedented detail.

18th September 2023

New record length for quantum coherence

A new record time for quantum coherence is reported, with a single-photon qubit encoded for 34 milliseconds. This is 55% longer than the previous record set in 2020.

26th August 2023

Particles hint at fifth fundamental force

Scientists at Fermilab report the most precise measurement yet of the magnetic moment of the muon. These particles are shown to wobble faster than predicted by the Standard Model, hinting at a possible fifth fundamental force.

29th July 2023

Nuclear thermal rocket engine to be tested in orbit

A collaboration involving NASA, DARPA, Lockheed Martin, and BWX Technologies will attempt the first in-orbit demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket engine in 2027.

19th June 2023

Intel announces new quantum chip for research

The new 12-qubit "Tunnel Falls" chip announced by Intel packs important features into its tiny form factor that could help accelerate research in quantum computing.

13th June 2023

First ever beaming of orbital solar power

The California Institute of Technology reports the first successful beaming of solar energy from space down to a receiver on the ground.

7th June 2023

New record solar cell efficiency

A new record high efficiency of 19.3% for organic solar cells is reported by Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

29th May 2023

IBM planning 100,000-qubit quantum computer for 2033

IBM has announced a 10-year, $100 million initiative with two universities to develop a quantum-centric supercomputer powered by 100,000 qubits.

11th May 2023

Helion aims for commercial fusion by 2028

Helion Energy has announced that Microsoft will become its first customer, in a deal that aims to supply 50 MW of fusion power by 2028.

6th April 2023

Micro-robot can target, capture, and move individual cells

A new robot just 10 microns across is able to navigate in a physiological environment and perform a variety of tasks both autonomously or through external control by a human operator.

2nd April 2023

"Ultramassive" black hole found via gravitational lensing

Astronomers in the UK have identified an "ultramassive" black hole – one of the largest ever discovered – and the first to be confirmed through gravitational lensing, at the centre of the galaxy Abell 1201 BCG.

6th March 2023

Channelling of ions can boost solar cell efficiency

The channelling of ions into defined pathways in perovskite materials is shown to improve the stability and operational performance of perovskite solar cells. A research team claims this could boost their efficiency from 25% to 40%.

16th February 2023

Direct transfer of quantum bits between chips

The first direct transfer of quantum bits between quantum computer microchips has been demonstrated, with a near-perfect accuracy rate and record high connection speed. A research team from the UK says their work has "the potential to scale-up by connecting hundreds or even thousands of quantum computing microchips."

10th February 2023

Breakthrough in recycling of wind turbine blades

A new chemical process developed by Danish company Vestas can ensure that wind turbine blades are recycled at the end of their life, instead of being abandoned or going to landfill sites.

9th February 2023

CO2 from direct air capture stored in concrete

For the first time, direct air capture (DAC) has been combined with permanent storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in concrete. This technology could be vital to reducing the climate impacts of the world's building stock, which may double by 2060.

29th January 2023

Shape-shifting robot developed in China

Engineers in China have designed tiny robots able to rapidly shift between liquid and solid states. The devices could be used to fix electronics or remove objects from the human body.

21st December 2022

New record solar cell efficiency

A new world record solar cell efficiency for a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell has been achieved, with scientists in Germany converting 32.5% of sunlight into electrical energy.

17th December 2022

Scientists find material with highest toughness ever recorded

Scientists in the U.S. have measured the highest toughness ever recorded, of any material, while investigating a metallic alloy made of chromium, cobalt, and nickel (CrCoNi).

13th December 2022

Net gain in fusion energy reported

In a major milestone for the field, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy report a net energy gain in the development of fusion power.

« Previous

		Latest updates »
		Timeline »
		Blogs »
		Features »
		Community »
Privacy policy


Latest updates »
Timeline »
Blogs »
Features »
Community »

Privacy policy