New Scientist - Physics

1. The universe could vanish at any moment – why hasn’t it?
   A cataclysmic quantum fluctuation could wipe out everything at any moment. The fact that we’re still here is revealing hidden cosmic realities
2. Quantum time crystals could be used to store energy
   The weird thermodynamics found in time crystals could be harnessed to store energy in a quantum battery-like device
3. Bizarre test shows light can actually cast its own shadow
   With the help of a ruby cube and two laser beams, researchers made one ray of light cast a shadow when illuminated by the other
4. You can't put a price on the sense of awe particle physics inspires
   Astronomy and particle physics are no longer seen as vital by the US establishment, so funding has fallen. But our work creates a sense of wonder, and wonder matters, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
5. Jets of liquid bounce off hot surfaces without ever touching them
   Droplets of fluid have been known to hover above a hot surface, but a new experiment suggests the same can happen to tiny jets of liquid too
6. Quantum Rubik's cube has infinite patterns but is still solvable
   Allowing for moves that create quantum superpositions makes a quantum version of a Rubik’s cube incredibly complex, but not impossible to solve
7. Knots made in a weird quantum fluid can last forever
   Shapes created by vortices in water often fall apart, but an odd quantum fluid made from ultracold atoms could support vortex knots that never lose their knottiness
8. What is the price of genius, asks biography of Roger Penrose
   The Impossible Man by Patchen Barss salutes Roger Penrose's groundbreaking work in physics and mathematics while challenging the idea that a genius should be exempt from ordinary obligations
9. Heat can flow backwards in a gas so thin its particles never touch
   A surprising reversal of our usual understanding of the second law of thermodynamics shows that it may be possible for heat to move in the “wrong” direction, flowing from a cold area to a warm one
10. We've seen particles that are massless only when moving one direction
    Inside a hunk of a material called a semimetal, scientists have uncovered signatures of bizarre particles that sometimes move like they have no mass, but at other times move just like a very massive particle