Ever since general relativity pointed to the existence of black holes, the scientific community has been wary of one peculiar feature: the singularity at the center — a point, hidden behind the event horizon, where the laws of physics that govern the rest of the universe appear to break down completely. For some time now, researchers have been working on alternative models that are free of singularities. A new paper published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP), the outcome of work carried out at the Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe (IFPU) in Trieste, reviews the state of the art in this area. It describes two alternative models, proposes observational tests, and explores how this line of research could also contribute to the development of a theory of quantum gravity.

 

Protons are the basis of bioenergetics. We know them, in our everyday life, from the pH values we see on various soaps and lotions. But the ability to move them through biological systems is essential for life. A new study shows for the first time that proton transfer is directly influenced by the spin of electrons, when measured in chiral biological environments such as proteins. In other words, proton movement in living systems is not purely chemical; it is also a quantum process involving electron spin and molecular chirality. The quantum process directly affects the small movements of the biological environment that support proton transfer. of. This discovery suggests that energy and information transfer in life is more controlled, selective, and potentially tunable than previously believed, bridging quantum physics with biological chemistry and opening new doors for understanding life at its deepest level—and for designing technologies that can mimic or control biological processes.

MIT chemists found a way to identify a complex sugar molecule in the cell walls of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest pathogen. This labeling could lead to simpler, faster TB tests.

A new paper published in Chemistry of Materials puts artificial intelligence and machine learning on the task of finding new, powerful electrolytes for designing next-generation batteries for electric vehicles, phones, laptops and grid-scale energy storage. The paper from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering outlines a new framework for finding molecules that maximize three components that make an ideal battery electrolyte – ionic conductivity, oxidative stability and Coulombic efficiency.

A new shortcut can help engineers design leak-proof magnetic confinement systems for fusion reactors 10 times as fast as the gold standard method, without sacrificing accuracy. While several other big challenges remain for all magnetic fusion designs, this advance addresses the biggest challenge that’s specific to a type of fusion reactor first proposed in the 1950s, called a stellarator.