The inherent dispersion of laser beams limits their effectiveness in precision applications. Researchers at Chiba University, with collaborators in the USA and India, developed a compact approach combining a Bessel lens and a flat multilevel diffractive lens to generate sharply defined, robust nondiffracting optical bottle beams. These beams feature alternating high-contrast regions and remain propagation-invariant over distances beyond 5 cm, enabling applications in advanced imaging, optical trapping, harmonic generation, micromachining, and high-fidelity quantum operations.

Two previously unknown species of fungi, Neohelicomyces coffeae and Neohelicomyces puerensis, have been found living on dead coffee plant branches in China. These belong to a group called Neohelicomyces, known for their unique, coiled shapes that look like tiny springs or spirals under a microscope. While many fungi in this group have been found in the wild, this study is significant because it explores how these organisms exist within agricultural environments, specifically in coffee-growing regions.

Better farming through technology: A new UC Riverside system can map soil moisture tree by tree, so growers water only where and when it’s needed. 

A University of Sydney quantum physicist has developed a new approach to quantum error correction - using lattice gauge theory - that could significantly reduce the number of physical qubits required to build large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Observing the Taurus Molecular Cloud, a research team led by Kyushu University has found that during the early growth period of a baby star, the protostellar disk blows magnetic flux 1,000 au in size and creates a giant, relatively warm ring. Describing these phenomena as a baby star’s “sneezes,” these expulsions of energy and gas help the star to properly develop.

A new method for chemically recycling acrylic, developed by the University of Bath (UK), uses less energy and non-toxic solvents without reducing quality, so plastics can be recycled again and again.