Phys.org, Author at Spotlight Magazine

Image: A gently glowing galaxy

A luminous swirl set against the deep black of space, the barred spiral galaxy IC 486 glows with a soft, ethereal light in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image from April 13, 2026.This post was […]

AI decides what we see online. It’s time digital platforms tell us exactly how they do it

If you suffer from information overload, or are unsure what to trust online, you’re not alone. Australians are increasingly disengaging from traditional news, turning instead to social media, influencers and—more recently—generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots […]

Ultralight carbon fiber lattices achieve aluminum-level performance at a fraction of the weight

Researchers at Seoul National University have developed a new class of ultralight structural materials that combine the load-bearing strength of engineering materials with the weight of foam. Using a method called 3D node winding, the […]

The friendlier AI gets, the more it can backfire

Major AI platforms, including OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as social apps like Replika and Character.ai, are increasingly designing chatbots to be warm, friendly, and empathetic. However, new research from the Oxford Internet Institute at […]

A virtual violin produces realistic sounds before wood is ever carved

There is no question that violin-making is an art form. It requires a musician’s ear, a craftsperson’s skill, and a historian’s appreciation of lessons learned over time. Making a violin also takes trust: Violin makers […]

Developing countries are writing AI laws they cannot enforce

Imagine that a government builds a five-star airport without any roads leading to it. The terminal is immaculate, the runway is regulation length—but there is simply no way to get there.This post was originally published […]

NASA connects little red dots with Chandra and Webb

A newly discovered object may be a key to unlocking the true nature of a mysterious class of sources that astronomers have found in the early universe in recent years. A “X-ray dot” found by […]

Programmable 3D-printed filaments mimic artificial muscles with heat-driven bending and twisting

Nature is replete with slender filaments that bend and coil—from climbing grape vines, to folded proteins, to elephant trunks that can pick up a peanut but also take down a tree.This post was originally published […]

Nano-tin interlayer steadies solid-state batteries, holding 81% capacity after 500 cycles

A research team led by Dr. Nam Ki-Hun at the Battery Materials and Process Research Center of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has successfully developed a nano-tin (Sn) interlayer control technology to address interfacial […]

International partners boost peace agreement success, study finds

Over the past 50 years, nearly 4 in 10 peace agreements have failed within five years of signing. New research shows that when international partners help implement an accord, the odds improve—and the deeper their […]