The sign of the Casimir force depends on the electric permittivities and the magnetic permeabilities of the materials involved. For a gold sphere immersed in a ferrofluid, tuneability of the Casimir force by means of a magnetic field is now shown.

The Leidenfrost effect—a droplet hovering on a hot surface due to vapour in between—requires a surface temperature of about 230 °C. Now a tailored microstructured surface is shown to enable quick hovering of water droplets at 130 °C.

When bacteria starve, their cytoplasm detaches from the cell wall. A model now shows that this process determines bacterial death rates and can be controlled to keep bacteria viable in a starved state.

The mechanism by which two-dimensional materials remain stable at a finite temperature is still under debate. Now, numerical calculations suggest that rotational symmetry is crucial in suppressing anharmonic effects that lead to structural instability.

Active cell contraction drives hole nucleation, fracture and crack propagation in a tissue monolayer through a process reminiscent of dewetting thin films.

Many recent experiments have stored quantum information in bosonic modes, such as photons in resonators or optical fibres. Now an adaptation of the classical spherical codes provides a framework for designing quantum error correcting codes for these platforms.

Social activities are common in many research groups, often based around outdoor activities such as hiking. We argue that there are more inclusive ways to bring a team together.

UNESCO has now formally adopted World Metrology Day as a UNESCO International Day to be observed on 20 May each year — the theme of 2024 is sustainability. Shanay Rab and Richard Brown take a look at its origin.

Thousands of Iranians study at German universities every year, but many struggle with the German academic system. Here, we offer some advice.