Cellular bridges

August issue

This month we learn how holes form in epithelioid tissues, observe atoms that are coherent for tens of seconds, and - in the aftermath of the Olympics - consider how physics influences sport.

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  • Artistic schematic of two atoms forming a molecule.

    This Insight issue celebrates and reviews recent progress in the generation and study of cold and ultracold molecules and ions for applications in quantum simulation, metrology and chemistry.

Nature Physics is a Transformative Journal; authors can publish using the traditional publishing route OR via immediate gold Open Access.

Our Open Access option complies with funder and institutional requirements.

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  • How cells manage the internal energetic budget to drive mechanical and chemical dynamics is still an open question. Now it is shown that the allocation of energy depends on the distance from thermodynamic equilibrium.

    • Sheng Chen
    • Daniel S. Seara
    • Michael P. Murrell
    Article
  • Kondo physics has been observed in moiré bilayers, but the expected magnetic transitions have not been reported. Now, a metal–insulator transition with ferromagnetic order that develops at nearly the same time is reported in a moiré bilayer.

    • Wenjin Zhao
    • Bowen Shen
    • Kin Fai Mak
    Article
  • Edge modes are a key feature of topological materials, but their propagation is difficult to directly observe in condensed matter systems. The controlled injection and propagation of chiral edge modes has now been shown in a rotating ultracold gas.

    • Ruixiao Yao
    • Sungjae Chi
    • Richard J. Fletcher
    Article
  • The dimensionality of a many-body system strongly impacts its physical behaviour. Now, a crossover from 1D to 2D has been observed in the Bose–Einstein condensate of a photon gas.

    • Kirankumar Karkihalli Umesh
    • Julian Schulz
    • Frank Vewinger
    Article
  • Approximate—rather than exact—quantum error correction is a useful but relatively unexplored idea in quantum computing and many-body physics. A theoretical framework has now been established based on connections with quantum circuit complexity.

    • Jinmin Yi
    • Weicheng Ye
    • Zi-Wen Liu
    Article
  • The Fisher information imposes a fundamental limit on the precision with which an unknown parameter can be estimated from noisy data, as Dorian Bouchet explains.

    • Dorian Bouchet
    Measure for Measure
  • PhD students can face many challenges, such as a lack of confidence in their newly acquired skills or the uncertainty about which career path to choose. We highlight some ways to empower students in their doctoral journey.

    Editorial
  • Measurements pervade winemaking, from the size of vineyards to the taste in your mouth. Stefanie Reichert gives us the tour.

    • Stefanie Reichert
    Measure for Measure
  • In light of the recent Olympic and upcoming Paralympic Summer Games in Paris, we take a closer look at the physics of sports and how it helps athletes improve their performance.

    Editorial
Light caught under the hand of a student as they plug wires into an electrical circuit

Physics Education Research

Using evidence-based approaches to improve the teaching of physics can help students achieve more and improve equity.
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