IOP Publishing

in 1902, Paul Dirac was born!

This English theoretical physicist is considered to be one of the founders of and shared the 1933 Nobel Prize with Erwin Schrödinger "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory" ⚛️.

Dirac also formulated the Dirac equation, which connected special relativity and quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter - regarded by some as "the real seed of modern physics".

Educate yourself on the Dirac equation, its historical context, and its contrast with earlier equations here 🔗: https://ow.ly/1uu150ZwMal

📣 Join IOP Publishing's upcoming webinar on Publishing Open Access in IOP Journals through ONOS APC Support.

Learn how researchers from ONOS member institutions can benefit from APC support, explore IOP Science resources, and gain insights from experts at INFLIBNET and IOP Publishing.

🔗 Register now: https://ow.ly/PEcg50Zxn4L

🎉 Celebrate with us the first anniversary of these insightful reads!

From quantum optics and photonics to advanced materials, environmental sensing and biomedical imaging, these books continue to equip researchers with the knowledge and tools needed to advance discovery across the physical sciences.

Explore these titles and many more in our collection, and read the first chapter of every ebook for free:

https://ow.ly/tl1b50ZwZrT

If you're reading this week's post on a smartphone, you already have everything you need for the experiment!

This activity presents a novel approach to use the phone's camera in real-time experiments using the open-source app Phyphox. Students can select an area of an image taken on the phone's camera and determine one or multiple meaningful aggregated properties such as luma, relative luminance, and coordinates of the HSV color for the area.

Dive into this easy and low-cost experiment here: https://ow.ly/IIAp50ZwM19

Astrophysics alert 🔭!

A new paper led by Planetary Science Institute researchers highlights new maps of global subsurface water ice on Mars - a necessary first step in preparing for human exploration 🪐. By leveraging data from multiple NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration missions, the team was able to create the most accurate map yet of Mars' icy regions.

Get the full story here 🔗: https://ow.ly/XG5j50ZwLB8

What support do you need as an early career researcher (ECR)?
Complete our survey and tell us what would help you most in your publishing journey and career development.
Your feedback will help us improve the resources, training and support we provide to ECRs.
Complete the survey: https://ow.ly/baR450ZtT9I

Notable new research reveals how topological surfaces strengthen magnetism. 🧲

A team of researchers from the USA has discovered that topological surface states mediate a strong, non‑oscillatory interaction that aligns magnetic moments and enhances ferromagnetic order.

This work provides a vital foundation for designing improved devices in spintronics, magnonics, and technologies.

👉 For a quick overview, read the Research Highlight: https://ow.ly/vWAY50ZrT7F

📝 To go in-depth, read the full article (open access): https://ow.ly/3kHX50ZrT7G

With thanks to: The Ohio State University

For over 100 years, "survival of the fittest" has been a popular adage to describe natural selection in the evolution of species.

However, a new study show that fitness is not the only factor involved, nor is it necessarily the decisive one. By combining the KPZ equation with the Fisher equation, researchers were able to create a predictive model of microbial colonies, which shows that the shape of a colony's development can significantly affect its success.

Certain spatial structures can even allow the less fit population to succeed over the more fit population. Explore the full article here: https://ow.ly/Q8pY50ZwLjz

❗Bioinspiration & Biomimetics is currently seeking an enthusiastic and engaged Editor-in-Chief to develop and lead the journal in collaboration with the IOP Publishing team over a 3-year term. Find out more and apply. Deadline: 14th August 2026.

https://ow.ly/7AJS50Zoh08

How are women physicists in India breaking down barriers and shaping the future of science?

An edited Q&A version of our April webinar, 'Celebrating women in physics in India', has been published by Physics World. The discussion shines a light on the challenges, opportunities and achievements of women working across the physics community in India. ⚛️

📖 Read the article: https://physicsworld.com/a/how-women-physicists-in-india-are-breaking-down-barriers-and-shaping-the-future/

It's also set to appear in the September issue of Physics World magazine.

How women physicists in India are breaking down barriers and shaping the future – Physics World Kaveri Hukku, Asima Pradhan and Urbasi Sinha describe their journeys as physicists in India