For the first time, researchers have shown that self-assembled phosphorus chains can host genuinely one-dimensional electron behavior. Using advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques, they separated the signals from chains aligned in different directions to reveal their true nature. The findings suggest that squeezing the chains closer together could trigger a dramatic shift from semiconductor to metal. That means simply adjusting density could unlock entirely new electronic states.
Over 50 years ago, the classic Levi’s® Trucker jacket was introduced. But we are not one to rest on past accomplishments.
Now, the brand is turning to futuristic modes of innovation in manufacturing, pioneering a new approach in denim design.
Fast Company joined Levi’s® Head of Global Product Innovation, Paul Dillinger, at the Autodesk Pier 9 Workshop in San Francisco to witness how Levi’s® has been experimenting with 3D printing, creating digital renderings of the denim jacket which is essentially a shell of what the “real” thing could look like.
Recorded 10 February 2026. Sebastien Bubeck of OpenAI presents “A Combinatorics Problem” at IPAM’s AI for Science Kickoff. Learn more online at: https://www.ipam.ucla.edu/programs/sp… AI for Science Kickoff 2026: This inaugural event brings together the pioneers who are defining how AI will accelerate scientific discovery — from Nobel and Fields Medal laureates to the leaders shaping AI innovation across academia, research labs, and industry. The event features keynote talks by leading AI Scientists and Mathematicians, as well as panel discussions focusing on perspectives on AI from three sides: Mathematics, Higher Education, and Industry. This event is organized jointly by IPAM, the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences, the SAIR Foundation and the World Leading Scientists Institute.
Helion has achieved a significant milestone in fusion energy by successfully demonstrating deuterium-tritium fusion with plasma temperatures reaching 150 million degrees Celsius.
## Questions to inspire discussion.
Fusion Performance Achievements.
🔥 Q: What fusion performance records did Helion’s Polaris achieve?
A: Polaris became the first privately funded fusion machine to demonstrate measurable deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion while reaching plasma temperatures exceeding 150 million degrees Celsius, proving the ability to compress and hold fusion plasma for more pressure, more heat, and more fusion.
Operational Execution.
In two new studies on 28,000 individuals, researchers are able to show that genetic variants in 11 regions of the human genome have a clear influence on which bacteria are in the gut and what they do there. Only two genetic regions were previously known. Some of the new genetic variants can be linked to an increased risk of gluten intolerance, hemorrhoids and cardiovascular diseases.
The studies are published in the journal Nature Genetics.
The community of bacteria living in our gut, or gut microbiome, has become a hot research area in recent years because of its great significance for health and disease. However, the extent to which our genes determine which bacteria are present in the intestines has been unclear. Until now, it has only been possible to link a few genetic variants to the composition of the gut microbiome with certainty.
Gravity feels reliable—stable and consistent enough to count on. But reality is far stranger than our intuition. In truth, the strength of gravity varies over Earth’s surface. And it is weakest beneath the frozen continent of Antarctica after accounting for Earth’s rotation.
A new study reveals how achingly slow rock movements deep under Earth’s surface over tens of millions of years led to today’s Antarctic gravity hole. The study highlights that the timing of changes in the Antarctic gravity low overlaps with major changes in Antarctica’s climate, and future research could reveal how the shifting gravity might have encouraged the growth of the frozen continent’s climate-defining ice sheets.
“If we can better understand how Earth’s interior shapes gravity and sea levels, we gain insight into factors that may matter for the growth and stability of large ice sheets,” said Alessandro Forte, Ph.D., a professor of geophysics at the University of Florida and co-author of the new study recreating the Antarctic gravity hole’s past.