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DNA is not just genetic material. It is also an advanced polymer that's inspiring new research that treats DNA as a soft material. As well as shedding light on the processes of life, this work could also lead to applications such as smart drug carriers or new methods for regenerating tissues. Find out more in "Make or break: building soft materials with DNA" by physicist Davide Michieletto from the University of Edinburgh, UK. He also appears in this short video about his work. Matin Durrani, editor-in-chief, Physics World

THIS WEEK'S HEADLINES

Lasers | Research update Photonic crystal lasers deliver optimal performance for lidar sensing and laser processing Photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers emit high-quality beams with high output power and narrow divergence Gravity, Quantum | Research update Quantum gravity could soon be tested using ultracold atoms Proposal involves looking for signature derived from quantum information studies Diagnostic imaging | Research update How do surgical face masks affect functional MRI measurements? Wearing a face mask during functional MRI alters the baseline signal, but has no significant impact on the task-activated response Advanced materials, Optics and photonics | Research update Light could levitate micron-thin aircraft in Earth's mesosphere Gossamer film of tangled carbon nanotubes gives objects a lift 2D materials, Quantum computing | Research update Interconnected single atoms could make a 'quantum brain' Cobalt atoms on black phosphorous "learn" by adapting in response to an applied voltage

EXPLORE MORE

Astronomy and space, Particle and nuclear | Podcast Meteorite hunters find fireball fragments in England, CERN collider has discovered 59 new hadrons Scientists race against time to find pristine meteorites and what exotic hadrons could tell us about the nature of the strong force Quantum, Sponsored | Innovation showcase Quantum conference offers business insight Quantum Business Europe aims to provide an online meeting place for all the key players in Europe's rapidly growing quantum sector Quantum computing, Sponsored | Analysis Integrated system offers easy and scalable quantum control Dutch start-up Qblox has created a single modular unit providing all the input and output signals from ultrastable DC to 18.5 GHz needed to replace the myriad of discrete instruments that are typically used to control a quantum computer Condensed matter, Sponsored | Innovation showcase Global audience tunes into online APS March Meeting More than 11,000 scientists and students will participate in the APS's virtual March Meeting Biomaterials, Biophysics and bioengineering | Feature Make or break: building soft materials with DNA Davide Michieletto explains how DNA can be harnessed to create a new generation of "topologically active" materials

OUR LATEST WEBINARS You can explore our full selection of webinars on our website.

Medical physics, Sponsored | Webinar Accuracy, feasibility and reliability of linac-based VMAT technique for total body irradiation (TBI) Join the audience for a live webinar on 7 April 2021 sponsored by Elekta Environment and energy, Sponsored | Webinar Chemo-mechanics of preventing dendrite penetration in Li metal cells Join the audience for a live webinar on 24 March 2021 sponsored by The Electrochemical Society

INNOVATION SHOWCASES You can explore our full selection of innovation showcases on our website.

Integrated platform delivers quantum control New from Quantum Machines (QM) is the Quantum Orchestration Platform (QOP), a complete hardware and software solution that allows even the most complex quantum algorithms to be run on any quantum processor. Unlike classical computation, where the computer logic is embedded within the processor itself, quantum processors have no built-in logic. Logic operations are instead performed by sending high-frequency pulses to the quantum processor from tailor-made classical hardware.

Integrated unit simplifies the generation of complex waveforms The new Proteus RF arbitrary waveform generators/transceivers from Tabor Electronics allow complex pulse shapes and phases to be easily created up to 8 GHz, eliminating the need for cumbersome IQ modulator/oscillator set-ups. With an optional high-speed digitizer, the Proteus can be converted into an arbitrary waveform transceiver to provide closed-loop measurement capability within a single unit and programming environment.

Novel AFM mode enables electrochemical mapping for battery research The NX range of atomic force microscopes (AFMs) from Park Systems now supports scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM), a new pipette-based nanoelectrochemical scanning probe technique for investigating the local electrochemical properties of electrode surfaces. For the first time this technique is allowing scientists studying electrocatalysis and energy storage to correlate electrochemical activity with the nanostructure of electrochemical interfaces. In one recent study, the SECCM mode of the Park NX12 system was used to study an electrochemically reversible redox process at a highly ordered surface of pyrolytic graphite (HOPG).

Superconducting magnet system offers more efficient cooling The Janis DryMag 1.5 K superconducting magnet system from Lake Shore Cryotronics offers a more cost-effective solution for low-temperature material research. Providing a continuous temperature range of 1.5 K to 420 K – even with the magnet operating at full field – the cryogen-free system now enables an easy shift between in-plane and out-of-plane measurements by providing both a 2D vector field magnet configuration as well as 0–90° precision sample rotation. An optional electrical transport measurement package is available, which includes Lake Shore's M91 FastHall measurement controller for much faster, more precise Hall measurements.

VACANCIES FROM PHYSICS WORLD JOBS

Postdoctoral Scholars, US PhD Positions in Quantum Optics and Quantum Technologies, UK NXCT Facility Manager and Principal Instrument Scientist, UK Faculty Positions, Japan Principal Systems Engineer, US PhD Position, France Postdoctoral Researcher Position in Theory of Superconducting Quantum Simulations, Finland Electrical Engineer for Particle Accelerator Applications, Belgium PhD Position on Nonequilibrium Quantum Dynamics of Multi-Component Ultracold Gases, Germany Scientific Leader for Fast Feedback Controls PETRA IV, Germany

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