US physics

A new report examines how major technology companies are confronting physical security risks tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. The analysis also assesses Iran's broader political, economic, and military resilience, and outlines the limits of US military power in the Middle East as the war continues.

Bloomberg reports that driverless trucks may provide a model for how autonomous AI systems can be deployed safely without harming people. The argument is that self-driving freight has operated under strict testing, regulation and limited-use conditions, offering a template for governing more advanced robots. The piece adds to ongoing debate about how to manage AI risks as automation expands into physical industries.

The US Space Force has reportedly deployed a kinetic-kill laser as part of the defensive systems protecting Cape Canaveral, Florida. The system is described as capable of physically destroying incoming threats rather than merely disabling them. The report has drawn attention among space policy and defense watchers, raising questions about the growing militarization of US launch facilities and the role of directed-energy weapons in homeland defense.

Morocco and Mali are meeting on the football pitch, and the fixture is drawing attention from fans in both countries and beyond. Morocco midfielder Neil El Aynaoui's teammate Bouaddi said 'Moroccan fans are with us wherever we go,' reflecting strong support for the national side around the match. Morocco come in as favorites, while Mali are seen as a tough, physical opponent capable of an upset.

Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja says he has gained roughly 70 pounds and 3 inches since being drafted, discussing the dramatic physical transformation as he pursues a return to the league. Bleacher Report highlighted his comments, and the story is drawing attention among basketball fans following his career abroad. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also trending in US searches, though the exact connection to the team is not confirmed.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced a $10 million Presidential Fitness School Innovation Challenge, a federal competition aimed at spurring new approaches to youth fitness and physical education in schools. The announcement was published on the department's official site. Details on eligibility, timelines and judging criteria were not included in the initial announcement, and reaction from schools, educators and health advocates has not yet emerged.

Economist Adam Tooze's latest link roundup highlights gridlock in the US housing market, alongside pieces on construction physics, Fredrick Taylor's management revolution, and the role of US police in immigration enforcement. The housing item suggests buyers and sellers are stuck, a recurring theme as high rates and low inventory leave many Americans unable to move.

A commentary published in Physics Today argues that US physics is facing what it calls its last crisis. Beyond the headline, no further details of the argument are available, so the specific nature of the crisis and the responses to it remain unknown.

Under New York law, rape charges generally require evidence of force or a clear refusal of sex, unless the victim was physically helpless through unconsciousness or mentally incapacitated after being drugged without consent. New York is one of 19 US states with such legal definitions, which critics say leaves many victims without effective protection under the criminal code.

Economist Adam Tooze's latest Chartbook newsletter covers the gridlock in the US housing market, the physics of construction, and Frederick Taylor's real industrial revolution. It also examines how US police forces are increasingly participating in deportation efforts. Readers are discussing the links between housing supply constraints, productivity in building, and the expanding role of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement.

People have started placing 'ghost chairs' outside a Smyths toy store in Greenford, west London, to hold their place in the queue for a product release tomorrow. The practice, long associated with US product launches, involves leaving chairs or placeholders to claim spots without physically waiting. The scenes were shared by a toy collector, drawing surprise that queue-saving culture has now reached the UK.

England have confirmed their starting lineup to face Czechia, with team news announced ahead of the match. The fixture is drawing heavy search interest in the UK, the US and India as fans follow the confirmed XI and expected tactics. Coverage centres on manager selection choices and how the side will line up against a physically strong Czech opponent.

Launch Complex 19 at Cape Canaveral, the pad that hosted NASA's Gemini missions in the mid-1960s, is being revisited as a site of decaying space-age ruins. The complex launched ten crewed Gemini flights between 1964 and 1966, paving the way for the Apollo program. Today the structures stand largely abandoned, drawing interest from space history enthusiasts reflecting on the physical remains of the early US space program.

Lawson Akhigbe's essay 'The Great Unchaining' argues that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk progressively freed people from the desk, the camera and the petrol pump through their work in computing, smartphones and electric vehicles. The piece contends these freedoms came at a philosophical cost, leaving society, in the author's words, philosophically naked about what comes next.

The US Department of Energy has announced up to $400 million in funding for its Office of Science under a fiscal year 2027 funding call. The allocation is directed toward the office's research programs, which support national laboratories and fundamental scientific work including physics, computing, and energy research. The announcement gives researchers and institutions advance notice of upcoming funding opportunities.

A Nobel laureate has called for open, unrestricted scientific exchange between countries, warning that rising geopolitical tensions threaten international research collaboration. The appeal highlights growing concern among scientists that export controls, visa restrictions and rivalries between major powers are fragmenting the global research community and slowing progress in fields like physics that depend on cross-border cooperation.

A study published in Nature examined how genetic vulnerability and physical activity interact in relation to major depressive disorder, using data from the All of Us Research Program, a large US biomedical database. The findings add to ongoing discussion about how lifestyle factors such as exercise may influence depression risk in people with genetic predisposition.

Scientists at the Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences are highlighting what observations of gas falling into a dead star reveal about the universe. Such accretion events around stellar remnants like white dwarfs or neutron stars help researchers test physics under extreme gravity and better understand how matter behaves in space.

The US National Science Foundation is moving forward with a plan to build what would be the world's most powerful laser, a project that UC Irvine researchers are involved in advancing. The facility would push the frontiers of high-intensity laser science, enabling experiments in fundamental physics that are currently beyond reach. Details on timeline and funding remain limited.

Marines from Bravo Company completed a Combat Fitness Test, documented in a series of photos released through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. The test, introduced to replace the old physical fitness test, measures combat-readiness through events such as ammunition can lifts, maneuver-under-fire and a three-mile run under load. The release highlights routine training across US Marine Corps units.

The 169th Force Support Squadron, part of the US Air National Guard's South Carolina-based 169th Fighter Wing, hosted a class to help airmen prepare for their physical fitness assessments. The session reportedly covered training and readiness ahead of official testing, part of ongoing military fitness preparation efforts.

A Kelvin wave, an oceanic phenomenon in which warm water and raised sea levels travel along the equator and poleward along coastlines, is pushing sea levels higher along the US West Coast. The story explains the physics behind the wave and its potential links to El Niño conditions, with implications for coastal flooding and erosion risks in communities from California to the Pacific Northwest.

Debris has been found from a medical transport plane that went missing off the US coast, confirming the aircraft likely went down at sea. The discovery shifts the operation from a search for the plane to an investigation into the wreckage and those on board. Authorities have not yet detailed the cause, and recovery efforts are continuing.