Best of Last Week – High-temp superconductivity, ice cream changes colors when licked and more sophisticated ransomeware
(Phys.org) —Last week was a big one for research into practical applications as one team of physicists unlock nature of high-temperature superconductivity—the team identified what is believed to be the "quantum glue" that underlies a promising type of superconductivity, possibly paving the way to real applications. Meanwhile, researchers are working with tiny magnets, huge fields: Nanoscale ferromagnetic electrodes create chemical equivalent of solid-state spin valve—they propose that the limitations of using a magnetic gradient force field to manipulate paramagnetic molecules precisely can be dealt with by using very tiny ferromagnetic electrodes to produce powerful localized force fields that can be fine-tuned by an external magnetic field. And in Spain, a a physicist creates ice cream that changes colors as it's licked—secret ingredients respond to temperature change and chemicals found in the mouth.