2025
Under a mountain in Savoie, the hunt for “dark matter” particles
August 14, 2025
Near Modane, a laboratory buried beneath the Alps is attempting to capture elements of a world parallel to our own. Paolo Privitera uses this laboratory to study dark matter.
[Article published in French. View in Chrome browser for translation option.]
The origin of the oldest solid objects in the solar system
August 14, 2025
Fred Ciesla reveals how observations of a young star offer a glimpse of the high-temperature conditions that shaped rock formation in the early Solar System.
Unlocking the secrets of our Galaxy’s heart using magnetic fields
August 14, 2025
PhD student Roy Zhao's research on a region called Sagittarius C discovers that magnetic field in the area wraps around an expanding bubble of hot, electrified gas blown outward by the winds from a cluster of massive young stars.
My little slime
August 14, 2025
PhD student Jasmine Lu incorporates slime mold into her devices due to its unique ability to conduct electricity.
University of Chicago researchers earn top honor for adaptive software breakthrough
August 14, 2025
Hank Hoffmann, Liew Family Chair of Computer Science, earns SEAMS Most Influential Paper Award for research on using control theory to enhance adaptive software reliability and responsiveness.
New UChicago-led research to unravel mysteries of ice sheet flow
August 14, 2025
Professors Steven Sibener in Chemistry and Meghana Ranganathan in Geophysical Sciences will lead project to better predict ice loss.
Nanoparticles that self-assemble at room temperature could transform vaccine delivery
August 14, 2025
Stuart Rowan and researchers from UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering created drug delivery nanoparticles that self-assemble with a simple temperature shift.
Dark matter hunters search for hidden-sector particles using specialized “camera” deep beneath the French Alps
August 13, 2025
The mysterious substance called dark matter is intrinsically invisible. It cannot be directly observed; its presence is inferred by its gravitational influence on the universe, such as binding galaxy clusters together and moving stars around their galaxy faster than they should. Yet new research published in Physical Review Letters uses a “camera” to look for dark matter interactions, thereby probing the nature of this elusive stuff.
People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones
August 9, 2025
A neurotic robot in a University of Chicago study was seen as more human and relatable, sparking emotional connections—despite extroverted robots being preferred.
AI chatbots’ content rules often frustrate users, study finds
August 9, 2025
A new study finds vague AI chatbot rules frustrate users, while Grok shows the risk of fewer guardrails.
Finding the “Goldilocks” solution to a classic math problem: a breakthrough in numerical integration
August 9, 2025
UChicago CS Assistant Professor Haotian Jiang and collaborator Nikhil Bansal develop a new algorithm that addresses the problems and surpasses the performance of both existing methods of numerical integration, including Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo.
Metal-sulfur active sites hold promise for safer hydrogen transport and storage
August 9, 2025
Integrating sulfur into crystalline nanostructures utilizes previously untapped active sites.
Researchers zero in on a new material for quantum information storage
August 9, 2025
An irregularity in magnesium oxide, a commonly used material in microelectronics, may be suited for qubits.
Moderation at the crossroads: how generative AI platforms manage creativity and content safety
August 9, 2025
A new study from Computer Science researchers explores how content moderation policies in generative AI tools both protect and sometimes hinder users—offering insights on the path to safer, more creative, and user-friendly platforms.
Galactic Rosetta Stone
July 29, 2025
Study measuring magnetic field near the center of the Milky Way helps to decode the precise astrophysical dynamics at the heart of our galaxy.