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In Physics of Fluids, researchers have developed a foolproof recipe for cacio e pepe, based on their findings studying the physics of mixing cheese in water and determining the mechanism that causes the cheese sauce to go from creamy to clumpy. The team found that a 2%-3% starch-to-cheese ratio produced the smoothest, most uniform sauce; they recommend using powdered starch, rather than relying on an unknown amount of starch in pasta water.

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Ambisonic rendering is a way to simulate the precise locations of sounds in 3D, and an ambisonics algorithm has allowed researchers to create rich virtual 鈥渟oundscapes.鈥� In JASA, researchers decided to test the limits of ambisonic sound reproduction through their 鈥淎udioDome鈥� loudspeaker array. Humans鈥� spatial acuity is high in front of our faces but decreases around the sides of our head, and the researchers鈥� experiments obtained very similar results from listeners in the AudioDome, proving that the loudspeaker array can reproduce sound locations at a spatial scale beyond the human limits of perception.

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In AIP Advances, researchers share a model that identifies the optimal location for bowling ball placement. Employing a system of six differential equations derived from Euler鈥檚 equations for a rotating rigid body, their model creates a plot that shows the best conditions for a strike. The model accounts for a variety factors, including the thin layer of oil applied to bowling lanes, the motion of the subtly asymmetric bowling ball, and a 鈥渕iss-room鈥� to allow for human inaccuracies.

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Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have worked to optimize the use of coffee grounds in pour-over coffee and present their suggestions in Physics of Fluids.

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In Physics of Fluids, researchers present gum tragacanth as a plant-based alternative to gelatin for creating edible films. The team developed films containing different concentrations of gelatin and gum tragacanth and monitored their survivability in water and saline solutions.

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In Physics of Fluids, researchers from the University of Strathclyde examine the properties of several dairy-free butter alternatives inside one of the region鈥檚 most well-known snacks: Scottish shortbread. The group tested the alternatives in their lab, selecting three types of vegan butter substitutes with different levels of fat and comparing their consistencies and responses to heat. The vegan alternative with the highest fat content behaved like butter when baked and yielded the most positive feedback in taste testing. Butter typically has a fat content around 80%, and the group recommends choosing a vegan butter with a similar consistency.

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Researcher Thomas Vilgis wondered if there was a more ethical way to enjoy foie gras, so he and his colleagues created a process to replicate the dish without force-feeding ducks and geese beyond their normal diets.

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In Physics of Fluids, researchers from the University of G枚ttingen in Germany decided to use a high-speed camera to capture what occurs while opening a swing-top bottle of beer. They found that the sound emitted by opening a pressurized bottle with a swing-top lid isn鈥檛 a single shockwave, but rather a very quick 鈥渁h鈥� sound.

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AIP is pleased to announce Ana Mar铆a Cetto as the recipient of the 2025 John Torrence Tate Medal for International Leadership in Physics. Cetto was recognized for her 鈥渙utstanding contributions to the promotion of science, and scientific outreach and cooperation worldwide, including transforming open access through Latindex, championing gender equity through the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World and advancing peaceful progress through science including at the International Atomic Energy Agency and in other international fora.鈥�

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AIP and APS are excited to award Samson Shatashvili with the 2025 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics. Shatashvili is being recognized for his clever use of various techniques in studying symmetry in quantum field theory, particularly his work with L. Faddeev on anomalies, with C. Vafa on exceptional holonomy compactifications of superstrings, and for the co-discovery of Bethe/gauge correspondence between supersymmetric vacua and quantum integrability. This annual award recognizes significant contributions within the field of mathematical physics.

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In JASA, researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution combine acoustic monitoring with a neural network to identify fish activity on coral reefs by sound. They trained the network to sort through the deluge of acoustic data automatically, analyzing audio recordings in real time. Their algorithm can match the accuracy of human experts in deciphering acoustical trends on a reef, but it can do so more than 25 times faster, and it could change the way ocean monitoring and research is conducted.

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In the journal Chaos, researchers in Japan explore the likelihood that Earth鈥檚 climate, as affected by solar heat, plays a role in seismic activity. Using mathematical and computational methods, they analyzed earthquake data alongside solar activity records and surface temperatures on Earth and observed that when they included Earth surface temperatures into their model, the forecasting became more accurate, especially for shallow earthquakes. The findings suggest the transfer of solar heat to the surface of the Earth does affect seismic activity, however minutely, and that incorporating solar activity predictions into detailed Earth temperature models may help issue earthquake forecasts.

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Keeping work surfaces clean during meat processing is a challenge, so in this week鈥檚 Journal of Laser Applications, researchers deliver key insights into a solution that could change the current practice altogether: Instead of working to prevent bacteria buildup, they created surfaces that stop bacteria from attaching in the first place.

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Using mathematical modeling, researchers have discovered that rate-induced tipping, which can happen if an environment changes too fast, can happen even in Daisyworld, a simple daisy-filled ecological model. If the planet heats up or cools down too quickly, all the daisies will go extinct, even if they would otherwise have been able to survive just fine under those conditions. This discovery mirrors similar observations found in other models and observed in real-life ecosystems.

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In JASA Express Letters, researchers develop machine learning tools that screen for comorbid anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder using acoustic voice signals. The team spoke to participants with and without comorbid AD/MDD and recorded them using a secure telehealth platform. The participants were given a semantic verbal fluency test, in which they were required to name as many animals as possible within a time limit. The team extracted acoustic and phonemic features from the recordings and applied machine learning technique to distinguish subjects with and without comorbid AD/MDD. The results confirmed that a one-minute semantic VFT can be reliably used to screen for AD/MDD.

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Researchers in Mexico have used mathematical analysis tools to study the effect of classical music on a fetal heartbeat and identify patterns in heart rate variability. They recruited 36 pregnant women and played two classical pieces for their fetuses.

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In Physics of Fluids, researchers propose a novel system that uses standing surface acoustic waves to separate circulating tumor cells from red blood cells with unprecedented precision and efficiency. The platform integrates advanced computational modeling, experimental analysis, and artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze complex acoustofluidic phenomena.

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In independent research in the American Journal of Physics, Ian Tregillis and George R.R. Martin derive a formula for viral behavior in the Wild Cards, a science fiction series written by a collection of authors about an alien virus called the Wild Card that mutates human DNA. The formula he derived is a Lagrangian formulation, which considers the different ways a system can evolve. It鈥檚 also a fundamental physics principle, which also makes the fictional example a powerful teaching tool.

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In Journal of Laser Applications, researchers present paper-based temperature and humidity sensors that are accurate, reliable, and eco-friendly. The team created the sensors by printing silver lines on commercially available paper through dry additive nanomanufacturing.

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If you鈥檝e ever tossed a generous pinch of salt into your pasta pan鈥檚 water for flavor or as an attempt to make it boil faster, you鈥檝e likely ended up with a whitish ring of deposits inside the pan.