Physical Sciences News

Astronomy & Astrophysics, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Physics, and Mathematics

The Latest

New XPS Instrument at UC San Diego Gives Researchers a Closer Look at Material Surfaces

A new XPS machine at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute is helping researchers advance work in battery technology, surface coatings and medical devices.

Making Rare Quantum Events Happen

Researchers from UC San Diego theorize that if light travels through a material trapped in a microresonator there is an opportunity for rare quantum electrodynamical events to occur. These events leave material “fingerprints” on the photons that are not present in simple linear optics phenomena.

9 Ways UC San Diego Has Shaped the American Story

As America marks its 250th anniversary, discover nine surprising ways UC San Diego has contributed to the nation's history — from helping forecast D-Day to advancing lifesaving medicine, climate science and the technologies of tomorrow.

UC San Diego Professor Daniel Kane Awarded Gödel Prize, Highest Theoretical Computer Science Honor

UC San Diego computer science and mathematics professor Daniel M. Kane has been awarded the 2026 Gödel Prize, one of the highest honors in theoretical computer science.

What Powered the Earth’s Earliest Life?

Early biological systems that could generate guanosine‑triphosphate (GTP) from prebiotic chemicals would gain a crucial advantage toward self‑replication. Now researchers from the UC San Diego report a version of an RNA enzyme (ribozyme) that makes GTP synthesis more efficient than its predecessor.

New Step Toward Programmable Chemistry May Help Reduce Drug Side Effects

Drug delivery and diagnostic imaging often lack specificity, but a new “TRACE” method lets specially‑caged compounds stay inert until a target cell’s enzymes quickly remove the cage, potentially allowing for more precise drug delivery and sharper diagnostic imaging.