The week in physics: Packing problems; Squid skin–inspired material; Fingerprinting supernovae

The week in physics: 21–25 July A tasty introduction to packing problems Understanding how particles of all kinds fill space has applications in physics, engineering, materials design, and even machine learning. Ruben Zakine and Michael Benzaquen A color-changing material inspired by squid skin Researchers have fleshed out the details of a mechanism that some cephalopods use to quickly change colors and even become semitransparent. Laura Fattaruso ADVERTISEMENT Learn Why Top Employers Hire Physics Graduates at the SPSCon Career Expo Leading science and technology companies are increasingly hiring physics bachelors for roles in engineering, software development, data science, and more. Discover the roles physics bachelors are filling and how you can tap into their talent at the 2025 Physics & Astronomy Congress Career Expo! Learn More From the vault: September 1970 The future of physics Many physicists may turn to molecular biophysics, pulsar astronomy and the problems of environmental pollution, just as some turned to radioastronomy and computer technology 25 years ago. Freeman J. Dyson Anyons abound in 1D quantum gases The statistical behavior of the unusual particles, which are neither fermions nor bosons, is coming under experimental control. Johanna L. Miller Fingerprinting a supernova explosion Maia Chandler From the July issue Highlighting women in quantum history The authors of a new book tell the stories of 16 women who made crucial contributions to quantum physics yet whose names don't usually appear in textbooks. Ryan Dahn Post a Job Get Job Alerts Browse All Jobs Machine Director Canadian Light Source (Saskatoon, Canada) View Job Director of the Ion Beam Laboratory University at Albany (Albany, NY) View Job LQC Postdoctoral & Research Scientist Positions in Qubit Materials & Devices LPS Qubit Collaboratory at the University of Maryland (College Park, MD) View Job Postdoctoral Researchers in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics: Superconductivity and 2D Quantum Shanghai Advanced Research in Physical Sciences (Shanghai, China) View Job Assistant Professor, Theoretical Quantum Computation University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) View Job Posdoctoral Associate Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) View Job Physics Today is published by the American Institute of Physics. To manage your AIP email preferences and newsletter subscriptions, click here. Or unsubscribe from all AIP emails. © 2025 American Institute of Physics. Physics Today 1 Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740-3842 +1 301 209 3100