The week in physics: How tariffs are affecting US scientists; Measuring diamond-defect clusters

The week in physics: 4–8 August ADVERTISEMENT Innovative High-Bandwidth Hexapod To meet industrial demands for reliability, precision, and high dynamics, PI developed a compact, direct-drive 6-DoF hexapod using lever-based actuators to reduce complexity, improve performance, and minimize wear. This article outlines the system design and evaluates its precision and dynamic capabilities for industrial-scale use. Learn more. Fluctuating tariffs exacerbate US science funding woes For new faculty and others ordering big-ticket items, the import taxes can be a gut punch. Toni Feder Diamond-defect clusters are measured with speed and precision The improvement in measuring nitrogen–vacancy quantum sensors could make them more useful for observing correlated condensed matter, biological systems, and more. Alex Lopatka ADVERTISEMENT Looking for talented engineers, software programmers, and data scientists? Hire a physics bachelor at the 2025 Physics & Astronomy Congress Career Expo. Physics graduates are versatile problem solvers, ideal for a wide range of analytical roles. Learn more about recruiting top technical talent at this key networking event! Learn More. From the vault: July 1987 Mass extinctions caused by large bolide impacts Evidence indicates that the collision of Earth and a large piece of Solar System debris such as a meteoroid, asteroid or comet caused the great extinctions of 65 million years ago, leading to the transition from the age of the dinosaurs to the age of the mammals. Luis W. Alvarez You might have missed Q&A: Kathrin Spendier manages the XPRIZE quantum computing competition Curiosity about snow friction drove the competitive skier to slalom into physics. Toni Feder From the August issue The Charm School: A summer research opportunity for women before REUs Mathematician and physicist Dorothy Weeks brought female students into the laboratory almost two decades before NSF began funding a research program targeted at undergraduates. Joanna Behrman Post a Job Get Job Alerts Browse All Jobs Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, Geophysics Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) View Job Assistant Professor of Practice University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) View Job Medical Physics Assistant Columbia University Irving Medical Center (New York, NY) View Job Machine Director Canadian Light Source (Saskatoon, Canada) View Job Director of the Ion Beam Laboratory University at Albany (Albany, NY) View Job Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Physics in Experimental Applied Physics Davidson College (Davidson, NC) 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