Sunday, July 26, 2026

 

2026 Europhysics Prize honors discovery of altermagnetism as a third fundamental class of magnetism



JGU researcher Jairo Sinova and former Mainz-based scientist Libor Šmejkal receive the 2026 EPS Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society together with Tomas Jungwirth



Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz

WeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail
altermagnetic crystal 

image: 

Schematic illustration of the structure of an altermagnetic crystal: The unique symmetry of the electron distribution underlies the extraordinary properties of this newly discovered class of magnetic materials.

view more 

Credit: ill./©: Libor Šmejkal





One of Europe's highest distinctions in condensed matter physics has been awarded for a discovery that is reshaping our understanding of magnetism: The 2026 Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society (EPS) Condensed Matter Division goes to Professor Jairo Sinova of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Dr. Libor Šmejkal, and Professor Tomas Jungwirth for their discovery of altermagnetism – a previously unknown fundamental class of magnetism. The prize recognizes their groundbreaking work establishing that nature hosts a third elementary form of collinear magnetism in addition to ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. The discovery overturns a century-old understanding of magnetic order and has opened an entirely new research field with major implications for quantum materials, condensed matter physics, and future information technologies.

"This award recognizes a fundamental discovery that challenged one of the most established paradigms in condensed matter physics," said Professor Jairo Sinova, Director of the Spin Phenomena Interdisciplinary Center (SPICE) at Mainz University. "Discovering that an entirely new magnetic phase had remained hidden for more than one hundred years demonstrates that even the most mature scientific fields can still hold fundamental surprises."

The long-established partnership between Sinova’s team at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Professor Tomas Jungwirth's group at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague played a central role in the development of altermagnetism. While jointly affiliated with Prague, Dr. Libor Šmejkal worked in Mainz from 2016 until 2024, first as a doctoral researcher and later as a postdoctoral scientist in Professor Jairo Sinova's research group. During these eight years at JGU, he led the development of many of the theoretical concepts that ultimately culminated in the discovery of altermagnetism. The team combined modern symmetry theory with spintronics to reveal a fundamentally new type of magnetic order. Their theoretical predictions rapidly inspired experimental confirmations around the world, including spectroscopic and transport observations in several materials. Today, altermagnetism has become one of the fastest-growing research areas in condensed matter physics, with research programs now spanning Europe, North America, and Asia.

Rewriting physics textbooks

For over a century, physicists assumed that all collinear magnets belonged to one of two categories. Ferromagnets possess a net magnetization and are the foundation of modern magnetic memory technologies. Conventional antiferromagnets, while magnetically compensated, exhibit fundamentally different electronic properties.

The discovery of altermagnetism revealed a third possibility: materials that possess no net magnetization like antiferromagnets while simultaneously exhibiting electronic properties previously thought exclusive to ferromagnets. This unique combination enables highly spin-polarized electrical currents together with ultrafast magnetic dynamics, making altermagnets attractive candidates for next-generation spintronic devices.

Beyond technological applications, the discovery has profound implications for fundamental physics. Altermagnetism establishes a new symmetry class of matter and provides unexpected connections to topological physics, unconventional superconductivity, and strongly correlated quantum materials.

From theoretical prediction to a worldwide field of research

The first steps toward the discovery of altermagnetism emerged from earlier theoretical work on unconventional magnetic transport phenomena, including the prediction of the crystal anomalous Hall effect. The researchers subsequently recognized that these unusual properties reflected not isolated material-specific behavior, but an entirely new magnetic phase governed by previously overlooked spin symmetries.

In 2022, they introduced the complete symmetry classification of altermagnetism and identified hundreds of candidate materials. Since then, experimental groups worldwide have confirmed the existence of altermagnetism using multiple complementary techniques, including angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and electrical transport measurements.

The field has expanded extraordinarily rapidly, with hundreds of publications appearing in only a few years – and altermagnetism becoming a major topic at international conferences.

 

The EPS Europhysics Prize – a prestigious European distinction

The EPS Europhysics Prize is among Europe's most prestigious awards in condensed matter physics. Presented since 1975, it recognizes outstanding discoveries that have significantly advanced the field, with a substantial portion of the research carried out in Europe.

The prize will be presented during the 32nd General Conference of the European Physical Society Condensed Matter Division (CMD32) in Graz, Austria, in September 2026.

 

About the laureates

Professor Jairo Sinova is Professor of Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany and Director of the Spin Phenomena Interdisciplinary Center (SPICE) at JGU. His research focuses on spintronics, quantum materials, and magnetism.

Dr. Libor Šmejkal carried out the decisive theoretical work leading to the discovery of altermagnetism while working at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz from 2016 to 2024. He is currently affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, and the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Professor Thomas Jungwirth is based at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of Nottingham and has been a long-standing collaborator with the Mainz research team.

 

More information in the EPS press release at https://eps.org/2026-eps-europhysics-prize-for-outstanding-achievement-in-condensed-matter-physics-announced/

 

Further information:

 

Read more:

Posted by at No comments:

 


Pusan National study explores the hedging capability of cryptocurrencies in turbulent markets



A quantile analysis study identifies some green cryptocurrencies as better transmitters of volatility compared to green assets, challenging traditional assumptions




Pusan National University

Facebook
XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail
Are Green Cryptocurrencies More Effective Than Traditional Green Assets as Diversification and Hedging Instruments? 

image: 

Challenging traditional assumption, certain green cryptocurrencies such as Cardano and Stellar act as major transmitters of market volatility, while green bonds, clean energy, and ESG investments often absorb these shocks.

view more 

Credit: Professor Sang Hoon Kang from Pusan National University, Korea






The rapid growth of sustainable finance in recent years has fuelled interest in green investment, ranging from green bonds and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) funds to energy-efficient cryptocurrencies. While these assets are often grouped under the broader umbrella of green finance, their interaction during periods of market stress remains largely unexplored.

Investors usually prefer ESG funds and green bonds on the assumption that they provide both ethical and financial security. Green cryptocurrencies, which rely on energy-efficient consensus mechanisms such as Proof-of-Stake and related protocols, have emerged as alternatives to traditional cryptocurrencies, which are known for their high energy consumption. Whether these assets complement one another or amplify risk remains unclear.

A new study, led by Professor Sang Hoon Kang of Pusan National University, examined the interconnectedness between seven green cryptocurrencies and three major green financial benchmarks. Using daily market data spanning November 2017 to July 2024, which includes the COVID-19 pandemic period, the team investigated how risk is transmitted across sustainable financial markets under different market conditions. The findings of this study were published in Volume 12 of the Financial Innovation journal on June 09, 2026. “As green cryptocurrencies are getting more integrated into sustainable investment portfolios, we wanted to understand their hedging capability and how it differs from traditional green finance options,” explained Prof. Kang.

The researchers employed a quantile vector autoregression framework, an advanced statistical approach that captures market behaviour during bearish (lower quantiles), normal (medium quantiles), and bullish (higher quantiles) conditions. Unlike conventional methods that focus on average market relationships, this approach allows the dynamics of risk transmission to be examined during periods of extreme stress and exuberance.

The analysis revealed a striking U-shaped pattern in market connectedness. During relatively stable market conditions, interactions between green cryptocurrencies and traditional green assets were moderate, allowing for meaningful diversification opportunities. However, connectedness increased sharply during both market downturns and market booms. Under these extreme conditions, assets became far more synchronized, reducing the benefits of diversification and increasing the potential for financial contagion.

Portfolio analysis also suggested that traditional green assets provide only limited hedging effectiveness against green cryptocurrency volatility. Among the cryptocurrencies studied, Cardano and Stellar emerged as the most influential transmitters of volatility across the sustainable finance ecosystem. In contrast, green bonds, clean energy indices, and ESG investments consistently acted as net receivers of volatility, absorbing disturbances generated elsewhere in the system.

These findings challenge the traditional perception that green financial assets function as reliable safe-haven investments. Although green bonds and ESG-related assets are often regarded as defensive portfolio components, the results indicate that they may remain vulnerable to shocks originating in green cryptocurrency markets, particularly during periods of heightened uncertainty.

The study further showed how major global events strengthened these connections. Market interconnectedness increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained elevated during subsequent geopolitical disruptions. As crises intensified, diversification benefits weakened and risk spillovers became more pronounced across sustainable asset classes.

As green cryptocurrencies become increasingly integrated into investment portfolios, evidence of asymmetric spillovers will be important for preventing investors from assuming that all “green” assets are automatically safe or diversifying. “While investors may need to adopt more dynamic portfolio strategies, regulators should consider measures aimed at monitoring and managing systemic risks associated with emerging green digital assets,” explained Prof. Kang.

The study provides new evidence that sustainability-focused investments are not immune to financial contagion. As the green finance ecosystem continues to expand, the findings of this study can help investors, fund managers, and policymakers in developing monitoring tools, volatility thresholds, disclosure standards, and cross-border regulatory frameworks for green digital assets.

 

***

 

Reference
DOI: 10.1186/s40854-025-00868-8

 

About Pusan National University
Pusan National University, located in Busan, South Korea, was founded in 1946 and is now the No. 1 national university of South Korea in research and educational competency. The multi-campus university also has other smaller campuses in Yangsan, Miryang, and Ami. The university prides itself on the principles of truth, freedom, and service and has approximately 30,000 students, 1,200 professors, and 750 faculty members. The university comprises 14 colleges (schools) and one independent division, with 103 departments in all.
Website: https://www.pusan.ac.kr/eng/Main.do

 

About the Author
Dr. Sang Hoon Kang is currently working as a professor at the Department of Business Administration, Pusan National University. He received his Ph.D. degree from UniSA Business University of South Australia. He is interested in financial time-series analysis, emerging stock markets, Islamic finance, risk management, energy finance, and financial connectedness network.  He has contributed in more than 150 research articles in reputed journals including Energy Economies, Resource Policy, Finance Research Letters, International Review of Financial Analysis, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal etc.
ORCID Id: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1236-136X

 

Journal

Financial Innovation

DOI

10.1186/s40854-025-00868-8 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Are green bonds and green energy markets hedges for green cryptocurrencies? A quantile VAR approach

Posted by at No comments:

 

Increased social media use linked to anxiety, suicidal ideation among young adults, UTHealth Houston researchers find



University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Facebook
XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail
Jeff Temple, PhD 

image: 

Jeff Temple, PhD, professor, psychologist, and associate dean for clinical research at UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences.

view more 

Credit: Photo by UTHealth Houston





Teenagers who spent six or more hours a day on social media were twice as likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and three times as likely to report suicidal ideation than those who spent less than an hour on social media each day, according to researchers at UTHealth Houston. 

The findings were published today in Pediatrics Open Science and led by Jeff Temple, PhD, professor and associate dean for clinical research at UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences.

“?When teens are using social media, they’re comparing themselves to others. People only post the good on social media, typically, so they only see this happy life where everything’s perfect, and so we compare ourselves to others,” said Temple, who is the Betty and Rose Pfefferbaum Chair in Child Mass Trauma and Resilience at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “It could also be that because they're spending so much time on social media, they’re not spending time in the real world getting typical prosocial stuff that makes us happy and makes us less anxious.” 

The opposite could also be true—young adults who are already experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression may use social media more as a form of escape, Temple said. 

Unlike previous studies, which focused heavily on high school or college students and predated new social media platforms like TikTok, Temple’s team focused on emerging adults who were, on average, age 12 when the research began. 

Temple and his team used data from a group of 1,066 young adults who self-reported their social media use through annual surveys between 2018 and 2025.

Of the group, 8.5% reported using social media less than an hour a day, while more than a third reported using social media between one and three hours each day. Slightly more than 17% reported using social media for six or more hours each day, with girls reporting higher levels of usage than boys. 

Additionally, the association between symptoms of anxiety and social media use was more pronounced among girls, according to the data. 

Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scales. The scales ask respondents to self-report how many days in the past week they’ve experienced certain symptoms, such as a poor appetite, trouble sleeping, feeling on edge, or trouble relaxing. 

Temple said the study confirms what children and families report anecdotally about mental health and social media use. 

“?It’s easy to blame what’s in our face, quite literally—phones. Without studies, it’s just opinion,” Temple said. “Once we understand the problem and recognize the problem, then we can start answering the who, what, when, where, why, and how, and determine what we need to do to either make folks look at their smartphones and social media less, or make social media higher quality and less likely to contribute to poor mental health.”

Additional authors with UTHealth Houston include Elizabeth Baumler, PhD, and Leila Wood, PhD. 

Journal

Pediatrics Open Science

Article Title

Associations Between Social Media Use and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

Article Publication Date

24-Jul-2026

Posted by at No comments:

 

New research reveals US mass shootings and suicide deaths share summer peaks




SAGE
Facebook
XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail







A new study has found that mass shootings and deaths by suicide in the United States share seasonal patterns, reaching their highest levels during summer months.

Analyzing national data spanning 2014 to 2021, researchers observed consistent summertime peaks in both mass shootings and suicide deaths, suggesting that common environmental, behavioral, or biological factors may contribute to seasonal fluctuations in these forms of violence.

While the causes of mass shootings and suicidality are complex and multifactorial, the findings raise the possibility that mass shootings may share risk pathways with suicidal behavior. Prior research has shown that a substantial portion of individuals who perpetrate mass shootings exhibit suicidal thoughts, prior suicide attempts, or an expectation of dying during the attack. The new findings add a population-level perspective, demonstrating that mass shootings and suicides follow similar seasonal rhythms.

The study builds on decades of research demonstrating seasonal variation in suicide, which typically peaks in late spring and summer despite common assumptions that risk is highest during winter months, when symptoms of depression peak in severity. The authors propose several potential contributing factors and emphasize that the findings identify an association rather than a causal mechanism. Further research is needed to determine whether seasonal factors directly influence the risk of mass shootings, and whether prevention strategies developed for suicidality extend to identifying individuals at risk for extreme acts of violence.

The researchers hope that a better understanding of when and why these events occur may ultimately inform efforts to prevent and respond to mass violence and suicidal behavior.

This article, “Seasonality of Mass Shooting Events and Deaths by Suicide in the United States, 2014 to 2021,” by Mark Czeisler, MD, PhD of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Medicine at Mass General Brigham and published in Journal of Biological Rhythms, is free to access and can be read here.

Journal of Biological Rhythms is the official journal of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms and offers peer-reviewed original research in all aspects of biological rhythms.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7 throughout the United States. If there is an immediate risk of harm, call 911 or seek emergency medical care.

Journal

Journal of Biological Rhythms

DOI

10.1177/07487304261464399 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Seasonality of Mass Shooting Events and Deaths by Suicide in the United States, 2014 to 2021

Article Publication Date

24-Jul-2026




Posted by at No comments:

 

Is the licensed Zaire ebolavirus vaccine suitable to combat the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak?



Researchers at the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen provide evidence of possible cross-protection through an already licensed Zaire ebolavirus vaccine.




Deutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ)/German Primate Center

Facebook
XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail
Dr. Markus Hoffmann and Prof. Dr. Stefan Pöhlmann. 

image: 

Dr. Markus Hoffmann (left) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Pöhlmann, infectious disease researchers at the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research.

view more 

Credit: Karin Tilch / Deutsches Primatenzentrum





Ebolaviruses are among the most dangerous known human pathogens. Three ebolavirus species have repeatedly caused major disease outbreaks on the African continent. Most outbreaks have been caused by Zaire ebolavirus. Vaccines and therapeutics are available for this virus species. In contrast, no therapeutics or vaccines are currently available against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is responsible for the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This significantly complicates efforts to control the outbreak, which is already the largest documented Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak to date. It was previously unclear whether the currently circulating virus variant can enter human cells more efficiently than earlier variants and thereby contribute to the unusual dynamics of the outbreak. It was also unknown whether licensed vaccines against Zaire ebolavirus can provide at least partial protection against Bundibugyo ebolavirus. A research team from the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ), together with scientists from the TWINCORE – Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and the Charité – University Hospital Berlin, investigated both questions. The researchers found no evidence that the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant infects human cells more efficiently. Viral entry into cells could be inhibited by antibodies present in sera from individuals vaccinated with the vector vaccine VSV-ZEBOV-GP. The study therefore provides important evidence that an already available vaccine might protect individuals at risk of severe disease and contribute to combat the ongoing outbreak (The Lancet Infectious Diseases).

Largest documented Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak to date
Since the first infections with Bundibugyo ebolavirus were reported in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2026, the outbreak has spread further and reached neighboring Uganda. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of 17 July 2026, 2,124 infections have been confirmed to date and 828 people have died as a result of the infection. An end to the spread is currently not foreseeable. “This is already the largest documented outbreak of this ebolavirus species to date,” explains Stefan Pöhlmann, head of the Department of Infection Biology at the DPZ.

 

No licensed therapeutics or vaccines available against Bundibugyo ebolavirus
Bundibugyo ebolavirus is one of four ebolavirus species that can cause disease in humans. Repeated major outbreaks have so far been caused primarily by Zaire ebolavirus, including the 2014-2016 West-African Ebola epidemic, which resulted in more than 28,000 infections and over 11,000 deaths. Licensed vaccines and therapeutics against Zaire ebolavirus are now available. Such medical countermeasures are lacking for infections with Bundibugyo or Sudan ebolavirus. Their development and clinical evaluation will still require time, which significantly complicates efforts to control the current outbreak.
 

No evidence for increased infectivity of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant
Because the Zaire ebolavirus variant responsible for the largest Ebola epidemic in West-Africa in 2014- 2016 carried a mutation in the glycoprotein that likely facilitated entry into human cells, the researchers first investigated whether the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant enters human cells more efficiently than previous variants. For their studies, the researchers at the German Primate Center produced so-called pseudoviruses, replication-incompetent virus particles equipped with the glycoproteins of different ebolaviruses. These pseudoviruses were subsequently used to infect macrophages and dendritic cells, which are the main target cells of ebolaviruses. The analyses provided no evidence of increased infectivity of the currently circulating Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant.

Antibodies generated by vaccination against Zaire ebolavirus also neutralize the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant
To investigate whether licensed vaccines against Zaire ebolavirus also induce antibodies capable of neutralizing the currently circulating Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant, the researchers mixed pseudoviruses with serum samples from vaccinated individuals who had participated in a previous clinical study on the immunogenicity and tolerability of the VSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine. They subsequently analyzed the extent to which the antibodies present in the sera inhibited pseudovirus entry into human cells. The results showed that most samples contained antibodies that neutralized pseudoviruses carrying the glycoprotein of the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant, although less efficiently than pseudoviruses carrying the Zaire ebolavirus glycoprotein.

Further studies are required to confirm clinical benefit during the current outbreak
“Our results show that the currently circulating Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant does not have an increased potential to infect human cells compared with previous variants. At the same time, our data suggest that the available vaccine against Zaire ebolavirus may also contribute to combat the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak until specific vaccines and therapeutics become available,” says Markus Hoffmann, head of the study and first author. However, he adds: “Our results need to be confirmed in studies using infectious Bundibugyo ebolavirus. In addition, further investigations are required to reliably assess the clinical benefit of using Zaire ebolavirus vaccines during the current outbreak.”

 

Journal

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

DOI

10.1016/S1473-3099(26)00407-X 

Article Title

Pseudovirus-based analysis of host cell entry and vaccineinduced neutralisation of Bundibugyo virus

Article Publication Date

23-Jul-2026

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)