PNAS Nexus · 5 September 2026 · From issue 33

Detecting and characterizing restricted diffusion with accessible magnetic field gradients

A reduced scanning method finds trapped motion inside tiny spaces using only weak, cheap magnets.

Alfredo Ordinola, Magnus Herberthson et al.

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Also in issue 33 15 papers

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Local fish beat outsiders twice as strongly as stream fish beat lake fish overall.
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In lab tests, a gel-based slingshot launched objects at over 16 meters per second.
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In lab crystals, hot particles jumped between two stacked layers and made a much more efficient laser.
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In lab tests, a turbine's best power setting shifts when wind hits it at an angle.
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In worms and mice, omega-3 fat breakdown creates a brand new tag on proteins.
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In lab experiments, scientists mapped the exact steps that anchor a key cleanup protein to cell membranes.
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A mica-rich rock in fault zones can trap earthquakes within one narrow depth band.
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In lab studies, a drug breaks the HIV shell in two steps, starting at its curviest points.
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