Junming Zhang

In the world of magnetism, a simple dichotomy long reigned: ferromagnets, where spins point in one direction, and antiferromagnets, where they line up in a checkerboard pattern, canceling each other out. But a recent 'third player' — altermagnets — forced a rewrite of the rules.

Water and metal: a partnership humanity has used for two hundred years, yet still hasn't fully learned to control. In a typical battery, the zinc electrode gradually degrades: during charging, metal deposits on it in uneven growths resembling frost crystals. If one such growth reaches the other electrode, it shorts the circuit and kills the battery.