Science: Theoretical astrophysicist Yousef Sobouti, the founder-director of Iran’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences in Zanjan, was dismissed last week by the Iranian Ministry of Science. In addition, over the past month, at least 17 other leaders of academic and scientific institutions have been replaced. As Science‘s Yudhijit Bhattacharjee reports here and last April, many believe that the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad has been weeding out political dissidents in Iran’s academic and scientific institutions since his election in 2009. This internal pressure comes at a bad time for Iranian science, as UN sanctions make it harder for scientists there to obtain equipment and attend meetings.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
Get PT in your inbox
PT The Week in Physics
A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.
One email per week
PT New Issue Alert
Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.
One email per month
PT Webinars & White Papers
The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.