Carlota Figueroa is an undergraduate student pursuing a double degree in Mathematics and Physics at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. During the 2026–2027 academic year, she will be studying abroad at the University of California, Berkeley. As a columnist, she hopes to make physics and mathematics accessible (and enjoyable) to everyone, regardless of their educational background. She is especially interested in condensed matter physics, radiation physics, and nuclear physics. When she is not studying, she likes to unwind by reading (especially Japanese literature!), watching MMA fights, lifting weights, or boxing. You can send her your opinions, suggestions, or comments by email: carlotafig [at] pm.me, or reach out via LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carlotafigueroa.
by Carlota Figueroa Picture this: it’s Friday at 10:30 pm, and you have an 11:59 pm deadline that you thought was much easier than it actually is. I’m sure if you think back to your university days, you can think of at least a couple of instances when this happened. As the kids would say…
by Carlota Figueroa Have you ever heard of a particle’s spin before? If you have, I bet that the first time you were introduced to this concept you were told to imagine a ball that spins on its axis and to take this as an analogy for what a particle’s spin really is. Now, if…
by Carlota Figueroa Actually, I can bet you another $5 that when you read the title of this article you thought that I was crazy and that there is no universe in which these two things can be the same. After all, you’d probably tell me that one is a stylish piece of clothing and…
by Carlota Figueroa Very recently, on June 10th of this year, Eva Andrei, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero and Allan H. MacDonald were awarded the 2026 Kavli Prize in the category of Nanoscience for their foundational work establishing the field of Twistronics. I know that sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it is one…