Nature Physics, Published online: 15 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02490-4Thousands of Iranians study at German universities every year, but many struggle with the German academic system. Here, we offer some advice.

Nature Physics, Published online: 15 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02502-3Experience under the spotlight

Nature Physics, Published online: 15 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02504-1Active cell contraction drives hole nucleation, fracture and crack propagation in a tissue monolayer through a process reminiscent of dewetting thin films.

Nature Physics, Published online: 15 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02496-yMany recent experiments have stored quantum information in bosonic modes, such as photons in resonators or optical fibres. Now an adaptation of the classical spherical codes provides a framework for designing quantum error correcting codes for these platforms.

Nature Physics, Published online: 13 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02492-2The properties of quantum matter arise from the combined effects of dimensionality, interactions and quantum statistics. An experiment now studies what happens to ultracold bosons when the dimensionality of the system changes continuously between one and two dimensions.

Nature Physics, Published online: 13 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02509-wSpiral waves of cell density can form and propagate through bacterial biofilms. These waves are formed by a self-organization process that coordinates pulling forces between neighbouring cells.