This molecule puts a new twist on the Möbius strip

This molecule puts a new twist on the Möbius strip Skip to content Subscribe today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe Now Menu All Topics Health Humans Anthropology Health & Medicine Archaeology Psychology View All Life Animals Plants Ecosystems Paleontology Neuroscience Genetics Microbes View All Earth Agriculture Climate Oceans Environment View All Physics Materials Science Quantum Physics Particle Physics View All Space Astronomy Planetary Science Cosmology View All Magazine Menu All Stories Multimedia Reviews Puzzles Collections Educator Portal Century of Science Unsung characters Coronavirus Outbreak Newsletters Investors Lab About SN Explores Our Store SIGN IN Donate Home INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921 SIGN IN Search Open search Close search Home INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921 All Topics Earth Agriculture Climate Oceans Environment Humans Anthropology Health & Medicine Archaeology Psychology Life Animals Plants Ecosystems Paleontology Neuroscience Genetics Microbes Physics Materials Science Quantum Physics Particle Physics Space Astronomy Planetary Science Cosmology Tech Computing Artificial Intelligence Chemistry Math Science & Society All Topics Health Humans Humans Anthropology Health & Medicine Archaeology Psychology Recent posts in Humans Neuroscience The right sounds may turn sleep into a problem-solving tool By Bethany BrookshireMarch 3, 2026 Health & Medicine Over 40? 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Red and blue regions show the twisty wave function for electrons added to the molecule. A wave function is a quantum concept that is related to the probability of finding an electron in a given location. IBM Research and the University of Manchester By Emily Conover 2 hours ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print A new molecule takes an unexpected turn. Scientists created half-Möbius molecules, similar to the Möbius strips common in math classes, but half as twisty. It’s a type of topology, or geometrical structure, that is new to molecules, scientists report March 5 in Science. A Möbius strip is a mathematical oddity that can be made by connecting the ends of a thin band of paper, but twisting one end by 180 degrees. If you run your finger along the loop of paper, you must go around twice before your finger returns to where you started. Scientists dreamed up the idea of a molecule with the topology of a Möbius strip in the 1960s, and since then, researchers have created multiple versions of them. A Möbius strip (rendering shown) is a loop with a 180-degree twist in it. New molecules have half this amount of twist.BojanV03/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) But half-Möbius molecules weren’t on chemists’ radars until now. In the newly created molecules, electrons can move in regions of space set by a twisted path that rotates 90 degrees in each revolution. That’s half as twisted as a Möbius strip, and it means that four circumnavigations of the path — instead of two — are needed to return to the starting point. The molecules consist of 13 carbon atoms, arranged in a ring, with two chlorine atoms attached. Those chlorine atoms can impart a twist to the molecule that allows it to form the half-Möbius geometry. Atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, alongside calculations made using a quantum computer, helped confirm the molecule’s structure. The scientists could even manipulate the molecules’ topology. By giving a molecule some energy, the researchers were able to switch it from a half-Möbius configuration to one with no twist. Half-Möbius molecules are uncharted territory, so potential applications for the molecules are distant and unclear, says chemist Igor Rončević of the University of Manchester in England. “No one really thought that this sort of thing could exist.” Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ Citations Igor Rončević et al. A molecule with half-Möbius topology. Science. Published online March 5, 2026. doi: 10.1126/science.aea3321 About Emily Conover E-mail X Senior physics writer Emily Conover has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award and a winner of the Acoustical Society of America’s Science Communication Award. We are at a critical time and supporting climate journalism is more important than ever. Science News and our parent organization, the Society for Science, need your help to strengthen environmental literacy and ensure that our response to climate change is informed by science. Please subscribe to Science News and add $16 to expand science literacy and understanding. Popular Stories Neuroscience Why is math harder for some kids? Brain scans offer clues By Lily BurtonFebru