Scientists from Princeton University have found that one of the most intriguing phenomena in condensed-matter physics — known as the quantum Hall effect — can occur in nature in a way that no one has ever before seen. The ‘quantum Hall-like effect’ was found in a bulk material without an applied magnetic field. The work, while significant in a fundamental way, could also lead to advances in new kinds of fast quantum or “spintronic” computing devices, of potential use in future electronic technologies.