News

  1. Materials Science

    Lead becomes stronger than steel under extreme pressures

    Lead is a soft metal, easily scratched with a fingernail. But that changes dramatically when the metal is compressed under high pressures.

    By Emily Conover
  2. Climate

    5 things to know about fighting climate change by planting trees

    One group’s idea of planting vast swaths of trees to curb climate change exaggerates the proposal’s power to trap carbon, some argue.

    By Susan Milius
  3. Space

    Realigning magnetic fields may drive the sun’s spiky plasma tendrils

    Solar spicules emerge near counterpointing magnetic fields, hinting that self-adjusting magnetism creates these filaments, which may heat the corona.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Tech

    A tiny switch could redirect light between computer chips in mere nanoseconds

    Microscopic switches that ferry information using light, not electric current, could help create better, faster electronics.