All Stories by Davide Castelvecchi
- Physics
Left in the cold
An optical trap lets atoms in but not out, and it can be used to study matter at ultracold temperatures.
- Physics
Life’s code in soap
The mathematics of soapy water yields some clues to the origin of the genetic code.
- Physics
Suction hunters
Scientists reveal new details on how extendable jaws help fish capture prey.
- Chemistry
Small, But Super
These 'atoms' can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they have special powers.
- Physics
Tight deadline
Light behaves like waves or particles, but it doesn’t know what it will do in advance.
- Humans
BOOK REVIEW | Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery
Review by Davide Castelvecchi.
- Chemistry
Slippery when dry
Surfaces that mimic the back of an African beetle can collect water from fog.
- Chemistry
Phlegmatic molecules
Time-lapse snapshots of molecules show that they change shapes less often than theory predicted.
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- Health & Medicine
Testing nanoparticles
Testing the toxicity of dozens of nanoparticles en masse may offer a faster track to medical applications.
- Humans
The undeciders
A country’s development seems tied to the size of its executive cabinet, and a mathematical model helps explain why.
- Math
Less is more
Researchers have shown that a grip that’s too tight can be counterproductive, especially on a microscopic object — but the findings could apply to fields ranging from ecology to sociology.
