All Stories by Emily Conover
- Physics
Gravitational waves gave a new black hole a high-speed ‘kick’
Ripples in spacetime revealed that two black holes united into one, which then sped off at around 5 million kilometers per hour.
- Particle Physics
The Large Hadron Collider has restarted with upgraded proton-smashing potential
Physicists will start taking data this summer once the revamped Large Hadron Collider gets up to full speed.
- Particle Physics
Muons spill secrets about Earth’s hidden structures
Tracking travel patterns of subatomic particles called muons helps reveal the inner worlds of pyramids, volcanoes and more.
- Particle Physics
The W boson might be extra hefty. If so, it could hint at new physics
A new measurement of the W boson’s mass, made by smashing particles together, reveals a potential crack in physics’ standard model.
- Physics
Levitating plastic beads mimic the physics of spinning asteroids
"Tabletop asteroids," buoyed by sound waves, hint at why some loosely bound space rocks have odd shapes and can’t spin too quickly.
- Physics
Physicists explain the mesmerizing movements of raindrops on car windshields
Wind and gravity compete to make some raindrops go up while others slide down, a mathematical analysis suggests.
- Physics
Russia’s war in Ukraine raises nuclear risks, physicists warn
Experts flag the potential for accidents at seized nuclear sites as well as the increased dangers of accidental nuclear warfare.
- Astronomy
Astronomers may not have found a sign of the universe’s first stars after all
A new study of radio waves from early in the universe’s history finds no hint of the “cosmic dawn” claimed by an earlier study.
- Earth
Weird ‘superionic’ matter could make up Earth’s inner core
Computer simulations suggest that matter that behaves like a mash-up of solid and liquid could explain oddities of Earth’s center.
- Quantum Physics
The quantum ‘boomerang’ effect has been seen for the first time
Jostled particles return to their starting points in certain materials, an experiment reveals, confirming theoretical predictions.
- Physics
An ‘everlasting’ bubble endured more than a year without popping
One of the bubbles, made with water, glycerol and microparticles, lasted 465 days before popping.
- Space
50 years ago, NASA’s space shuttle program got the green light
For over 30 years, space shuttles helped revolutionize science. Now, NASA is tackling new frontiers with help from commercial spaceflight companies.
