All Stories by Emily Conover
- Astronomy
Three gas clouds nearly grazed the edge of the Milky Way’s black hole
Gas clumps cozy up to the Milky Way’s enormous black hole, new observations reveal.
- Physics
This cloud-zapping laser could help scientists create a quantum internet
A powerful fast-pulsing laser can bust through clouds to make quantum communication via satellite easier.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, the safety of artificial sweeteners was fiercely debated
Scientists are still learning more about the health effects of chemical sweeteners
- Astronomy
‘Einstein’s Shadow’ explores what it takes to snap a black hole’s picture
The new book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Event Horizon Telescope’s attempt to image a black hole.
- Physics
A new ultrafast laser emits pulses of light 30 billion times a second
A new technique allows lasers to pulsate at a higher rate than ever before.
- Particle Physics
Physicist Leon Lederman, renowned for his subatomic particle work, has died
The Nobel Prize–winning particle physicist discovered multiple particles and wrote popular science books.
- Physics
Dazzling laser feats earn these physicists a Nobel
The 2018 Nobel Prize in physics went to scientists — including the third-ever female winner — who made optical tweezers and boosted the strength of laser pulses.
- Particle Physics
Hints of weird particles from space may defy physicists’ standard model
Signals from the ANITA experiment don’t square with the properties of elementary particles cataloged in the standard model.
- Quantum Physics
Douglas Stanford probes the chaos inside black holes
Theoretical physicist Douglas Stanford is linking some of the most massive objects known to the quantum realm.
- Math
Here’s why we care about attempts to prove the Riemann hypothesis
The Riemann hypothesis could hold the key to understanding prime numbers.
- Animals
How math helps explain the delicate patterns of dragonfly wings
Scientists have found a mathematical explanation for the complex patterns on the wings of dragonflies and other insects.
- Particle Physics
Three new physics experiments could revamp the standard model
New experiments that rely on very large machines have begun to probe the weak points of particle physics.
