Physics
- Particle Physics
Physicists measured Earth’s mass using neutrinos for the first time
Counting tiny particles that can zip straight through the Earth reveals what the planet is like on the inside.
- Materials Science
Questions about toxic red tides, and more reader feedback
Readers had inquiries about a new deicing material, harmful algal blooms and more.
- Physics
A new measurement bolsters the case for a (slightly) smaller proton
The PRad physics experiment has come up with a result favoring a punier proton.
- Physics
Vanadium dioxide’s weird phase transition just got weirder
When shifting from one crystalline structure to another, the atoms inside vanadium dioxide bumble around a lot more than expected.
- 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.
- Particle Physics
What the electron’s near-perfect roundness means for new physics
The electron remains stubbornly round, meaning we may need to build beyond the Large Hadron Collider to find physics outside of the standard model.
- Cosmology
The universe’s continued existence implies extra dimensions are tiny
The strictest limits yet on the size of extra dimensions come from the fact that black holes haven't destroyed the universe.
- 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.
