Physics
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
Why even small sonic booms are more annoying in cities
Quieter sonic booms from next-generation planes could still be annoying in cities thanks to narrow streets and tall buildings, simulations suggest.
- Physics
Scientists created ‘smoke rings’ of light
A swirling doughnut of light shows that vortex rings aren’t just for fluids anymore.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum physics exponentially improves some types of machine learning
It wasn’t entirely clear if quantum computers could improve machine learning in practice, but new experiments and theoretical proofs show that it can.
- Particle Physics
How neutrinos could ensure a submarine’s nuclear fuel isn’t weaponized
Nuclear submarines could be monitored with the help of neutrinos to ensure that the fuel isn’t diverted to nuclear weapons programs
- Physics
Here’s why pipe organs seem to violate a rule of sound
Why reedless wind instruments’ fundamental tones are lower than expected is an 160-year-old mystery. Physicists have now solved it.
- Physics
A galactic smashup might explain galaxies without dark matter
Scientists are debating whether a trail of galaxies reveals the origins of two weird dark matter–free galaxies.
- Particle Physics
High-energy neutrinos may come from black holes ripping apart stars
Where extremely energetic neutrinos originate from is a mystery. A new study supports the idea that “tidal disruption events” are one source.
- Physics
Experiments hint at why bird nests are so sturdy
A bird’s nest is a special version of a granular material. Lab experiments and computer simulations explain its quirky behavior.
- Astronomy
We finally have an image of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way
Observations from the Event Horizon Telescope reveal the turbulent region around our home galaxy’s black hole, Sagittarius A*, in new detail.
- Tech
This camera lens can focus up close and far away at the same time
Inspired by the eye of an extinct trilobite species, the large depth of field can help with imaging techniques to create 3-D photos.
- 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.
