Physics
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Computing
Core memory weavers and Navajo women made the Apollo missions possible
The stories of the women who assembled integrated circuits and wove core memory for the Apollo missions remain largely unknown.
- Animals
How lizards keep detachable tails from falling off
A hierarchical structure of micropillars and nanopores allows the tail to break away when necessary while preventing it from easily detaching.
- Quantum Physics
‘From Data to Quanta’ defends Niels Bohr’s view of quantum mechanics
In his new book, philosopher Slobodan Perović corrects misconceptions about physicist Niels Bohr’s work.
- Physics
Freshwater ice can melt into scallops and spikes
Ice submerged in liquid water can melt into three different shapes, depending on the water’s temperature.
- Animals
A diamondlike structure gives some starfish skeletons their strength
Electron microscope images of knobby starfish’s calcite skeletons reveal an unexpected architecture that compensates for the mineral’s brittleness.
- 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.
- Animals
Vinegar eels can synchronize swim
Swarming, swimming nematodes can move together like fish and also synchronize their wiggling — an ability rare in the animal kingdom.
- Science & Society
Here are the Top 10 science anniversaries of 2022
Insulin to treat diabetes, the slide rule and the birthdays of Gregor Mendel and Louis Pasteur make the list.
- Tech
Materials of the last century shaped modern life, but at a price
From our homes and cities to our electronics and clothing, the stuff of daily life is dramatically different from decades ago.
- 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.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum particles can feel the influence of gravitational fields they never touch
A quantum phenomenon predicted in 1959, the Aharonov-Bohm effect, also applies to gravity.
