Physics

  1. Chemistry

    See the ‘periodic table’ of molecular knots

    A new table of knots points the way to twisting molecules in increasingly complex pretzels.

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  2. Astronomy

    Strange gamma rays from the sun may help decipher its magnetic fields

    The sun spits out more and weirder gamma rays than anyone expected, which could give a new view of the sun’s magnetic fields.

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  3. Quantum Physics

    A new quantum device defies the concepts of ‘before’ and ‘after’

    Two events can happen in different orders at the same time, thanks to quantum physics.

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  4. Particle Physics

    Ghostly antineutrinos could help ferret out nuclear tests

    Antineutrino detectors could one day help reveal stealthy nuclear blasts.

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  5. Materials Science

    A filter that turns saltwater into freshwater just got an upgrade

    Smoothing out a material used in desalination filters could help combat worldwide water shortages.

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  6. Astronomy

    A faint glow found between galaxies could be a beacon for dark matter

    Intracluster light may help reveal where dark matter resides within galaxy clusters.

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  7. Climate

    Readers question dark fusion, Antarctic ice melting and more

    Readers had questions about Antarctic ice melting, dark fusion and greenhouse gas emissions.

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  8. Astronomy

    Hopes dim that gamma rays can reveal dark matter

    A mysterious glow of gamma rays coming from the center of the Milky Way probably isn’t a sign of dark matter.

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  9. Physics

    Strange metals are even weirder than scientists thought

    Some strange metals are odd in more ways than one, and that could help scientists understand high-temperature superconductors.

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  10. Particle Physics

    In a first, physicists accelerate atoms in the Large Hadron Collider

    Ionized lead atoms took a spin around the world’s biggest particle accelerator.

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  11. Particle Physics

    A new quasiparticle lurks in semiconductors

    Strange entities called collexons hint at undiscovered physics among interacting subatomic particles in a semiconductor.

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  12. Physics

    A star orbiting a black hole shows Einstein got gravity right — again

    For the first time, general relativity has been confirmed in the region near a supermassive black hole.

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