Physics

  1. Quantum Physics

    Two real-world tests of quantum memories bring a quantum internet closer to reality

    Scientists successfully entangled quantum memories linked by telecommunications fibers across two different urban environments.

    By
  2. Physics

    Here’s how ice may get so slippery 

    Ice’s weirdly slick exterior might originate from the boundaries between two different types of ice that form on the surface of frozen water.

    By
  3. Particle Physics

    The neutrino’s quantum fuzziness is beginning to come into focus

    An experiment studying the neutrino’s “wave packet” sets a limit on the uncertainty of the subatomic particle’s position.

    By
  4. Cosmology

    The universe may have a complex geometry — like a doughnut

    Physicists haven’t yet ruled out the possibility that the universe has a complicated topology in which space loops back around on itself.

    By
  5. Materials Science

    Scientists developed a sheet of gold that’s just one atom thick

    Ultrathin goldene sheets could reduce the amount of gold needed for electronics and certain chemical reactions.

    By
  6. Physics

    Newfound ‘altermagnets’ shatter the magnetic status quo 

    The newly discovered type of magnetic material could improve existing tech, including making better and faster hard drives.

    By
  7. Physics

    Separating science fact from fiction in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ 

    Real science underpins much of the action in the show — along with a hefty dose of artistic liberty.

    By
  8. Physics

    Physicists take a major step toward making a nuclear clock

    By tweaking the energy of a thorium nucleus with a laser, scientists demonstrated a key step to building clocks based on the physics of atomic nuclei.

    By
  9. Life

    During a total solar eclipse, some colors really pop. Here’s why

    As a solar eclipse approaches totality and our eyes adjust to dimming light, our color vision changes. It’s called the Purkinje effect.

    By
  10. Physics

    A teeny device can measure subtle shifts in Earth’s gravitational field

    No bigger than a grain of rice, the heart of the instrument is the latest entrant in the quest to build ever tinier gravity-measuring devices.

    By
  11. Psychology

    Timbre can affect what harmony is music to our ears

    The acoustic qualities of instruments may have influenced variations in musical scales and preferred harmonies.

    By
  12. Physics

    50 years ago, superconductors were warming up

    Superconducting temperatures have risen by about 250 degrees since the 1970s, but are still too cold to enable practical technologies.

    By