Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Astronomy
Why is this year’s solar eclipse such a big deal for scientists?
Total eclipses offer scientists a way to see all the way down to the sun’s surface.
- Materials Science
50 years ago, steel got stronger and stretchier
Today, scientists are still trying to improve steel.
- Planetary Science
Moon had a magnetic field for at least a billion years longer than thought
The moon’s magnetic field could have lasted until about a billion years ago.
- Animals
Readers fascinated by critters’ strange biology
Readers responded to fish lips, monkey brains, sunless tanner and more.
- Particle Physics
Neutrino experiment may hint at why matter rules the universe
T2K experiment hints at an explanation for what happened to antimatter.
- Particle Physics
Neutrinos seen scattering off an atom’s nucleus for the first time
New type of interaction confirms that neutrinos play by the rules.
- Quantum Physics
Modern-day Alice trades looking glass for wormhole to explore quantum wonderland
A new paper shows how the possibility of wormholes linking quantum-entangled black holes could be tested in the laboratory.
- Physics
Virgo detector joins LIGO in the search for gravitational waves
The Virgo detector near Pisa, Italy, has begun searching for subtle ripples in the fabric of spacetime.
- Materials Science
Diamond joins the realm of 2-D thin films, study suggests
Scientists squeezed graphene sheets into diamondene.
- Materials Science
Slug slime inspires a new type of surgical glue
A new glue that mimics a slug’s mucus secretions sticks well, even when wet. The adhesive could be used in place of sutures or staples in surgeries.
- Materials Science
The thinnest films of copper look flat, but they aren’t
It turns out that thin films of copper don’t lay flat, a discovery that has implications for computers and handheld electronics.
- Anthropology
Readers question hominid family tree
Readers sent feedback on hominid origins, fast cameras, slimy sea creatures and more.
