Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
Raindrops kick up soil chemicals
The champagne-like fizz produced when a raindrop hits the ground may be responsible for the earthy aroma after a rainstorm.
- Materials Science
Oxygen sneaks into titanium, making it brittle
Oxygen atoms trigger defects in titanium’s atomic structure, making the metal brittle.
- Physics
Temperatures taken in the realm of the tiny
Aluminum and other materials can serve as their own thermometers at nanometer scales, opening up the possibility of taking the temperature of tiny computer transistors.
- Particle Physics
New particle may be made of four quarks
A newly discovered particle may be comprised of four quarks, a new study posits.
- Physics
When entering a black hole, fasten your seat belt
Rapidly spinning black holes can generate turbulence, a new analysis shows.
- Quantum Physics
Top 10 scientific mysteries for the 21st century
Solving the Top 10 scientific mysteries facing the 21st century will not be all fun but could be mostly games.
- Physics
How blueshift might beat redshift
Even though the expanding universe makes light redder, light emitted by collapsing stars and dust clouds could appear unusually blue.
- Planetary Science
Young asteroids generated long-lasting magnetism
Pockets of iron and nickel in meteorites suggest that asteroids in the early solar system produced magnetic fields for much longer than once thought.
- Physics
Speed of light not so constant after all
Even in vacuum conditions, light can move slower than its maximum speed depending on the structure of its pulses.
- Quantum Physics
Physicists debate whether quantum math is as real as atoms
Physicists debate whether quantum states are as real as atoms or are just tools for forecasting phenomena.
- Materials Science
Graphene’s allure becomes magnetic
Single-atom-thick sheets of carbon called graphene can be magnetized with the help of an insulating magnet.
- Quantum Physics
Bell’s math showed that quantum weirdness rang true
50 years ago, John Bell proved a theorem that led the way to establishing the weirdness of quantum physics.
