Physics

  1. Life

    Bacteria’s tail spins make water droplets swirl

    When bacteria band together, they can turn a fairly tame drop of water into a swirling vortex.

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  2. Particle Physics

    It’s almost time to get to know the Higgs boson better

    The next run of particle collisions at the Large Hadron collider will examine details about how the Higgs boson interacts with other particles to search for clues to new physics.

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  3. Quantum Physics

    Electrons’ magnetic interactions measured

    Using characteristics of quantum mechanics, the minuscule magnetic interaction between two electrons has been measured.

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  4. Quantum Physics

    Commercial quantum computer fails to impress in new test

    Fifteen million dollar D-Wave machine runs no faster than traditional computer in head-to-head challenge.

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  5. Physics

    Supercooled liquid water hits record low

    Weird supercooled water well below its freezing point viewed with ultrafast laser.

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  6. Tech

    Robo-fly steadies flight with onboard sensor

    Scaling a robot to the size of a fly and stabilizing its flight with onboard sensors offers clues to how live insects stay steady in mid-air.

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  7. Physics

    Energy-efficient laser works at room temperature

    A room-temperature polariton laser, which requires little electricity, could improve electronics and medical devices.

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  8. Quantum Physics

    How to build a quantum-entangled superclock

    A blueprint for a quantum-entangled superclock suggests that such a device could enable startlingly precise measurements of Earth’s terrain.

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  9. Materials Science

    New invisibility cloak hides in the fog

    A simple invisibility cloak relies on hazy environments to mask objects.

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  10. Physics

    Precision measurement of antimatter made

    The charge of antihydrogen atoms is essentially neutral, even out to eight decimal places, a new precision measurement made at CERN shows.

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  11. Chemistry

    Decay of Leonardo da Vinci drawing reflected in light

    Light that bounces off a Leonardo da Vinci drawing, widely considered a self-portrait, has revealed extensive chemical damage that causes yellowing.

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  12. Life

    A new twist on a twist

    Nature abounds with perfect helices. They show up in animal horns and seashells, in DNA and the young tendrils of plants. But helix formation can get complicated: In some cases, the direction of rotation can reverse as a helix grows.

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