Magnetic fields generated by real bolts could trigger visual effects in the brain. (p. 12)

For the hottest thing in condensed-matter physics, check out the local liquor store. Hidden inside a device for chilling wine is the unusual compound called bismuth telluride.For physicists, bismuth telluride does more than keep champagne frosty. Under the right laboratory conditions, this crystal can start behaving in weird and wonderful ways. Over the past couple of years, researchers have made several toast-worthy new discoveries involving bismuth telluride and other related materials, known as topological insulators. These materials exhibit a split personality when it comes to conducting... (p. 22)

A recently awakened volcano often goes off in tandem with a much bigger one nearby.

Equations explain why winding fibers together does the job, no matter what they’re made of. (p. 17)

Physicists propose a way that cloud particles can electrify themselves. (p. 9)

Hints of weak magnetism between galaxies narrows options for how the early universe got its fields. (p. 10)