All Stories by Andrew Grant
- Quantum Physics
Physicists double their teleportation power
In a teleportation first, physicists transfer two quantum properties from one photon to another.
- Cosmology
The past according to Planck: Cosmologists got a lot right
New results from the Planck satellite largely support cosmologists’ theories, but leave the door open for new discoveries.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum guessing game uses the future to predict the past
Physicists extrapolate forward and backward in time to make accurate predictions about an object’s quantum state at a particular moment.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cosmology
Dust erases evidence for gravity wave detection
The claimed detection of primordial gravitational waves does not hold up after taking into account galactic dust, a new analysis concludes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Computing
New computer algorithm plays poker almost perfectly
An algorithm optimized to play heads-up limit Texas Hold’em poker will never lose in the long run against any opponent.
