All Stories by Emily Conover
- Quantum Physics
Mini machines can evade friction by taking quantum shortcuts
Special maneuvers allow researchers to create tiny machines that are as efficient as possible.
- Quantum Physics
A tiny version of this physics toy is revealing quantum secrets
Scientists created a quantum Newton’s cradle to study thermal equilibrium.
- Astronomy
‘Oumuamua may be a comet, not an asteroid
The solar system’s first known interstellar visitor doesn’t appear to be the asteroid that scientists thought it was.
- Physics
Einstein’s general relativity reigns supreme, even on a galactic scale
Scientists have made the most precise test of Einstein’s theory of gravity at great distances.
- Physics
To combat an expanding universe, aliens could hoard stars
An advanced alien civilization might combat the impact of dark energy by harvesting stars.
- Physics
The Large Hadron Collider is getting an upgrade
Revamping the accelerator’s equipment will increase the rate of proton collisions.
- Astronomy
Magnetic fields may be propping up the Pillars of Creation
Scientists made a map of the magnetic field within the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming area depicted in an iconic Hubble Space Telescope image.
- Physics
This heavy element has a football-shaped atomic nucleus
Three nobelium isotopes have oblong nuclei, and some sport a ‘bubble’ center.
- Physics
In her short life, mathematician Emmy Noether changed the face of physics
A century after she published a groundbreaking mathematical theory, Emmy Noether gets her due.
- Astronomy
The sun shrinks a teensy bit when it’s feeling active
The radius of the sun gets slightly smaller during periods of high solar activity, researchers say.
- Particle Physics
If real, dark fusion could help demystify this physics puzzle
Fusing dark matter particles might explain why galaxy cores have evenly distributed dark matter.
- Particle Physics
Mysterious neutrino surplus hints at the existence of new particles
Neutrinos show up in greater numbers than expected in an experiment, possibly bolstering the idea of a fourth type of the particle.
