All Stories by Emily Conover
- Physics
Russia’s war in Ukraine raises nuclear risks, physicists warn
Experts flag the potential for accidents at seized nuclear sites as well as the increased dangers of accidental nuclear warfare.
- Astronomy
Astronomers may not have found a sign of the universe’s first stars after all
A new study of radio waves from early in the universe’s history finds no hint of the “cosmic dawn” claimed by an earlier study.
- Earth
Weird ‘superionic’ matter could make up Earth’s inner core
Computer simulations suggest that matter that behaves like a mash-up of solid and liquid could explain oddities of Earth’s center.
- Quantum Physics
The quantum ‘boomerang’ effect has been seen for the first time
Jostled particles return to their starting points in certain materials, an experiment reveals, confirming theoretical predictions.
- Physics
An ‘everlasting’ bubble endured more than a year without popping
One of the bubbles, made with water, glycerol and microparticles, lasted 465 days before popping.
- Space
50 years ago, NASA’s space shuttle program got the green light
For over 30 years, space shuttles helped revolutionize science. Now, NASA is tackling new frontiers with help from commercial spaceflight companies.
- Astronomy
An early outburst portends a star’s imminent death
An eruption before a stellar explosion was the first early warning sign for a standard type of supernova.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum particles can feel the influence of gravitational fields they never touch
A quantum phenomenon predicted in 1959, the Aharonov-Bohm effect, also applies to gravity.
- Physics
Antiprotons show no hint of unexpected matter-antimatter differences
The ratio of electric charge to mass for protons mirrors that of their antimatter counterparts.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum physics requires imaginary numbers to explain reality
Quantum theory based only on real numbers fails to explain the results of two new experiments.
- Astronomy
The only known pulsar duo sheds new light on general relativity and more
Einstein was right, among other insights gleaned from watching a one-of-a-kind system of two pulsating dead stars for 16 years.
- Health & Medicine
For 50 years, CT scans have saved lives, revealed beauty and more
In 1971, the first CT scan of a patient laid bare the human brain. That was just the beginning of a whole new way to view human anatomy.
