All Stories by Emily Conover
- Astronomy
50 years ago, astronomers challenged claims that Barnard’s star has a planet
Astronomers have been searching for planets around the sun’s close neighbor for decades.
- Astronomy
A rare, extremely energetic cosmic ray has mysterious origins
In 1991, physicists spotted a cosmic ray with so much energy it warranted an ‘OMG.’ Now that energetic particle has a new companion.
- Physics
Light, not just heat, might spur water to evaporate
In experiments, light shining on water as much as doubled the evaporation rate expected from heat alone, hinting at a never-before-seen effect.
- Physics
A controversial room-temperature superconductor result has now been retracted
The retraction by Nature is the third for beleaguered physicist Ranga Dias, who still stands by his claim of a room-temperature superconductor.
- Physics
Tiny accelerators get electrons up to speed using lasers
In a first, chip-scale accelerators revved up electrons while also confining them into a beam.
- Math
An enduring Möbius strip mystery has finally been solved
Playing with paper and scissors helped one mathematician figure out just how short the twisted loops can be.
- Physics
Technique to see the ultrafast world of electrons wins 2023 physics Nobel
Physicists Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier won for work creating light bursts that last billionths of a billionth of a second.
- Physics
50 years ago, scientists dreamed of lasers that could kick off nuclear fusion
In the 1970s, lasers that could initiate nuclear fusion were a distant dream. Now, scientists are using such lasers to achieve fusion “ignition.”
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Antimatter falls like matter, upholding Einstein’s theory of gravity
In a first, scientists dropped antihydrogen atoms and measured how they fell.
- Astronomy
Astronomers call for renaming the Magellanic Clouds
Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is not a fitting namesake for the pair of satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, a group of scientists argues.
- Physics
A laser gyroscope measured tiny variations in the lengths of days on Earth
An underground gyroscope known as ‘G’ uses laser beams traveling in opposite directions to precisely measure Earth’s rotation.
- Physics
Scientists have two ways to spot gravitational waves. Here are some other ideas
From lasers in space to falling atoms on Earth, researchers are cooking up ways to sense gravitational waves that current methods can’t detect.
