Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
50 years ago, scientists poked holes in the existence of polywater
In 1971, scientists were casting doubt on an anomalous form of water. Fifty years later, water’s odd properties are still mysterious.
- Physics
Explore every gravitational wave event spotted so far
This interactive visualization reveals the diversity of smashups that generate gravitational waves.
- Quantum Physics
Drones could help create a quantum internet
Flying drones sent entangled particles of light to two locations a kilometer apart.
- Chemistry
This weird chemical bond acts like a mash-up of hydrogen and covalent bonds
Chemistry students are taught that hydrogen bonds and covalent bonds are distinct, but a new study shows they exist on a continuum.
- Astronomy
Enormous X-ray bubbles balloon from the center of the Milky Way
Images from the the eROSITA telescope reveal X-ray–emitting blobs surrounding gamma-ray bubbles.
- Quantum Physics
The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy
A second type of quantum computer has now performed a calculation impossible for a traditional computer.
- Physics
Newton’s groundbreaking Principia may have been more popular than previously thought
A search has uncovered over 300 copies of Isaac Newton’s famous 17th century book, the Principia, revealing a broader readership than assumed.
- Physics
Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms
A new experiment used ultrafast techniques to reveal high-density water transforming into low-density water at subfreezing temperatures.
- Physics
Giant lasers help re-create supernovas’ explosive, mysterious physics
For the first time, scientists have re-created a type of shock wave that occurs in supernovas.
- Earth
STEVE may be even less like typical auroras than scientists thought
The purple-and-green, atmospheric light show nicknamed STEVE just got even stranger.
- Physics
LIGO and Virgo’s gravitational wave tally more than quadrupled in six months
Scientists report 39 sets of spacetime ripples from just half a year of data.
- Quantum Physics
Galileo’s famous gravity experiment holds up, even with individual atoms
When dropped, two types of atoms accelerate at the same rate despite their differences, much like objects in Galileo’s leaning Tower of Pisa experiment.
