Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Astronomy
Supernova spotted shortly after explosion
Early observations of exploding star could indicate that stars become unstable as they near death.
- Materials Science
Germanium computer chips gain ground on silicon — again
Having pushed silicon to its limit, engineers are turning back to germanium.
- Physics
Smashing gold ions creates most swirly fluid ever
Collisions of gold ions create a fluid with more vorticity than any other known.
- Astronomy
When a nearby star goes supernova, scientists will be ready
Scientists hope to detect neutrinos and gravitational waves from a nearby supernova.
- Cosmology
New data fuel debate on universe’s expansion rate
Quasar observations add to discrepancy in measurements of the universe’s expansion speed.
- Astronomy
Five gamma-ray blazars set new distance record
Intensely bright galaxies are the farthest blazars ever detected in gamma rays.
- Physics
Physicists seek neutron lifetime’s secret
Updated experiments hope to resolve neutron lifetime discrepancy.
- Physics
Possible sign of dark matter shows up again
Excess of X-rays could indicate decaying sterile neutrinos.
- Physics
New claim staked for metallic hydrogen
Scientists report transforming hydrogen into a metal at high pressure, but some experts dispute the claim.
- Tech
Legos inspire versatile fluid-filled devices
Tiny devices shuttle fluid around using reconfigurable Lego-like bricks.
- Physics
Construction of tiny, fluid-filled devices inspired by Legos
Tiny devices shuttle fluid around using reconfigurable Lego-like bricks.
- Physics
Chemists strike gold, solve mystery about precious metal’s properties
A longstanding puzzle about gold’s properties has been solved with more complex theoretical calculations.
