RAVEN RASCAL Avian offenders like this raven caused a glitch in LIGO’s data by pecking at ice that built up on a pipe.
Robert Schofield
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Magazine
In the April 14 SN: Killer heat, mass insect migrations, the latest Saturn updates, rethinking the Nobel Prize, tectonics on Venus, the science of mass shootings, ancient tool trends and more.
Matter & Energy
Topic Image Rail
ROCKET BLOCKER The United States’ ground-based missile defense system, shown here in a test conducted at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, aims to protect the U.S. from ballistic missiles.
U.S. Missile Defense Agency
GUT WRENCHING Pathogen detectors built into food packaging could help curb the spread of foodborne illness.
mubus7/Shutterstock
Matter & Energy
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Physics
Mystery Solved
How ravens caused a LIGO data glitch
Ravens pecking at frosty pipes caused a glitch in gravitational wave data.News in Brief
A key constant’s new measurement hints ‘dark photons’ don't exist
New measurement of the fine-structure constant is the most precise yet. -
Chemistry
News in Brief
Using laser tweezers, chemists nudged two atoms to bond
This is the first time researchers have purposefully combined two specific atoms into a molecule.News
Extreme cold is no match for a new battery
A rechargeable battery that works at –70° C could be used in some of the coldest places on Earth or other planets. -
Materials
Teaser
A new plastic film glows to flag food contaminated with dangerous microbes
Plastic patches that glow when they touch some types of bacteria could be built into food packaging to reduce the spread of foodborne illness.News in Brief
Toxic chemicals turn a new material from porous to protective
A new material switches from a comfortable, breathable form to a sealed-up, protective state when exposed to dangerous chemicals. -
Quantum Physics
News
Superconductors may shed light on the black hole information paradox
Materials that conduct electricity without resistance might mimic black hole physics.News in Brief
Google moves toward quantum supremacy with 72-qubit computer
Google’s 72-qubit quantum chip may eventually perform a task beyond the ability of traditional computers. -
Condensed Matter
News in Brief
Give double-layer graphene a twist and it superconducts
When graphene layers are twisted to a “magic angle,” the material superconducts.News
Some meteorites contain superconducting bits
Scientists find materials that conduct electricity without resistance in two meteorites.
