Physics

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

More Stories in Physics

  1. Physics

    A static electricity mystery comes to the surface

    Seemingly random charging of identical materials depends on the carbonaceous molecules stuck to their surfaces

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  2. Plants

    Tree tops sparkle with electricity during thunderstorms

    Ultraviolet cameras captured faint electrical flashes from leaves and branches as storm charges built up in the atmosphere.

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  3. Physics

    When the pressure’s off, this superconductor appears to break records

    A sudden release of pressure allowed a copper-based compound to superconduct at the highest temperature yet for atmospheric pressure, a study claims.

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  4. Chemistry

    This molecule puts a new twist on the Möbius strip

    A molecule made of carbon and chlorine is half as twisty as the paper loops common in math classes.

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  5. Physics

    Here’s why sneakers squeak on the basketball court

    Tiny, repeating detachments between sole and floor — thousands of times a second — create the distinctive squeak heard on the court, data show.

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  6. Animals

    Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders ensnare prey in webs

    Rufous net-casting spiders can tune the stiffness and elasticity of their webs thanks to loops of silk, scanning electron microscope images reveal.

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  7. Physics

    Physicists dream up ‘spacetime quasicrystals’ that could underpin the universe

    Quasicrystals are orderly structures that never repeat. Scientists just showed they can exist in space and time.

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  8. Physics

    A precise proton measurement helps put a core theory of physics to the test

    After years of confusion, a new study confirms the proton is tinier than once thought. That enables a test of the standard model of particle physics.

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  9. Physics

    The only U.S. particle collider shuts down – so a new one may rise

    The famed collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory has ended operations, but if all goes to plan, a new collider will rise from its ashes.

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