We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
At an effective temperature of 13 million kelvins, the jiggling glass sphere could help scientists understand physics at the microscale.
By weaving Kevlar or polyethylene nanofibers into standard neoprene in wetsuits, researchers found ways to limit injury during rare encounters with sharks.
The advance hints at the possibility of portable muon-making devices that could help peer through solid materials for hidden contraband.
In the 1980s, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis demonstrated quantum effects in an electric circuit, an advance that underlies today’s quantum computers.
Parachutes inspired by Japanese paper cutting unfurl automatically and fall more predictably than standard parachutes.
Chemists have discovered tiny zaps of electricity moving between “swamp-gas” bubbles. Could they ignite methane gas to glow as dancing blue flames?
Scientists have filmed nanoscale ice crystals adapting to trapped air bubbles without losing structural integrity.
The Big Bang may have spawned these theoretical black holes, whose lives are thought to end in a burst of extremely energetic particles.
In Tales of Militant Chemistry, Alice Lovejoy traces how film giants Kodak and Agfa helped produce weapons of war during the 20th century.
