Physics
The second law of thermodynamics underlies nearly everything. But is it inviolable?
Two centuries on, scientists are still seeking a proof of the Second Law and why heat always flows from hot to cold.
Every print subscription comes with full digital access
Two centuries on, scientists are still seeking a proof of the Second Law and why heat always flows from hot to cold.
Ice’s weirdly slick exterior might originate from the boundaries between two different types of ice that form on the surface of frozen water.
An experiment studying the neutrino’s “wave packet” sets a limit on the uncertainty of the subatomic particle’s position.
Physicists haven’t yet ruled out the possibility that the universe has a complicated topology in which space loops back around on itself.
Ultrathin goldene sheets could reduce the amount of gold needed for electronics and certain chemical reactions.
The newly discovered type of magnetic material could improve existing tech, including making better and faster hard drives.
Real science underpins much of the action in the show — along with a hefty dose of artistic liberty.
By tweaking the energy of a thorium nucleus with a laser, scientists demonstrated a key step to building clocks based on the physics of atomic nuclei.
As a solar eclipse approaches totality and our eyes adjust to dimming light, our color vision changes. It’s called the Purkinje effect.
No bigger than a grain of rice, the heart of the instrument is the latest entrant in the quest to build ever tinier gravity-measuring devices.
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.
Not a subscriber?
Become one now.