Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Particle Physics
An unexpected result from a dark matter experiment may signal new particles
An excess of events spotted in the XENON1T experiment could be signs of solar axions or weird, new properties of neutrinos, but not dark matter itself.
- Particle Physics
Measuring the neutron’s lifetime from space could solve an enduring mystery
Measurements on Earth show that lone neutrons decay after about 15 minutes, and now scientists have measured that lifetime from space.
- Quantum Physics
This weird quantum state of matter was made in orbit for the first time
Bose-Einstein condensates made on the International Space Station could reach temperatures lower than any known in the universe.
- Space
The Milky Way’s giant gas bubbles were seen in visible light for the first time
Variation in the light’s wavelengths could help scientists map the velocity of the gas that makes up the towering structures known as Fermi bubbles.
- Physics
A new device can produce electricity using shadows
Even under low light, this new technology exploits the contrast between light and shade to produce a current that can power small electronics.
- Space
A weird cosmic flare called the ‘Cow’ now has company
Scientists have now found three similar luminous, short-lived bursts of light, part of a class known as fast blue optical transients.
- Physics
A star shredded by a black hole may have spit out an extremely energetic neutrino
A star’s fatal encounter with a black hole might have produced a neutrino with oomph.
- Quantum Physics
Physicists exploit a quantum rule to create a new kind of crystal
Cold atoms can form crystals as a result of the Pauli exclusion principle.
- Physics
Physicists have found a way to foil a classic oobleck science trick
Cornstarch and water solidifies under impact, but a new technique can make it remain a liquid.
- Space
The closest black hole to Earth may have been spotted 1,000 light-years away
What appears to be the closest black hole to the solar system shares orbits with two massive stars, a new study finds.
- Physics
50 years ago, superconductors started feeling the pressure
Today, high-pressure superconductors are a hot topic. 50 years ago, scientists were just starting to explore the possibilities.
- Physics
A newfound superconducting current travels only along a material’s edge
In a first, scientists spot electricity flowing without resistance on the rim of a topological superconductor.
