Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
Watch this cuttlefish-inspired ‘skin’ morph into a 3-D shape
New silicone material mimics cephalopod shape-shifting for quick camouflage.
- Tech
New atomic clock is most precise yet
This next-gen atomic clock ticks at a steady beat, but time will tell just how well it tells time.
- Physics
Proton size still perplexes despite a new measurement
Study of hydrogen atoms supports the case for a smaller proton.
- Physics
Jennifer Dionne harnesses light to illuminate nano landscapes
Nanophotonics research by materials scientist Jennifer Dionne could lead to improved drugs, cancer tests or invisibility cloaks.
- Chemistry
Chong Liu one-ups plant photosynthesis
Chong Liu mixes bacteria and inorganics into systems that can generate clean energy better than a leaf.
- Physics
Trio wins physics Nobel Prize for gravitational wave detection
Pioneers of LIGO collaboration win for finding spacetime ripples from two spiraling black holes.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum mysteries dissolve if possibilities are realities
Quantum mysteries can be avoided if reality encompasses possibilities as well as actualities, a new paper proposes.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum video chat links scientists on two different continents
A Sept. 29 ultrasecure quantum video chat demonstrates the potential for quantum communications across the globe.
- Physics
Trio of detectors tracks gravitational waves to their home
LIGO and Virgo spot spacetime ripples in their first joint detection.
- Physics
Turning up the heat on electrons reveals an elusive physics phenomenon
Heating a strip of platinum creates a “spin current” in the material’s electrons due to the spin Nernst effect.
- Astronomy
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays come from outside the Milky Way
The biggest cosmic ray haul ever points toward other galaxies as the source of the rays, not our own.
- Quantum Physics
A new test of water ripples supports the idea of quantum heat in a vacuum
Water waves bolster theory that accelerating space travelers really feel the heat.
