Physics
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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TechThis is the lightest robot that can fly, swim and take off from water
Lightweight, insect-inspired robot can swim, fly and leap from the surface of water.
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Quantum PhysicsLight’s weird dual nature weathers trip to space and back
“Delayed-choice” experiment performed in space reaffirms the idea that light can behave like a wave or a particle.
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LifeA new material may one day keep mussels off piers and boat hulls
Mussels don’t stick to a new lubricant-infused silicone material.
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Science & SocietyConspiring with engineers helps make science great
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill says the passion to acquire knowledge and apply it lives in both engineers and scientists.
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Particle PhysicsReaders question photons colliding, black sea snakes and more
Readers had questions about brain flexibility, black sea snakes and photon collisions.
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PhysicsNew physics books don’t censor the math behind reality
Special Relativity and Classical Theory and The Physical World offer deep dives into physical reality’s mathematical foundations.
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TechWatch this cuttlefish-inspired ‘skin’ morph into a 3-D shape
New silicone material mimics cephalopod shape-shifting for quick camouflage.
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TechNew 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.
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PhysicsProton size still perplexes despite a new measurement
Study of hydrogen atoms supports the case for a smaller proton.
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PhysicsJennifer Dionne harnesses light to illuminate nano landscapes
Nanophotonics research by materials scientist Jennifer Dionne could lead to improved drugs, cancer tests or invisibility cloaks.
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ChemistryChong Liu one-ups plant photosynthesis
Chong Liu mixes bacteria and inorganics into systems that can generate clean energy better than a leaf.
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PhysicsTrio wins physics Nobel Prize for gravitational wave detection
Pioneers of LIGO collaboration win for finding spacetime ripples from two spiraling black holes.
By Emily Conover and Lisa Grossman