Physics

  1. Particle Physics

    Muons unveiled new details about a void in Egypt’s Great Pyramid

    The subatomic particles revealed the dimensions of the void, discovered in 2016, and helped researchers know where to stick a camera inside.

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  2. Climate

    An incendiary form of lightning may surge under climate change

    Relatively long-lived lightning strikes are the most likely to spark wildfires and may become more common as the climate warms.

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  3. Physics

    The standard model of particle physics passed one of its strictest tests yet

    An experiment with a single electron, trapped for months on end, produced one of the most precise tests yet of the standard model of particle physics.

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  4. Quantum Physics

    Google’s quantum computer reached an error-correcting milestone

    A larger array of quantum bits outperformed a smaller one in tests performed by Google researchers, suggesting quantum computers could be scaled up.

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  5. Animals

    Glassy eyes may help young crustaceans hide from predators in plain sight

    Nanospheres in the eye reflect light that matches the color of the surrounding water, possibly making the animals invisible to nearby predators.

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  6. Physics

    Here’s why icicles made from pure water don’t form ripples

    A new study explains why icicles made from pure water have irregular shapes rather than the ripples typical of the salty icicles found in nature.

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  7. Physics

    Physicists stored data in quantum holograms made of twisted light

    Light that travels in corkscrew-like paths provides a way to make holograms that store large amounts of data in ultrasecure packages.

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  8. Physics

    Water is weird. A new type of ice could help us understand why

    A newfound type of amorphous ice with a density close to liquid water could help scientists make sense of water’s quirks.

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  9. Physics

    Muon scanning hints at mysteries within an ancient Chinese wall

    Density fluctuations within the ancient rampart encircling the city of Xi’an could be defects or yet-to-be-discovered archaeological finds.

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  10. Materials Science

    These shape-shifting devices melt and re-form thanks to magnetic fields

    Miniature machines made of gallium embedded with magnetic particles can switch between solid and liquid states.

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  11. Materials Science

    Want a ‘Shrinky Dinks’ approach to nano-sized devices? Try hydrogels

    Patterning hydrogels with a laser and then shrinking them down with chemicals offers a way to make nanoscopic structures out of many materials.

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  12. Chemistry

    These chemists cracked the code to long-lasting Roman concrete

    Roman concrete has stood the test of time, so scientists searched ruins to unlock the ancient recipe that could help architecture and climate change.

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