Physics
- Animals
Rudolph’s red nose could glow through bioluminescence
Simple chemistry could give the reindeer his iconic red snout. But physics would make it look different colors to anyone who spied Rudolph from the ground.
- Physics
These parachutes unfurl thanks to Japanese paper-cutting techniques
Parachutes inspired by Japanese kirigami are full of holes. When dropped, they open automatically and fall more predictably than standard parachutes.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Van Allen belts
Astronomers have detected these radiation belts around Earth and beyond. Jupiter’s belt is thousands of times as intense as Earth’s.
- Physics
Why are skis so long?
Let’s strap skis to an action figure to see how long sticks of wood help people glide gracefully over snow.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Blue whirl
Four types of smaller flames create the perfect firestorm of elegantly efficient combustion.
- Physics
Scientists shrink 3-D printing so it can work inside cells
The new tech created barcodes, micro-lasers and a tiny elephant — all in living cells.
- Physics
This microphone picks up sounds by watching them
This microphone can “hear” by viewing the tiny vibrations made in everyday objects as sound waves strike them.
- Tech
A modified glue gun squirts a material to help heal broken bones
The handheld printer might someday apply bone-repair patches directly onto fractures — complete with antibiotics to prevent infection.
- Space
Scientists caught a black hole ringing like a bell
Two black holes merged, creating a new, bigger one. This event triggered the clearest ripples in spacetime ever observed.
- Earth
These ultra-long experiments outlive their scientists — on purpose
To study phenomena that unfold over decades or even centuries, scientists may launch projects they may never see finished.
- Chemistry
New materials yank ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Materials known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, trap some PFAS fast — and can be reused again and again.
- Science & Society
Behold the world’s weirdest library — which might save your life
This bizarre collection of “standard reference materials” help ensure the safety of waterways, buildings, medicines, foods and much more.
