Physics
- Physics
It took a ‘virtual’ telescope to actually picture a black hole
Here’s how scientists connected eight observatories across the world to create one Earth-sized telescope. This is what it took to create an image of a black hole.
- Physics
A short history of black holes
From dreaming up black holes to snapping the first picture of one, the history of black holes has had many twists and turns.
- Animals
This spider slingshots itself at extreme speeds to catch prey
By winding up its web like a slingshot, this spider achieves an acceleration rate far faster than a cheetah’s.
- Chemistry
Scientists now know why microwaved grapes make plasma fireballs
Grapes trap microwave energy that bounces back and forth within the fruit. Until boom — a plasma!
- Chemistry
Shape-shifting chemical is key to new solar battery
Storing solar energy is a challenge. A new, shape-shifting molecule may provide a solution.
- Physics
Explainer: What are black holes?
Among the most extreme celestial bodies in the universe, black holes are dense, massive entities whose gravity can sometimes hold together an entire galaxy.
- Climate
Thunderstorms hold stunningly high voltage
By studying particles called muons, scientists found that the electric potential inside a thunderstorm may be 10 times higher than previously thought.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s why Rapunzel’s hair makes a great rope ladder
The fairy tale ‘Rapunzel’ features a princess with a lifesaving head of hair. Could someone really use their hair as a ladder? Sort of.
- Physics
On the lookout for micro-missiles from space
Speeding specks of space dust can damage spacecraft. But if they make it to Earth, these tiny rocks can offer lessons on how the solar system formed.
- Materials Science
How to turn a greenhouse into a powerhouse
See-through solar cells could turn greenhouses into solar power plants.
- Materials Science
A self-cleaning glass keeps itself spotless underwater
Microscopic pancake-like structures keep dirt and oil from sticking to the surface of this self-cleaning glass.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Zirconium
Zirconium is a metal that knows the meaning of tough. It’s so heat resistant that it’s used for molds to shape melted metals, and so radiation resistant that it coats nuclear reactors.
