Physics

Tech

Origami folds let paper support 9,000 times its weight, teen finds

Miles Wu, 14, tested the strength of different ‘Miura-Ori’ origami folds and showed they might be useful in the design of pop-up emergency shelters.

Physics

Here’s how to levitate something without magic

Levitation may seem like fantasy. But all it takes is a little physics — and sound waves, magnetism or electricity.

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.