Physics

  1. Physics

    Closing in on fusion energy

    Scientists blasted a tiny capsule of hydrogen with laser beams, setting off a reaction that released more energy than in earlier experiments. Still, scientists remain a long way from creating a reaction that releases more energy than it needs to get started.

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  2. Physics

    Building a mirror with light

    Scientists proved that lasers can be used to harness materials into a reflective surface. Some scientists ask: Can a space mirror be far away?

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  3. Physics

    The ultimate wordfind puzzle

    The world’s oldest library has books with hidden texts. Researchers are now using a high-tech approach to reveal their long-masked words.

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  4. Planets

    Jupiter’s long-lasting storm

    Most studies of Jupiter’s centuries-old Great Red Spot suggest this giant storm should have petered out after a few decades. A new study traces the storm’s staying power to the vertical movement of its gases.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Cool Jobs: Data detectives

    Statisticians are experts in seeing the patterns hidden within the raw numbers called data. They especially excel at finding real trends, while eliminating what is actually due to chance. That’s why they offer a good reality check in any field that involves numbers.

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  6. Physics

    X-ray ‘eyes’

    Movie directors often make “short” subjects, flicks running sometimes just a few minutes or so. But scientists have begun making much quicker “shorts,” essentially nanofilms. Their goal: catching science in action.

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  7. Materials Science

    Looking unbelievably cool

    Everything above absolute zero gives off some heat. Usually objects radiate more heat — or energy — as their temperature climbs. But engineers now have created a material that sometimes appears to cool even as it is warming.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Veggies: A radiation shield

    Here’s another reason to eat broccoli and related veggies: They protect the body’s cells from killer radiation — at least in rats.

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  9. Chemistry

    Cyberspace chemistry earns a Nobel

    The achievements behind the 2013 Nobel Prize in chemistry relied on a lot of complex physics. But the computer techniques pioneered by these three men are now saving chemists a lot of work.

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  10. Physics

    Higgs brings physicists a Nobel

    Anticipating the so-called “god particle” — and its critical role in explaining mass — captured the 2013 Nobel Prize in physics.

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  11. Chemistry

    Cool Jobs: Repellent chemistry

    Chemistry is just one way to repel water in nature. Structure, or the shape of things, is another. To excel at water repellency, the lotus leaf relies on both.

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  12. Physics

    Baseball: From pitch to hits

    Radar or cameras track the path of virtually every baseball in major league stadiums.

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