Physics
- Earth
Thunderstorms churn up a ‘boiling pot’ of high-energy gamma rays
A thunderstorm seen in gamma ray vision plays out as a complex, frenzied lightshow above the clouds.
- Tech
A Jurassic Park-inspired method can safely store data in DNA
DNA can store all types of data. An amber-like material can now protect its information long-term — or release it on demand for short-term use.
- Artificial Intelligence
Two AI trailblazers win the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton used brain-like networks based on principles of physics to jump-start machine learning.
- Science & Society
Let’s learn about the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prizes are the highest honors in science. But the prizes are far from perfect measures of scientific impact.
- Chemistry
Explainer: How cells use chemistry to make the electricity of life
Charged particles, or ions, constantly move in and out of cells. These migrations produce tiny electric currents, which power your brain, heart and more.
- Physics
Weirdly, mayo can help study conditions ripe for nuclear fusion
Yes, mayo. The texture of the sandwich spread is perfect for mimicking what a fusion fuel capsule goes through when blasted with lasers.
- Physics
Science reveals the reasons behind painful paper cuts
Some types of paper are more likely to cause paper cuts. It’s the paper’s thickness and slicing angle that matter, physicists conclude.
- Space
Scientists Say: Kugelblitz
A black hole made of pure light —or kugelblitz — may be possible, at least in theory. But in practice: impossible.
- Physics
Experiment: Making music with bottles
In this study, we investigate how the volume of air inside a bottle affects the pitch of the musical notes it can create.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Magnetosphere
This magnetic field encapsulates our planet, sheltering us from damaging energetic threats posed by the cosmos and our own sun.
- Space
Scientists Say: Cosmic rays
These energy-packed particles come to us from the farthest reaches of outer space.
- Chemistry
The periodic table might soon have a new element
A new technique could be used to make the undiscovered element 120.
