Physics

Artist’s conception of two merging black holes, spinning in a nonaligned fashion.

Scientists Hear Two Even More Ancient Black Holes Collide

At this point, detecting ripples in the fabric of space-time is practically commonplace

Magnetic field strength throughout the Milky Way in present day

Supercomputers Create Breathtaking Simulations of Spiral Galaxies

The simulations took months of modeling to complete—and the results can help scientists learn about the formation of galaxies

Prince Rupert's Drops

The 400-Year-Old Mystery of These Bullet-Shattering Glass Drops May Finally Be Solved

The tadpole-shaped glass structures can survive a hammer blow but explode if their tail is squeezed

From the tiniest to the most massive of poos, physics predicts we should all spend the same amount of time on the john.

A Grand Unified Theory of Pooping

Why you and an elephant spend the same amount of time on the john

Developed by Komal Dadlani, Lab4U apps take advantage of a smartphone's built-in sensors.

This App Puts a Science Lab in Your Pocket

Lab4U turns smartphones and tablets into scientific tools

Emmy Noether, mathematical genius

Mathematician Emmy Noether Should Be Your Hero

She revolutionized mathematics, and then was forgotten because she was a woman

Watch Declassified Nuclear Bomb Tests Online

Weapons physicist Greg Sprigg has spent five years declassifying, digitizing and reanalyzing film of the U.S.'s 210 open air nuclear detonations

Brr.

Why (Part of) the International Space Station Will Soon Be the Coldest Place in the Universe

An icebox-like lab will help scientists get a grip on a phenomenon that’s hard to spot on Earth

The innards of the Large Hadron Collider's CMS module

Large Hadron Collider Gets "Open Heart Surgery"

The massive physics experiment in Switzerland is receiving an upgrade

Einstein enjoyed a 20-year friendship with African-American civil rights leader and actor Paul Robeson (far right). Also shown are former vice president Henry Wallace (left) and Lewis L. Wallace of Princeton University (second from right).

How Albert Einstein Used His Fame to Denounce American Racism

The world-renowned physicist was never one to just stick to the science

This photo shows the Berkeley 60-inch cyclotron, build in 1939. The year before, technetium-99 was discovered by Emilio Segrè and Glenn Seaborg using the facility's 37-inch cyclotron. Ernest Lawrence, the cyclotron's inventor, is standing, third from left.

Old Particle Accelerator Tech Might Be Just What the Doctor Ordered

Shortages of important supplies for nuclear medicine has researchers looking for answers on how to produce technetium-99

Babe Ruth's first major-league team was the Boston Red Sox, where he was a star player. When he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, the "Curse of the Bambino" began and the Red Sox didn't win another World Series until 2004.

Why Was Babe Ruth So Good At Hitting Home Runs?

People have been using science on the Great Bambino since the 1920s

Frogs have a sticky secret: spit.

Special Spit Helps Frogs Get a Grip on Insects

Secretly sticky spit snatches snacks, study shows

CERN Weasel 2

Museum Displays the Weasel that Brought Down Particle Physics

A stone marten that disrupted the Large Hadron Collider in November goes on display in Rotterdam in an exhibit about human-animal mishaps

Scientists Capture a "Sonic Boom" of Light

A new, ultra-fast camera recorded the phenomenon for the first time

Being stuck in a crowd can be an overwhelming experience. Physicists and computer scientists bring some order to the chaos.

How Fluid Dynamics Can Help You Navigate Crowds

If you plan to be in a seething mass of humans at some point—whether it’s an inauguration or protest thereof—here's how to keep yourself safe

The bow-shaped wave on Venus

Scientists Spot Massive Wave in Venus' Atmosphere

The 6,200-mile long bow-shaped wrinkle may have been caused by gravity waves

It can get much, much colder than this.

Scientists Make the Coldest Object on Earth

Researchers cooled a tiny aluminum drum almost to absolute zero and think they can go even further

Dendrite Star snowflake

This Historical Figure Wore the Label "Snowflake" With Pride

Wilson Bentley became the first person to photograph a single snowflake in 1885

There's more to H20 than meets the eye.

Scientists Find That Water Might Exist in a Whole New State

Think water comes in just liquid, ice and gas? Think again

Page 10 of 26