Physics

New Research

How Does Nature Carve Sandstone Pillars and Arches?

Researchers say the right mix of erosion and stress creates Earth’s natural sandstone arches and columns

July 21, 2014

New Research

We Know Physics is Largely White and Male, But Exactly How White and Male is Still Striking

Most current physics students will likely never have an African American physics teacher, says a new survey

July 14, 2014

Cool Finds

The North Pole Could Soon Drift Over to Siberia

Earth’s magnetic field seems to be weakening and potentially migrating

July 14, 2014

Cool Finds

There’s a Cheap And Easy Way to Turn Things Invisible

Real invisibility cloaks are a long way off, but here’s a handy—if somewhat limited—replacement

July 7, 2014

New Research

What If There’s a Way to Explain Quantum Physics Without the Probabilistic Weirdness?

An old idea is back in vogue as physicists find support for “pilot wave theory,” a competitor to quantum mechanics

June 30, 2014

New Research

Turning Light Into Matter Might Finally Be Possible

Researchers have a formula for turning colliding photons into electrons and positrons

May 19, 2014

Future Is Here Festival

Take a Peek Into the Future’s Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian’s Two-Day Festival

The magazine’s 2nd annual conference brings together experts, authors and visionaries in the fields of science, science fiction and technology.

May 2014

New Research

One More Way Cities Might Mess With Birds—By Throwing Radio Waves at Them

Radio waves disrupt birds’ migratory patterns, but birds may have a natural work-around

May 9, 2014

New Research

A Simple Trick May Have Helped the Egyptians Build the Pyramids

No ancient aliens needed: A little bit of water reduces friction when dragging a sled over sand

May 1, 2014

Cool Finds

How to Improve Your Vision Without Glasses, Contacts Or Surgery

Knowing a little about the physics of light can help you focus

April 30, 2014

Cool Finds

This Obscure Species of Mite Is the Fastest Animal on Earth

The mite just defeated the previous record-holder, the Australian tiger beetle

April 30, 2014

New Research

The Big “Gravitational Wave” Finding May Have Actually Just Been Some Dust

A supernova remnant interacting with interstellar dust could have caused the signals interpreted to be gravitational waves

April 17, 2014

New Research

Could Noah’s Ark Float? In Theory, Yes

Basic physics suggests that an ark carrying lots of animal cargo could float, but science doesn’t support other facets of the biblical tale

April 4, 2014

Art Meets Science

Art and Science Collide in the Discovery of the Higgs Boson

Particle Fever, a documentary about the physicists who found the “God particle,” suggests doing science isn’t that different from making art

March 31, 2014

Cool Finds

Now Every School Can Access a Fancy Plasma Physics Laboratory

Princeton’s Plasma Physics Laboratory gives remote access to a plasma physics experiment

March 21, 2014

Cool Finds

The Science of Monday’s Big “Gravitational Wave” Thing Explained in Two Minutes

Big Bang news left you lost? This Minute Physics video might help

March 20, 2014

New Research

A New Cosmic Discovery Could Be The Closest We’ve Come to the Beginning of Time

Scientists detect the signature of gravitational waves generated in the first moments of the Big Bang

March 17, 2014

Cool Finds

Adidas May Have Finally Made a Sleek, Streamlined Soccer Ball That Players Can Live With

Professional soccer players hate when Adidas redesigns their World Cup balls. How will this new one fly?

March 17, 2014

Art Meets Science

Adventures In Laser Science

A photo series by Austin-based photographer Robert Shults casts physicists and their everyday life in the lab in a sci-fi B-movie light

February 21, 2014

Bumblebees Can Fly Into Thin Air

Once thought to be unimpressive fliers, bumblebees may be able to summit Mount Everest, new research suggests

February 4, 2014