Physics

New Mexico’s Skies Burst With Color During World’s Largest Hot Air Balloon Festival

The 43rd Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta sends hundreds of hot air balloons soaring into the sky

October 6, 2014

Breaking Down the Science of the Stolen Base

What does it take to swipe second? Math and physics lend their advice

October 2, 2014

Think Big

What Is the Universe? Real Physics Has Some Mind-Bending Answers

Science says the universe could be a hologram, a computer program, a black hole or a bubble—and there are ways to check

September 15, 2014

New Research

Ghostly Neutrinos Created in the Heart of the Sun Are Finally Detected

This is the most direct evidence supporting researchers’ ideas about how the Sun is powered

August 29, 2014

New Research

Geckos Can Control the Movement of Their Toe Hairs

Geckos take advantage of van der Waals forces to run across ceilings, but a simple shift allows them to drop to the ground

August 21, 2014

Cool Finds

There’s an Easy (And Tasty) Way to Measure the Speed of Light at Home

You can make surprisingly accurate calculations using chocolate and a microwave

August 4, 2014

How Do You Build the World’s Tallest Water Slide?

From conceptualization to the first plunge, building the world’s tallest water slide takes more trial-and-error than you might believe

July 28, 2014

New Research

How a Flock of 400 Flying Birds Manages to Turn in Just Half a Second

The birds’ patterns of movement are surprisingly similar to that of superfluid helium

July 28, 2014

New Research

Lasers Make a Fiber Optic Cable Out of Thin Air

Just like a fiber optic cable, without the physical cable

July 24, 2014

Art Meets Science

Who Knew Fungi and Fruit Fly Ovaries Could Be So Beautiful?

Princeton University’s annual science art contest shines a light on the research world, adding a video element this year

July 22, 2014

New Research

Spider Silk is a Fine-Tuned Alert System

Web fibers can send a wide range of messages

July 22, 2014

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