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Physics

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Isaac Newton’s Death Mask: Now Available in Digital 3D

Using a mask made upon the great physicist’s death, scientists created a 3D scan of Newton’s visage

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If We Had Followed This Plan, We’d Be Living on Mars By Now

If you think Curiosity is exciting, imagine where we could have been if someone had put these guys in charge

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Top 5 “Science Done Right” Moments in Movies

Directors take note: scientist and author David Kirby commends the accuracy in these popular films

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Slinkys Can Float in the Air (For a Second)

Further proof that Slinkys are magical

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The Physics of Eating Candy

For certain sweet treats, researchers found, patient indulgers can enjoy a single piece of candy for up to nearly half an hour - so long as they resist the urge to bite or chew

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Slept Through Physics? Maybe It Doesn’t Matter

Does sleeping through physics - or math class for that matter - really make a difference to your life?

An electron scanning micrograph of the molecule-weighing device. When a molecule lands on the bridge-like portion at the center, it vibrates at a frequency that indicates its mass.

New Device Can Measure the Mass of a Single Molecule

Caltech scientists have created an ultra-sensitive device that can weigh an individual molecule for the first time

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The Laboratory of Nikola Tesla, One of History’s Greatest Scientists, Is Up For Sale

Nikola Tesla invented a device that uses lightning to play music. No, seriously

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The Man who “Discovered” Cold Fusion Just Passed Away

Martin Fleischmann, who in 1989 claimed to have discovered cold fusion, died in his home in England on Friday, August 3rd, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

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Now We Know Why Rainbows Split in Two

Though much of the physics behind rainbows is still cloaked in colorful mystery, researchers have at last unlocked some of the secrets behind the peculiar optics of the twinned rainbow.

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Sir Bernard Lovell, The Man The Soviets Tried to Poison With Uranium, Dies at 98

Lovell, of the Lovell telescope, made several advances in radio astronomy and physics.

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Landing Curiosity on Mars was Way Harder and Way Less Expensive than the Olympics

Landing a car-sized rover on a distant planet using a sky crane is really hard, and really awesome.

The fountains of Enceladus as seen by Cassini

If Humans Are Ever Going to See Alien Life, Here’s Where It Will Happen

Scientists are all atwitter over Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons and one of the most likely places in our solar system to harbor life

Climate change could produce an ozone hole over the U.S. similar to the one observed over Antarctica, above, in 2006.

Climate Change Could Erode Ozone Layer Over U.S.

New findings indicate that effects of climate change could increase ozone depletion, UV exposure and skin cancer

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The End of Swimsuit Design Innovation

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What if Newton’s Principia Mathematica, Published Today, Had Been in Comic Sans?

The rage over CERN’s font choice drives the question: How would the world have reacted to Newton’s world-changing tome had Comic Sans existed at the time?

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Physicists Pin Down New Particle, Won’t Quite Call It the Higgs

Different types of chemicals packed inside fireworks are responsible for the variety of colors.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Science of Fireworks

These iconic symbols of Independence Day celebrations are also a marvel of modern science and engineering

Simulation of a detection of the Higgs boson in the CMS experiment

Finally, For Real, We (May Have) Found the God Particle

Jim Starry's patent drawing for the Starport airport design

The Airport Design Utopian

What ever happened to the Starport, the brainchild of Jim Starry that re-imagined the airport?

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