Category: Physics & Chemistry
A Mathematician Discovered a New Eight-Faced Shape. It Looks Like a Glitch in Reality
For a seemingly pointless exercise, these odd shapes can actually serve a practical purpose.
How Close Are We to Superconductors That Are Actually Practical?
For decades, physicists have used superconductors to explore the weirdest aspects of reality. But they always need to...
This Photon Survived an ‘Impossible’ Journey to Earth. To Explain it, Physicists Had to Break Einstein
To answer weird questions, come up with (reasonably) weird answers.
Physicists Detected a Signal That Defies Explanation. It Could Be Dark Matter—or Something Stranger
Researchers have been searching for this elusive substance for years. One team may have finally found something.
Raindrops Carry Tiny Electrical Charges That Eat Through Your Car’s Fresh Paint Job
A new study identifies a real—and overlooked—reason rain breaks down protective coating on metal.
This Brain Teaser Lied to Players for 3 Years, and Math Finally Caught It
“In our defense, it wasn’t on purpose.”
The Large Hadron Collider Is Getting a Major Upgrade. But What Would Actually Surprise Physicists?
Some were disappointed at the lack of "new physics" from the LHC. Could forthcoming updates be the accelerator's...
Scientists Develop Microbes That Make Vanilla Cookies Out of Plastic Bottles
“Microbes are very clever. So, we are using their traits to solve the problems we created.”
Scientists Recreate the Melting ‘Diamond Rain’ of Neptune and Uranus. It May Help Fusion Power
A U.S. government lab has recreated the truly alien conditions that melt diamonds deep inside ice giant planets—and...
These Whale Calls Appear to Break Physics, but the Truth Is Even Weirder
“Most of us don’t hear a whale call and think, ‘Wow, look at the special theory of relativity...
