Physics

Watch: Death Valley’s Mysterious ‘Sailing Stones’ Inspire Ice Slingshot That Propels Frozen Discs Without External Force

Christopher Plain·August 17, 2025

Virginia Tech engineers have designed an “ice slingshot” that can propel frozen disks of water across a flat, grooved surface without any external force.

Clever New Trick Uses the Universe as a ‘Gigantic Particle Accelerator’ in the Hunt for Dark Matter

Ryan Whalen·August 15, 2025

Astrophysicists develop a new tactic that uses galaxy clusters a sort of natural particle accelerator in the hunt for dark matter.

Gravity vs Quantum Physics: Researchers Say They are Closing in on “One of the Most Important Outstanding Problems”

Ryan Whalen·August 15, 2025

Researchers have revealed the upcoming studies they hope will finally reconcile quantum physics with gravity.

Ultrafast Levitation Achieved in New Frictionless Device Developed by Japanese Researchers

Ryan Whalen·August 12, 2025

Japanese researchers have developed a new method of ultrafast frictionless levitation, marking an engineering breakthrough.

“It Was Unclear to Scientists Why They Existed”: Breakthrough Study Reveals Why “Impossible” Quasicrystals Exist

Ryan Whalen·August 12, 2025

Quasicrystals, an unusual atomic structure between crystal and glass, may be the most stable arrangement of atoms.

Scientists Directly Measure ‘Impossible’ Zero-Point Motion That Cannot be Explained Classically

Christopher Plain·August 8, 2025

Scientists say they have achieved the "impossible" by directly measuring zero-point motion in a molecule at its lowest energy state.

“It May Sound Really Crazy”: A Paperclip-Sized Probe Could One Day Visit a Black Hole, This Researcher Says

Ryan Whalen·August 7, 2025

Sending an artificial probe into a black hole may be in the cards within the coming decades, according to a Fudan University researcher

“Neglectons”—Particles Once Considered Mathematical Garbage—May Hold the Key to Quantum Computing

Micah Hanks·August 5, 2025

Researchers offer fresh perspectives on challenges in quantum computing with a new look at a once-overlooked particle called the "neglecton."

Dark Matter May Arise From ‘Mirror Worlds’ or Cosmic Horizons, Bold New Theories Suggest

Ryan Whalen·August 5, 2025

New theories put forward possible answers to the long-standing question of dark matter’s particle nature, a major mystery of the universe.

“Sound Transmission Isn’t Necessary”: Visual Microphone Decodes Vibrations to Hear Without Listening

Christopher Plain·August 1, 2025

Scientists have invented the first-ever single-pixel "visual microphone" that detects vibrations with light and converts them back to sound.

Scientists Propose Origin Story for “Puzzling” Hot Zone Beneath America They’re Calling the North Atlantic Anomaly

Christopher Plain·July 31, 2025

Scientists studying a puzzling hot zone beneath America, called the North Atlantic Anomaly, have proposed a mantle wave origin hypothesis.

Scientists Are Still Perplexed by Quantum Physics and Can’t Agree on Its True Meaning, Landmark Survey Finds

Micah Hanks·July 30, 2025

Quantum mechanics remains mysterious as it turns 100, and a landmark survey reveals physicists are still sharply divided over its meaning.

Einstein Was Wrong? ‘Idealized’ Double-Slit Experiment Ends Nearly 100-Year-Old Debate

Christopher Plain·July 29, 2025

MIT scientist built an idealized, atomic-scale version of the famous double slit experiment which showed Albert Einstein was wrong.

A Radical New Theory Has Scientists Rethinking the Origins of the Universe

Ryan Whalen·July 28, 2025

A radical new model of the universe redefines the first few moments of existence, reducing reliance on theoretical concepts.

Scientists Decode “Perplexing Mystery” of How X-rays, Electric Fields, and Electron Avalanches Create Powerful Lightning Strikes

Christopher Plain·July 28, 2025

Penn State University scientists have demonstrated the complex series of events occurring inside thunderclouds that create lightning strikes.

‘Extreme’ Chip Will Help LHC Scientists Explore Fundamental Questions About the Universe

Christopher Plain·July 28, 2025

Columbia University engineers invent an extreme chip capable of surviving the harsh radiation emitted during high-energy LHC experiments.

James Webb Space Telescope Sees ‘Zombie’ Black Holes Spring to Life, Feasting on Stars in Dramatic Tidal Disruption Events

Micah Hanks·July 25, 2025

Astronomers have made a series of first-of-their-kind observations that uncover the dusty remains of stars ripped apart by supermassive black holes.

Extreme Plasmons Breakthrough Makes Gamma-Ray Lasers and Future Multiverse Probes “Very Probable”

Christopher Plain·July 25, 2025

Engineers invent a material with extreme plasmons that could aid sci fi technologies like gamma ray lasers and tools to probe the multiverse

Lunar Landings Leave a Mark—Engineers Solve a Decades-Old Mystery, Enabling Safer Touchdowns on the Moon

Ryan Whalen·July 24, 2025

Researchers have identified the phenomenon behind dust streaks from lunar landings, offering insights crucial for safely operating future Moon bases.

In a Stunning First, Scientists Have Watched a Star Survive a Black Hole Encounter

Micah Hanks·July 21, 2025

For the first time, astronomers have confirmed a star’s survival following a tidal disruption event with a supermassive black hole.

Astronomers Spot Strange Activity Over Jupiter’s North Pole That Could Lead to a Paradigm Shift in Plasma Physics

Micah Hanks·July 18, 2025

NASA’s Juno spacecraft has detected an unusual new variety of plasma phenomenon occurring over Jupiter's north pole.

Scientists Achieve the “Impossible” by Detecting Invisible Forces in Ordinary Metal

Christopher Plain·July 17, 2025

Scientists hunting invisible forces in non-magnetic metals with the optical Hall effect report the first-ever successful detection.

Forget OLEDS, QLEDS and PHOLEDS. New Ultra-Bright QRLEDS Are Finally Here

Christopher Plain·July 16, 2025

A team of scientists trying to improve upon OLEDs and QLEDs used in modern smartphone displays have created ultra-bright QRLEDs.

Gravitational Waves Unveil Record-Breaking Black Hole Merger, Challenging Existing Models

Ryan Whalen·July 14, 2025

The most massive gravitationally detected black hole merger to date has been observed by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration.

New Simulations Reveal Dozens of Hidden Galaxies Orbiting the Milky Way

Ryan Whalen·July 12, 2025

There may be many more satellite galaxies in the Milky Way than have been observed, according to new Durham University simulations.

An Unknown ‘Fifth Force’ May Explain a Baffling Physics Mystery—These Researchers Have a Bold New Plan to Uncover It

Micah Hanks·July 11, 2025

Physicists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have a novel plan to uncover an unknown fifth force of nature long theorized to exist.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Just Solved a Key Mystery Behind the Sun’s Superheated Corona

Ryan Whalen·July 10, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has collected data that evidences the theoretical “helicity barrier,” where turbulent dissipation behaves strangely.

Forgotten for Nearly a Century, a ‘Lost’ Fusion Breakthrough Has Been Unearthed—and Physicists Just Recreated It

Micah Hanks·July 9, 2025

A forgotten fusion experiment from 1938 has been unearthed, revealing a lost discovery that seeded a key concept in modern nuclear physics.

Theoretical “Dark Dwarfs” Lurking Near the Galactic Center Could Help Reveal Dark Matter’s Secrets

Ryan Whalen·July 7, 2025

Dark dwarfs, stars composed of dark matter, may be the optimal objects in which to finally discover physical dark matter in the real world.

Could the Large Hadron Collider Disprove String Theory? Scientists Say Yes—With the Right Discovery

Tim McMillan·July 7, 2025

A new study proposes that discovering a single exotic particle at the LHC could falsify string theory as we know it.

Is Cosmic Expansion Losing Steam? Scientists Say Dark Energy’s Grip May Be Weakening

Ryan Whalen·July 1, 2025

Scientists say the dark energy in our universe may be losing its power over time, leading to a slowdown in universal expansion.

James Webb Space Telescope Trains Its Sights on the ‘Bullet Cluster,’ Revealing a Stunning View of Galaxies in Collision

Micah Hanks·June 30, 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured high-resolution images of the Bullet Cluster, revealing its complex dynamics.

Scientists Use Magnetic Levitation to Search for Ultralight Dark Matter

Christopher Plain·June 26, 2025

Rice University scientists have built a magnetic levitation sensor to spot quantum-level oscillations caused by ultralight dark matter.

Theory Proposing Three-Dimensional Time as the “Primary Fabric of Everything” Could Unify Quantum Physics and Gravity

Christopher Plain·June 23, 2025

A new, testable theory proposing three-dimensional time as the "primary fabric of everything" could help unify quantum physics and gravity.

Astronomers Say This Ancient Radio Signal Could Reveal New Clues About Mysterious “Cosmic Dawn”

Ryan Whalen·June 22, 2025

An ancient radio signal generated a soon after the Big Bang, may be the key to understanding the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization.

X-Ray Telescopes Reveal 23-Million-Light-Year Filament That May Help Solve “Missing Matter” Mystery

Ryan Whalen·June 20, 2025

A potential solution to the decades-long “missing matter” problem has been uncovered in astronomers' recent analysis of X-ray data.

Caltech’s DSA-110 Radio Telescope Helps Team Solve Longstanding Mystery of Universe’s Missing Matter

Ryan Whalen·June 18, 2025

Fast Radio Bursts finally help determine where the “missing” half of the universe’s expected matter resides in new research.

New Solution to 120-Year-Old ‘Absolute Zero’ Problem Shows Einstein was Wrong

Christopher Plain·June 18, 2025

A newly published solution to a 120-year-old absolute zero problem shows that the criticisms of famed scientist Albert Einstein were wrong.

“We Have Finally Found the Last Piece of the Puzzle”: Scientists Solve a Long-Standing Seismic Mystery

Ryan Whalen·June 18, 2025

Almost 3,000 kilometers underground, a seismic mystery has been solved as earthquake waves anomalous behavior is finally explained.

Scientists Discover a New Type of Magnetism That Could Improve Computer Memory by “Orders of Magnitude”

Ryan Whalen·June 15, 2025

The discovery of a new form of magnetism is a significant step toward “spintronic” memory chips, which could improve computing efficiency.

NASA’s Powerful New EMIT Instrument Can Detect Wastewater Leaks from Space

Ryan Whalen·June 15, 2025

NASA’s EMIT instrument successfully performed analysis detecting wastewater leaks on Earth from aboard the International Space Station.

Antarctica Scientists “Don’t Actually Have an Explanation” for Strange Radio Pulses Coming from Below the Ice

Christopher Plain·June 14, 2025

Scientists hunting Antarctica for elusive neutrinos report the detection of strange radio pulses coming from beneath the ice.

Scientists Tracking Elusive Plasma ‘Blobs’ and ‘Voids’ Unravel a Longstanding Fusion Energy Mystery

Micah Hanks·June 13, 2025

New research involving plasma blobs and voids within tokamaks could soon solve a longstanding mystery in nuclear fusion research.

Magnetic Explosion Driving Space Weather Captured by NASA’s Parker Space Probe

Ryan Whalen·June 10, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a powerful magnetic explosion providing new data on magnetic reconnection, important to space weather.

Scientists Successfully Simulate Bizarre Phenomenon Where “Light Appears to be Generated from Darkness”

Christopher Plain·June 6, 2025

Physicists have successfully simulated a bizarre phenomenon where three intersecting lasers create a third, resulting in light from darkness.

Spooky Computing: This New Magnetic Material is “Naturally Resistant” to Forces that Disrupt Quantum Computers

Ryan Whalen·June 6, 2025

A new magnetic material could help to address the problem of quantum computers' susceptibility to environmental disturbances.

First-Ever “Metalenses” Turn Invisible Light Visible and Are Dramatically Thinner Than Glass Lenses

Christopher Plain·June 5, 2025

Breakthrough ultrathin metalenses not only focus light like traditional lenses but also turn invisible light into visible light.

“A Glimpse of the Future”: Scientists Suggest ‘Supermassive’ Alternative to Next Generation Supercolliders

Christopher Plain·June 4, 2025

Scientists say supermassive black holes that smash together particles at near light speeds could potentially replace high-cost supercolliders.

Scientists Invent a 2D Material with Exotic Properties Called ‘Glaphene’ that “Nature Does Not Make on its Own”

Christopher Plain·May 30, 2025

Scientists have invented a new two-dimensional (2D) material called 'glaphene' that combines the exotic properties of other materials.

“It Sounds Impossible, but They Did It”: Students Develop New Tech to Power 3D Holograms Using Quantum Entanglement

Ryan Whalen·May 28, 2025

A novel microscopic imaging technique developed by Brown University engineers captures 3D images using quantum entanglement.