An Invisible ‘Demon’ Lurks in an Odd Superconductor
A few years ago, the researchers decided to put a superconducting metal called strontium ruthenate in their crosshairs. Its structure
Read more
physics
Dr. Nergis Mavalvala Detected the First Gravitational Wave. Her Work Doesn’t Stop There
“Where did all this come from? How did it all get started?” These are the questions that Dr. Nergis Mavalvala
Read more
Dr. Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski Will Change How You Think About Space
She was also worried about the strong personalities she’d have to deal with in aerospace. “I was always scared something
Read more
Starquakes Might Solve the Mysteries of Stellar Magnetism
That was a surprise—and a possible indication that something crucial was missing in those models: magnetism. Stellar Symmetry Last year,
Read more
How to Measure the Impact From a Collision
Not only do I get the “shape” of the acceleration curve for the colliding cart, but I also get a
Read more
Could a Cockroach Survive a Fall From Space?
There’s some cool stuff going on here. Notice that for the objects with air resistance, they all reach incredibly high
Read more
The First Small-Scale Nuclear Plant in the US Died Before It Could Live
The plan for the first small-scale US nuclear reactor was exciting, ambitious, and unusual from the get-go. In 2015, a
Read more
How to Measure the Calories in a Candy Bar—With Physics!
This Halloween, when you grab a candy bar, pay attention to the wrapper. In the United States, a “nutrition facts”
Read more
The Physics of Faraday Cages
This also works the other way: Incoming electromagnetic waves will get canceled by the moving charges in the Faraday cage.
Read more
Magnetic Minerals May Have Given Life Its Molecular Asymmetry
Naaman and his team discovered that chiral molecules filter electrons based on the direction of their spin. Electrons with one
Read more