New Scientist - Physics https://www.newscientist.com/ https://www.newscientist.com/build/images/ns-logo-scaled.ed2dc11a.png https://www.newscientist.com daily 1 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234950-400-what-naked-singularities-are-revealing-about-quantum-space-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 11 Jun 2024 17:12:00 +0100 Are points of infinite curvature, where general relativity breaks down, always hidden inside black holes? An audacious attempt to find out is shedding light on the mystery of quantum gravity mg26234950-400-what-naked-singularities-are-revealing-about-quantum-space-time|2434850 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2435679-hybrid-design-could-make-nuclear-fusion-reactors-more-efficient/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 14 Jun 2024 17:19:26 +0100 Two types of fusion reactor called tokamaks and stellarators both have drawbacks – but a new design combining parts from both could offer the best of both worlds 2435679-hybrid-design-could-make-nuclear-fusion-reactors-more-efficient|2435679 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2435010-liquid-crystals-could-improve-quantum-communication-devices/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 12 Jun 2024 17:00:53 +0100 Quantum light is key to futuristic quantum technologies, but researchers have been creating it in the same way for 60 years – now liquid crystals offer an easier way to produce it 2435010-liquid-crystals-could-improve-quantum-communication-devices|2435010 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234940-300-how-materials-that-rewind-light-can-test-physics-most-extreme-ideas/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 03 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0100 Strange solids called temporal metamaterials finally make it possible to investigate the controversial idea of quantum friction – and push special relativity to its limits mg26234940-300-how-materials-that-rewind-light-can-test-physics-most-extreme-ideas|2433708 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2434625-how-to-wrap-your-mind-around-the-real-multiverse/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 07 Jun 2024 14:00:22 +0100 Fictional portrayals of parallel universes are fun to explore, but the scientific view of the multiverse looks very different 2434625-how-to-wrap-your-mind-around-the-real-multiverse|2434625 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2434069-atoms-at-temperatures-beyond-absolute-zero-may-be-a-new-form-of-matter/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:00:10 +0100 Physicists have coaxed a cloud of atoms into having a temperature beyond absolute zero and placed them in a geometric structure that could produce an unknown form of matter 2434069-atoms-at-temperatures-beyond-absolute-zero-may-be-a-new-form-of-matter|2434069 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2433294-time-may-be-an-illusion-created-by-quantum-entanglement/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 31 May 2024 18:00:02 +0100 The true nature of time has eluded physicists for centuries, but a new theoretical model suggests it may only exist due to entanglement between quantum objects 2433294-time-may-be-an-illusion-created-by-quantum-entanglement|2433294 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234932-900-quantum-time-travel-the-experiment-to-send-a-particle-into-the-past/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 29 May 2024 17:00:00 +0100 Time loops have long been the stuff of science fiction. Now, using the rules of quantum mechanics, we have a way to effectively transport a particle back in time – here’s how mg26234932-900-quantum-time-travel-the-experiment-to-send-a-particle-into-the-past|2433162 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234930-200-how-the-weird-and-powerful-pull-of-black-holes-made-me-a-physicist/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 29 May 2024 19:00:00 +0100 When I heard Stephen Hawking extol the mysteries of black holes, I knew theoretical physics was what I wanted to do. There is still so much to learn about these strange regions, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein mg26234930-200-how-the-weird-and-powerful-pull-of-black-holes-made-me-a-physicist|2432994 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2432895-quantum-arrow-of-time-suggests-early-universe-had-no-entanglement/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 27 May 2024 16:00:53 +0100 One way to explain why time only moves forward is the quantum arrow of time, and it has major implications for both the universe's early period and its eventual demise 2432895-quantum-arrow-of-time-suggests-early-universe-had-no-entanglement|2432895 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234922-000-quantum-to-cosmos-why-scale-is-vital-to-our-understanding-of-reality/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 22 May 2024 19:00:00 +0100 From the vastness of the universe to the infinitesimal particles that comprise it, extremes of scale defy comprehension – and present a problem for physicists seeking a unified theory of everything mg26234922-000-quantum-to-cosmos-why-scale-is-vital-to-our-understanding-of-reality|2432009 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234921-400-what-are-fractals-and-how-can-they-help-us-understand-the-world/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 21 May 2024 19:00:00 +0100 Fractals are common in nature because of the surprisingly simple way they are made. Mathematically, they also help us make sense of complexity and chaos – and maybe even quantum weirdness mg26234921-400-what-are-fractals-and-how-can-they-help-us-understand-the-world|2432003 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234921-100-how-indefinite-causality-could-lead-us-to-a-theory-of-quantum-gravity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 20 May 2024 18:00:00 +0100 Experiments show that effect doesn’t always follow cause in the weird world of subatomic particles, offering fresh clues about the quantum origins of space-time mg26234921-100-how-indefinite-causality-could-lead-us-to-a-theory-of-quantum-gravity|2432000 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234921-800-how-quantum-entanglement-really-works-and-why-we-accept-its-weirdness/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 22 May 2024 18:00:00 +0100 Subatomic particles can appear to instantly influence one another, no matter how far apart they are. These days, that isn't a source of mystery – it's a fact of the universe and a resource for new technologies mg26234921-800-how-quantum-entanglement-really-works-and-why-we-accept-its-weirdness|2432007 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2431923-x-ray-laser-fires-most-powerful-pulse-ever-recorded/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 22 May 2024 12:00:20 +0100 The Linac Coherent Light Source in California fired an X-ray pulse that lasted only a few hundred billionths of a billionth of a second but carried nearly a terawatt of power 2431923-x-ray-laser-fires-most-powerful-pulse-ever-recorded|2431923 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2431927-physicists-are-grappling-with-their-own-reproducibility-crisis/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 17 May 2024 21:58:32 +0100 A contentious meeting of physicists highlighted concerns, failures and possible fixes for a crisis in condensed matter physics 2431927-physicists-are-grappling-with-their-own-reproducibility-crisis|2431927 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2431224-sunlight-trapping-device-can-generate-temperatures-over-1000c/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 15 May 2024 17:00:48 +0100 A solar energy absorber that uses quartz to trap heat reached 1050°C in tests and could offer a way to decarbonise the production of steel and cement 2431224-sunlight-trapping-device-can-generate-temperatures-over-1000c|2431224 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234903-200-why-we-are-finally-within-reach-of-a-room-temperature-superconductor/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 07 May 2024 17:00:00 +0100 A practical superconductor would transform the efficiency of electronics. After decades of hunting, several key breakthroughs are inching us very close to this coveted prize mg26234903-200-why-we-are-finally-within-reach-of-a-room-temperature-superconductor|2429962 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2430549-doughnut-shaped-swirls-of-laser-light-can-be-used-to-transmit-images/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 10 May 2024 20:00:21 +0100 Ultra-fast pulses of laser light can be shaped into vortices similar to smoke rings – when chained together, they can carry enough information to transmit a simple image 2430549-doughnut-shaped-swirls-of-laser-light-can-be-used-to-transmit-images|2430549 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2429915-being-in-two-places-at-once-could-make-a-quantum-battery-charge-faster/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 09 May 2024 00:00:12 +0100 The quantum principle of superposition – the idea of particles being in multiple places at once – could help make quantum batteries that charge within minutes 2429915-being-in-two-places-at-once-could-make-a-quantum-battery-charge-faster|2429915 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2430012-fusion-reactors-could-create-ingredients-for-a-nuclear-weapon-in-weeks/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 08 May 2024 09:00:29 +0100 Concern over the risks of enabling nuclear weapons development is usually focused on nuclear fission reactors, but the potential harm from more advanced fusion reactors has been underappreciated 2430012-fusion-reactors-could-create-ingredients-for-a-nuclear-weapon-in-weeks|2430012 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2429489-black-holes-scramble-information-but-may-not-be-the-best-at-it/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 06 May 2024 14:00:47 +0100 Information contained within quantum objects gets scrambled when they interact. Physicists have now derived a speed limit for this process, challenging the idea that black holes are the fastest data scramblers 2429489-black-holes-scramble-information-but-may-not-be-the-best-at-it|2429489 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234890-200-the-galactic-anomalies-hinting-dark-matter-is-weirder-than-we-thought/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0100 Cosmological puzzles are tempting astronomers to rethink our simple picture of the universe – and ask whether dark matter is even stranger than we thought mg26234890-200-the-galactic-anomalies-hinting-dark-matter-is-weirder-than-we-thought|2428621 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234881-800-a-new-kind-of-experiment-at-the-lhc-could-unravel-quantum-reality/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0100 The Large Hadron Collider is testing entanglement in a whole new energy range, probing the meaning of quantum theory – and the possibility that an even stranger reality lies beneath mg26234881-800-a-new-kind-of-experiment-at-the-lhc-could-unravel-quantum-reality|2427885 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2427825-nuclear-fusion-experiment-overcomes-two-key-operating-hurdles/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:00:38 +0100 Two important barriers to a stable, powerful fusion reaction have been leapt by an experiment in a small tokamak reactor, but we don’t yet know if the technique will work in larger devices 2427825-nuclear-fusion-experiment-overcomes-two-key-operating-hurdles|2427825 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2428182-quantum-forces-used-to-automatically-assemble-tiny-device/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:00:40 +0100 The very weak forces of attraction caused by the Casimir effect can now be used to manipulate microscopic gold flakes and turn them into a light-trapping tool 2428182-quantum-forces-used-to-automatically-assemble-tiny-device|2428182 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2427659-single-atoms-captured-morphing-into-quantum-waves-in-startling-image/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 22 Apr 2024 18:00:30 +0100 In the 1920s, Erwin Schrödinger wrote an equation that predicts how particles-turned-waves should behave. Now, researchers are perfectly recreating those predictions in the lab 2427659-single-atoms-captured-morphing-into-quantum-waves-in-startling-image|2427659 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2425525-physicists-created-an-imaginary-magnetic-field-in-real-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 09 Apr 2024 13:00:49 +0100 Researchers have used quantum light to create a magnetic field with a strength that is measured in imaginary numbers 2425525-physicists-created-an-imaginary-magnetic-field-in-real-life|2425525 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2426223-bizarre-crystal-made-only-of-electrons-revealed-in-astonishing-detail/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:00:10 +0100 To capture the clearest and most direct images of a “Wigner crystal”, a structure made entirely of electrons, researchers used a special kind of microscope and two pieces of graphene unusually free of imperfections 2426223-bizarre-crystal-made-only-of-electrons-revealed-in-astonishing-detail|2426223 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2426035-quantum-supersolid-matter-stirred-using-magnets/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 11 Apr 2024 19:00:43 +0100 We can’t stir ordinary solids, but one research team now claims to have stirred an extraordinary quantum “supersolid”, generating tiny vortices 2426035-quantum-supersolid-matter-stirred-using-magnets|2426035 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2426501-how-peter-higgs-revealed-the-forces-that-hold-the-universe-together/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 11 Apr 2024 16:40:29 +0100 The physicist Peter Higgs quietly revolutionised quantum field theory, then lived long enough to see the discovery of the Higgs boson he theorised. Despite receiving a Nobel prize, he remained in some ways as elusive as the particle that shares his name 2426501-how-peter-higgs-revealed-the-forces-that-hold-the-universe-together|2426501 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2426199-peter-higgs-physicist-who-theorised-the-higgs-boson-has-died-aged-94/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 09 Apr 2024 22:32:55 +0100 Nobel prizewinning theoretical physicist Peter Higgs has died aged 94. He proposed the particle that gives other particles mass – now named the Higgs boson and discovered by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in 2012 2426199-peter-higgs-physicist-who-theorised-the-higgs-boson-has-died-aged-94|2426199 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134843-500-the-physicist-searching-for-quantum-gravity-in-gravitational-rainbows/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Claudia de Rham thinks that gravitons, hypothetical particles thought to carry gravity, have mass. If she’s right, we can expect to see “rainbows” in ripples in space-time mg26134843-500-the-physicist-searching-for-quantum-gravity-in-gravitational-rainbows|2424008 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424878-physicists-have-worked-out-how-to-melt-any-material/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:00:21 +0000 A new equation shows a surprisingly simple relationship between pressure and the temperature needed to melt any solid substance into a liquid 2424878-physicists-have-worked-out-how-to-melt-any-material|2424878 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424774-hyperelastic-gel-is-one-of-the-stretchiest-materials-known-to-science/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:00:09 +0000 A super-stretchy hydrogel can stretch to 15 times its original length and return to its initial shape, and could be used to make soft inflatable robots 2424774-hyperelastic-gel-is-one-of-the-stretchiest-materials-known-to-science|2424774 https://www.newscientist.com/video/2423943-claudia-de-rham-in-search-of-the-true-nature-of-gravity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 28 Mar 2024 08:00:14 +0000 Claudia de Rham has spent much of her life dedicated to unravelling the true nature of gravity, thinking deeply about gravitons, the hypothetical carrier of this enigmatic force 2423943-claudia-de-rham-in-search-of-the-true-nature-of-gravity|2423943 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424426-weve-glimpsed-something-that-behaves-like-a-particle-of-gravity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:00:30 +0000 Gravitons, the particles thought to carry gravity, have never been seen in space – but something very similar has been detected in a semiconductor 2424426-weve-glimpsed-something-that-behaves-like-a-particle-of-gravity|2424426 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2423804-most-accurate-clock-ever-can-tick-for-40-billion-years-without-error/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 27 Mar 2024 12:00:36 +0000 The record for the most accurate clock has been broken in an experiment with strontium atoms almost as cold as absolute zero, and it is twice as accurate as any predecessor 2423804-most-accurate-clock-ever-can-tick-for-40-billion-years-without-error|2423804 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134833-300-why-we-need-to-invoke-philosophy-to-judge-bizarre-concepts-in-science/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 20 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0000 Theories of mind and cosmos are inevitably preposterous - knowing how to weigh competing implausibilities can help us decide which we should back mg26134833-300-why-we-need-to-invoke-philosophy-to-judge-bizarre-concepts-in-science|2423193 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134833-100-how-to-wrap-your-head-around-the-most-mind-bending-theories-of-reality/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0000 From the many worlds interpretation to panpsychism, theories of reality often sound absurd. Here’s how you can figure out which ones to take seriously mg26134833-100-how-to-wrap-your-head-around-the-most-mind-bending-theories-of-reality|2422946 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2422417-running-of-the-bulls-festival-crowds-move-like-charged-particles/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:00:18 +0000 Researchers have studied the movements of thousands of people waiting for the opening of the San Fermín festival and found they behave like electrons circling in a magnetic field 2422417-running-of-the-bulls-festival-crowds-move-like-charged-particles|2422417 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2421719-sound-laser-is-the-most-powerful-ever-made/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:00:47 +0000 A new device uses a reflective cavity, a tiny bead and an electrode to create a laser beam of sound particles ten times more powerful and much narrower than other “phonon lasers” 2421719-sound-laser-is-the-most-powerful-ever-made|2421719 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532770-400-we-may-have-spotted-a-parallel-universe-going-backwards-in-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 08 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0100 Strange particles observed by an experiment in Antarctica could be evidence of an alternative reality where everything is upside down mg24532770-400-we-may-have-spotted-a-parallel-universe-going-backwards-in-time|2239874 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2422011-rethinking-space-and-time-could-let-us-do-away-with-dark-matter/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 13 Mar 2024 11:19:48 +0000 Most physicists believe that only a quantum theory of gravity can fully explain mysteries of the universe like dark matter, but now an idea called "post-quantum gravity" is demonstrating an alternative approach 2422011-rethinking-space-and-time-could-let-us-do-away-with-dark-matter|2422011 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2420992-how-one-theory-ties-together-everything-we-know-about-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:00:56 +0000 All known natural phenomena fit into just a few categories and unifying them all is quantum field theory, says physicist Matt Strassler 2420992-how-one-theory-ties-together-everything-we-know-about-the-universe|2420992 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2420751-jupiters-stormy-surface-replicated-in-lab/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:30:21 +0000 By rotating a tank of water at 75 revolutions per minute, it’s possible to replicate some of the stunning, swirling patterns on Jupiter’s surface 2420751-jupiters-stormy-surface-replicated-in-lab|2420751 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134810-200-a-tale-of-two-mysteries-ghostly-neutrinos-and-the-proton-decay-puzzle/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0000 Searching for the true nature of neutrino particles also provides the perfect experimental conditions to seek evidence of another slippery customer – proton decay, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein mg26134810-200-a-tale-of-two-mysteries-ghostly-neutrinos-and-the-proton-decay-puzzle|2420266 https://www.newscientist.com/video/2396239-future-of-fusion-how-the-uks-jet-reactor-paved-the-way-for-iter/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:00:48 +0000 We visited the UK's fusion tokamak, JET, to see how four decades of experimentation is paving the way for ITER, the next-generation reactor in France 2396239-future-of-fusion-how-the-uks-jet-reactor-paved-the-way-for-iter|2396239 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2419671-uk-spurns-european-invitation-to-join-iter-nuclear-fusion-project/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:25:18 +0000 Since Brexit, the UK no longer has access to ITER, the world's largest nuclear fusion experiment, through the European Union. After an invitation to rejoin this week, the UK government has confirmed it prefers to go it alone 2419671-uk-spurns-european-invitation-to-join-iter-nuclear-fusion-project|2419671 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2419634-how-do-you-recycle-a-nuclear-fusion-reactor-were-about-to-find-out/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:00:34 +0000 The UK's JET nuclear fusion reactor has been shut down after 40 years, and now researchers hope to repurpose many of its components in a world-first attempt at recycling a tokamak reactor 2419634-how-do-you-recycle-a-nuclear-fusion-reactor-were-about-to-find-out|2419634 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2418653-tiny-magnet-could-help-measure-gravity-on-the-quantum-scale/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 23 Feb 2024 19:00:05 +0000 A device that measures minuscule gravitational forces could help us understand how gravity works on the quantum scale 2418653-tiny-magnet-could-help-measure-gravity-on-the-quantum-scale|2418653 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2418477-odd-quantum-property-may-let-us-chill-things-closer-to-absolute-zero/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:00:09 +0000 We can already cool objects with fridges and with lasers. Now there is a third cooling technique involving special quantum states – and it could, in theory, allow us to reach the lowest temperatures yet 2418477-odd-quantum-property-may-let-us-chill-things-closer-to-absolute-zero|2418477 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2417644-a-single-atom-could-drive-a-piston-in-a-quantum-engine/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 22 Feb 2024 15:00:01 +0000 In a quantum engine, a single atom can emit radiation that bounces around a reflective cavity and creates enough pressure to push down a piston 2417644-a-single-atom-could-drive-a-piston-in-a-quantum-engine|2417644 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134780-200-why-string-theory-has-been-unfairly-maligned-and-how-to-test-it/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 String theory is widely considered beyond empirical investigation. But we could conceivably test it thanks to ancient particles called moduli, which might appear in astronomical observations, says theorist Joseph Conlon mg26134780-200-why-string-theory-has-been-unfairly-maligned-and-how-to-test-it|2416585 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2417255-the-existence-of-a-new-kind-of-magnetism-has-been-confirmed/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:00:02 +0000 Altermagnets, theorised to exist but never before seen, have been measured for the first time and they could help us make new types of magnetic computers 2417255-the-existence-of-a-new-kind-of-magnetism-has-been-confirmed|2417255 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2416418-quantum-quirk-explains-why-carbon-dioxide-causes-global-warming/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:55 +0000 A phenomenon called the Fermi resonance, which affects how molecules vibrate, is responsible for a large part of carbon dioxide’s planet-warming effect 2416418-quantum-quirk-explains-why-carbon-dioxide-causes-global-warming|2416418 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2416409-quantum-cheshire-cat-effect-may-separate-a-particle-from-its-momentum/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 12 Feb 2024 08:00:45 +0000 A quantum experiment that could separate a particle’s properties from its mass has physicists arguing over how reality works in the quantum world 2416409-quantum-cheshire-cat-effect-may-separate-a-particle-from-its-momentum|2416409 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2416211-einstein-may-be-wrong-about-how-mirrors-travelling-at-light-speed-work/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 09 Feb 2024 09:00:57 +0000 In 1905, Einstein discovered a paradox in the predicted behaviour of mirrors travelling at impossible speeds, but it may now have been resolved 2416211-einstein-may-be-wrong-about-how-mirrors-travelling-at-light-speed-work|2416211 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2415909-uk-nuclear-fusion-reactor-sets-new-world-record-for-energy-output/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:00:05 +0000 In its final experiments before being shut down for good last year, the UK's JET reactor set a world record for the energy output of a fusion reaction 2415909-uk-nuclear-fusion-reactor-sets-new-world-record-for-energy-output|2415909 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134773-000-why-physicists-are-rethinking-the-route-to-a-theory-of-everything/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 07 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Physicists’ search for a theory that explains all reality in one framework appeared to have stalled. But now they are reinvigorating the hunt by exploring a wild landscape of abstract geometry mg26134773-000-why-physicists-are-rethinking-the-route-to-a-theory-of-everything|2415857 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2414681-nuclear-fusion-reaction-releases-almost-twice-the-energy-put-in/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 05 Feb 2024 16:00:09 +0000 The US National Ignition Facility has achieved even higher energy yields since breaking even for the first time in 2022, but a practical fusion reactor is still a long way off 2414681-nuclear-fusion-reaction-releases-almost-twice-the-energy-put-in|2414681 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134762-400-a-bold-new-take-on-quantum-theory-could-reveal-how-reality-emerges/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:02:00 +0000 At the smallest scales, everything is made out of a cloud of quantum possibilities. A new idea attempts to explain how our everyday world comes from this, using the laws of thermodynamics mg26134762-400-a-bold-new-take-on-quantum-theory-could-reveal-how-reality-emerges|2414790 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2414896-record-broken-for-the-coldest-temperature-reached-by-large-molecules/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:00:32 +0000 Four-atom molecules glued together by microwaves have broken the record for being the most complicated molecule to reach temperatures just billionths of a degree away from absolute zero 2414896-record-broken-for-the-coldest-temperature-reached-by-large-molecules|2414896 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2414361-heating-and-cooling-seem-to-be-fundamentally-different-not-opposites/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:23 +0000 Conventional thermodynamics says that heating and cooling are essentially mirror images of each other, but an experiment with a tiny silica sphere suggests otherwise 2414361-heating-and-cooling-seem-to-be-fundamentally-different-not-opposites|2414361 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2409457-snowflakes-fall-to-the-ground-according-to-a-universal-pattern/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:00:25 +0000 After analysing the way half a million snowflakes fell during mountain storms in Utah, researchers found surprising similarities 2409457-snowflakes-fall-to-the-ground-according-to-a-universal-pattern|2409457 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2412676-scientists-created-a-giant-quantum-vortex-that-mimics-a-black-hole/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:00:17 +0000 Black holes can be difficult to study, so researchers have made a powerful quantum vortex in a tank of superfluid helium that acts as a simulation of a black hole 2412676-scientists-created-a-giant-quantum-vortex-that-mimics-a-black-hole|2412676 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2411269-why-we-should-all-be-concerned-about-the-shortage-of-science-teachers/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 From Australia to the UK, the global shortage of science teachers will have a damaging effect on diversity and equity in science, says physics teacher Alom Shaha 2411269-why-we-should-all-be-concerned-about-the-shortage-of-science-teachers|2411269 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2410612-first-working-graphene-semiconductor-could-lead-to-faster-computers/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 04 Jan 2024 12:02:37 +0000 Researchers have created a functional semiconductor from graphene for the first time, creating the possibility of computer chips with greater performance and efficiency 2410612-first-working-graphene-semiconductor-could-lead-to-faster-computers|2410612 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26134722-200-supernova-neutrinos-could-break-physics-if-we-can-make-sense-of-them/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 03 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Neutrinos produced inside an exploding star could betray exotic particles that would lead to a deeper theory of physics. Will our detectors be ready in time for the next nearby supernova? mg26134722-200-supernova-neutrinos-could-break-physics-if-we-can-make-sense-of-them|2410317 https://www.newscientist.com/video/5-5-must-see-time-travel-movies-reviewed-by-a-metaphysicist/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 01 Jan 2024 10:02:39 +0000 From Back to the Future to Tenet and Interstellar, cinema can explore time travel in many imaginative ways. Metaphysicist, Kristie Miller reviews five of her favourites 5-5-must-see-time-travel-movies-reviewed-by-a-metaphysicist|2410386 https://www.newscientist.com/video/2409877-cocktail-science-mix-these-drinks-and-learn-about-fluid-dynamics/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Sat, 30 Dec 2023 16:00:24 +0000 Josh Howgego explores four cocktails that demonstrate the weird physics of fluids, and how you can try them at home 2409877-cocktail-science-mix-these-drinks-and-learn-about-fluid-dynamics|2409877 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2409964-quantum-state-of-matter-made-with-dipolar-molecules-for-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 29 Dec 2023 13:00:10 +0000 A quantum state of matter comprising molecules with opposite charges at each end has been made for the first time. It could help probe our understanding of the quantum properties of exotic materials 2409964-quantum-state-of-matter-made-with-dipolar-molecules-for-first-time|2409964 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2409699-human-cells-have-a-resonant-frequency-and-its-just-barely-audible/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 28 Dec 2023 07:00:31 +0000 Like a tuning fork, living human cells have frequencies at which they naturally vibrate – and now we have estimates for what some of them are 2409699-human-cells-have-a-resonant-frequency-and-its-just-barely-audible|2409699 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2409232-springs-made-from-rusty-metallic-glass-could-power-nanorobots/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 28 Dec 2023 12:00:50 +0000 Most metals oxidise, or rust, when exposed to air, which normally weakens them, but a kind of metallic glass instead gets more springy 2409232-springs-made-from-rusty-metallic-glass-could-power-nanorobots|2409232 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2408830-dark-stars-may-be-waiting-in-a-mirror-universe-for-us-to-discover-them/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 25 Dec 2023 12:00:10 +0000 Physicists have proposed that a mirror universe alongside our own might explain dark matter ­– and we might be able to see traces of its stars 2408830-dark-stars-may-be-waiting-in-a-mirror-universe-for-us-to-discover-them|2408830 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2409067-quantum-physicists-just-got-more-certain-about-quantum-uncertainty/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 21 Dec 2023 08:00:44 +0000 An extension of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which places limits on how precisely you can measure the properties of quantum objects, has found that it really isn't possible to cheat the laws of quantum physics 2409067-quantum-physicists-just-got-more-certain-about-quantum-uncertainty|2409067 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2408702-the-laws-of-physics-were-broken-in-2023-by-sperm/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 20 Dec 2023 12:00:53 +0000 New Scientist's most popular story of the year was about the discovery that sperm break Isaac Newton's third law of motion 2408702-the-laws-of-physics-were-broken-in-2023-by-sperm|2408702 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2409196-famous-quantum-experiment-could-be-shrunk-to-the-size-of-a-single-atom/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:00:28 +0000 A single, extremely cold atom could play the role of two slits in the classic double-slit experiment from quantum physics, something that was previously thought to be impossible 2409196-famous-quantum-experiment-could-be-shrunk-to-the-size-of-a-single-atom|2409196 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034691-900-make-these-four-classic-cocktails-and-become-a-fluid-dynamics-expert/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000 Delicious drinks can be the perfect miniature laboratory for demonstrating the weird physics of fluids. Here are four of the best examples and how you can try them at home mg26034691-900-make-these-four-classic-cocktails-and-become-a-fluid-dynamics-expert|2407674 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034690-200-lk-99-superconductor-mania-swept-the-internet-for-a-few-weeks-in-2023/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000 The promise of a material that could revolutionise the way we use electricity captured imaginations on social media, which also helped researchers quickly determine that LK-99 wasn't what it seemed mg26034690-200-lk-99-superconductor-mania-swept-the-internet-for-a-few-weeks-in-2023|2407648 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2407923-video-inside-centrifuge-shows-we-dont-fully-understand-fluid-physics/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 15 Dec 2023 16:00:06 +0000 The first footage from inside a centrifuge has uncovered unexpected swirls and vortices inside shower gel and other fluids 2407923-video-inside-centrifuge-shows-we-dont-fully-understand-fluid-physics|2407923 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034691-200-mystery-of-the-quantum-lentils-are-legumes-exchanging-secret-signals/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000 For 100 years, we have puzzled over the purpose of biophotons, low-level radiation emitted by all plants. Precision studies of lentils now hint that it could be a form of quantum communication mg26034691-200-mystery-of-the-quantum-lentils-are-legumes-exchanging-secret-signals|2407667 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2406130-seams-on-a-baseball-shift-its-trajectory-by-unexpectedly-large-amount/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 07 Dec 2023 15:00:32 +0000 When a baseball is tilted and spinning just right, its raised, hand-stitched seams skew the process by which its wake is created and radically shift its trajectory in the air 2406130-seams-on-a-baseball-shift-its-trajectory-by-unexpectedly-large-amount|2406130 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034680-200-why-ive-been-somewhat-obsessed-with-space-time-this-year/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 06 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000 I have been revisiting the Unruh effect, a beautiful, strange concept that describes quantum field theory in curved-space time, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein mg26034680-200-why-ive-been-somewhat-obsessed-with-space-time-this-year|2406758 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2406880-why-adding-water-when-you-grind-coffee-beans-makes-for-a-better-brew/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:00:21 +0000 Coffee aficionados often add a drop of water to their beans before grinding – now scientists have shown that this leads to less mess and a more flavourful espresso 2406880-why-adding-water-when-you-grind-coffee-beans-makes-for-a-better-brew|2406880 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034670-700-the-wonder-particle-how-axions-could-solve-more-than-just-dark-matter/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 29 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000 Physicists are coming to realise that hypothetical particles called axions could explain not only dark matter, but dark energy too, and more besides. Now there is fresh impetus to detect them mg26034670-700-the-wonder-particle-how-axions-could-solve-more-than-just-dark-matter|2404889 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2404565-physicists-have-worked-out-how-to-pour-water-as-quietly-as-possible/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:00:08 +0000 The sound of pouring water into a cup can be tamped down by changing the height of the pour or the diameter of the spout, but physicists have found that changing just one of these never makes it fully silent 2404565-physicists-have-worked-out-how-to-pour-water-as-quietly-as-possible|2404565 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2405140-physicists-find-ultimate-limit-for-how-accurate-clocks-can-be/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:48:30 +0000 A fundamental trade-off between the resolution of a clock and its accuracy could have important implications for quantum computers, which must measure short timescales accurately 2405140-physicists-find-ultimate-limit-for-how-accurate-clocks-can-be|2405140 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2404603-a-mysterious-incredibly-energetic-cosmic-ray-has-smashed-into-earth/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 23 Nov 2023 19:00:26 +0000 A cosmic ray dubbed Amaterasu is the second most powerful one we have ever seen, beaten only by the "Oh-My-God particle". Both have baffled astronomers and defy explanation 2404603-a-mysterious-incredibly-energetic-cosmic-ray-has-smashed-into-earth|2404603 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2403363-lasers-fired-at-crystals-could-uncover-quantum-nature-of-the-vacuum/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 17 Nov 2023 19:00:45 +0000 Ultra-short laser pulses may allow us to measure entanglement in a way that answers questions about the quantum nature of the vacuum 2403363-lasers-fired-at-crystals-could-uncover-quantum-nature-of-the-vacuum|2403363 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2402943-tiny-lasers-can-be-made-from-soap-bubbles/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 16 Nov 2023 12:00:48 +0000 Shining light on bubbles made from soapy water mixed with a fluorescent dye turns them into tiny lasers that can work as pressure sensors 2402943-tiny-lasers-can-be-made-from-soap-bubbles|2402943 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2402740-ultracold-atoms-in-space-will-let-us-stress-test-einsteins-relativity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:00:47 +0000 Potassium and rubidium atoms aboard the International Space Station have been cooled almost to absolute zero to put a fundamental principle of Einstein’s general theory of relativity to the ultimate test 2402740-ultracold-atoms-in-space-will-let-us-stress-test-einsteins-relativity|2402740 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034643-200-our-sketchy-understanding-of-the-big-bang-is-ripe-for-reimagining/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 08 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0000 Cosmologists have come to see the early universe as a whole series of transformations, or phase transitions, opening the door to intriguing possibilities for what really happened during the big bang mg26034643-200-our-sketchy-understanding-of-the-big-bang-is-ripe-for-reimagining|2401743 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034640-300-a-second-big-bang-the-radical-idea-rewriting-dark-matters-origins/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0000 The enduring mystery of dark matter has led some physicists to propose that it was forged in a distinct moment of cosmic creation, potentially transforming our view of the early universe mg26034640-300-a-second-big-bang-the-radical-idea-rewriting-dark-matters-origins|2401121 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2399777-first-practical-use-for-nuclear-fusion-could-help-cancer-treatment/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 10 Nov 2023 14:00:11 +0000 Fusion reactors could be used to produce radioactive isotopes for hospitals way before they become useful power generators 2399777-first-practical-use-for-nuclear-fusion-could-help-cancer-treatment|2399777 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2400473-why-the-quantum-universe-is-weirder-than-you-think/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 10 Nov 2023 07:00:21 +0000 The quantum realm is full of strange effects, but there’s a reason why everything looks normal from our point of view, writes physicist Sebastian Deffner 2400473-why-the-quantum-universe-is-weirder-than-you-think|2400473 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2401492-physicists-have-invented-a-new-way-to-shake-a-martini/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 09 Nov 2023 19:00:29 +0000 Shaking a martini glass back and forth creates an intricate vortex pattern in the cocktail that takes on a different shape depending on the physical properties of the drink 2401492-physicists-have-invented-a-new-way-to-shake-a-martini|2401492 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2401950-bubble-collisions-underwater-may-create-tiny-droplets-in-sea-spray/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 09 Nov 2023 08:00:30 +0000 We have long struggled to explain why sea spray contains so many tiny water droplets – now, experiments suggest the droplets may be created underwater when bubbles collide and merge 2401950-bubble-collisions-underwater-may-create-tiny-droplets-in-sea-spray|2401950 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2401794-superconductor-hopes-dashed-after-journal-retracts-red-matter-study/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 08 Nov 2023 13:19:22 +0000 Nature has retracted the scientific paper that claimed earlier this year that the wonder material known as “red matter” was the world’s first room-temperature superconductor 2401794-superconductor-hopes-dashed-after-journal-retracts-red-matter-study|2401794 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2401198-quantum-batteries-could-charge-better-by-breaking-rules-of-causality/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:13:05 +0000 Taking advantage of a quantum phenomenon called indefinite causal order could make quantum batteries charge more efficiently 2401198-quantum-batteries-could-charge-better-by-breaking-rules-of-causality|2401198