Physics

When Hair Cracks Steel
Hair can crack steel if it hits a microscopic chip in a razor blade at the right angle. (August 13, 2020)

Photo: Water Drops on a Metal Nanolayer
This photograph shwos water drops on a metal nanolayer. Scientists from Northwestern University and Caltech produced electricity by flowing water over the thin metal layers. (July 31, 2019)

Scientists Say Spider Webs are Vibration Transmission Structures
Scientists describe spider webs as vibration transmission structures in a new study. The vibrations transmit information about prey, mates and structual integrity of the web. (September 20, 2016)

Scientists Say They Have Discovered a New Form of Light
Researchers say they have discovered a new form of light. They say the discovery could improve security in optical communications. (May 18, 2016)

First Four-Flavored Tetraquark Particle Discovered
Researchers have discovered a new form of elementary particle. The new particle is the first tetraquark to contain four quarks of different flavors. (March 3, 2016)

Microsoft's Anechoic Chamber Sets Guinness World Record for the Quietest Place on Earth
Microsoft's Anechoic Chamber has set the Guinness World Record for the Quietest place on Earth. (October 16, 2015)

Meson f0(1710) Could be Pure Nuclear Force Glueball Say Scientists
Scientists at TU Wien say they have calculated that particle meson f0(1710) could be an elusive glueball. (October 13, 2015)

New Class of Particles Called Pentaquarks Discovered
Researchers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have reported the discovery of a new class of particles called pentaquarks. (July 14, 2015)

2,500 Licks Gets You to Center of Tootsie Pop Say Scientists
Scientists have determined that it will take you 2,500 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. This is far more licks than previous studies. (February 11, 2015)

Scientists Say They Have to Discovered How to Turn Light Into Matter
Scientists say they have discovered how to turn light into matter and are planning an experiment to make it happen. (May 19, 2014)

Harvard Scientists Create Hemihelix Using Rubber Bands
Harvard scientists made a hemihelix using rubber bands. The shape is rarely seen in nature. (April 24, 2014)

Scientists Create Design for an Acoustic Field Rotator
Scientists have created a design for an acoustic field rotator, which can twist sound waves. (February 27, 2014)

Ant Physics: Fire Ant Mass Behaves as Liquid and Solid
Video from the New York Times shows fire ants flowing like a liquid and bouncing back like a solid. (December 20, 2013)

Google Street View Adds CERN Imagery Including Large Hadron Collider
Google Street View has added imagery from CERN, including the Large Hadron Collider tunnel and ATLAS detector. (September 28, 2013)

Scientists Paint Mini Mona Lisa on Surface One Third the Width of a Human Hair
Scientists have painted a mini Mona Lisa on a surface 30 microns in width, which is one third the width of a human hair (August 5, 2013)

Researchers Use Sound to Levitate a Chemical Reaction
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) have used sound to levitate a chemical reaction. (July 16, 2013)

Short-lived Pear Shaped Atomic Nuclei Observed at CERN
The ISOLDE radioactive-beam facility at CERN has shown that some atomic nuclei can assume asymmetric, pear-like shapes. (May 9, 2013)

Physicists Explore Math Behind Tetris-like Growth of Coffee Rings
University of Pennsylvania physicists are exploring the math behind the Tetris-like growth of coffee rings. (January 19, 2013)

Wrinkled Fingers Help You Better Grip Wet Objects Say Scientists
The wrinkling in the skin on your fingers is controlled by your nervous system. (January 19, 2013)

Black Holes, Black Branes and Blackfolds
Researchers have come up with new theories they say explain some of the properties of black holes. (December 11, 2012)

2012 Ig Nobel Prizes Awards
The 2012 Ig Nobel Prizes have been announced. (September 21, 2012)

Researchers Say a Roll of the Dice is Not Truly Random, But Is Still Nearly Impossible to Predict
Researchers from the Technical University of Lodz, Poland and University of Aberdeen, Scotland, say a die throw is not random. (September 15, 2012)

Corn Flakes Last Longer in Milk Than Water Say Scientists
Scientists from the Department of Chemical and Bioprocesses Engineering at Pontificia University in Chile have conducted research on corn flakes and quinoa flakes to see how they respond to being immersed in milk and water. (May 10, 2012)

Physicists Explain What Would Happen If You Stuck Your Hand in the Large Hadron Collider
Sixty Symbols asked physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider what would happen to you if you stuck your hand in front of the beam in the Large Hadron Collider. (May 3, 2012)

Physicists Find Patterns in New State of Matter Called Spontaneous Coherence in Excitons
UC San Diego physicists have produced the most detailed images ever seen of a new property of matter called spontaneous coherence in excitons (bound pairs of electrons and holes). (March 29, 2012)