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/mg26335082-700-how-the-most-precise-clock-ever-could-change-our-view-of-the-cosmos/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 09 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0100 Forget atomic clocks. Nuclear clocks, which only drop a second every 300 billion years, can test whether nature's fundamental constants are constant after all mg26335082-700-how-the-most-precise-clock-ever-could-change-our-view-of-the-cosmos|2447087 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26335070-700-can-we-solve-quantum-theorys-biggest-problem-by-redefining-reality/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0100 With its particles in two places at once, quantum theory strains our common sense notions of how the universe should work. But one group of physicists says we can get reality back if we just redefine its foundations mg26335070-700-can-we-solve-quantum-theorys-biggest-problem-by-redefining-reality|2446010 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2445870-quantum-holograms-can-send-messages-that-disappear/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 30 Aug 2024 21:12:22 +0100 Entangled particles of light can transmit holographic images that can be selectively erased, allowing for secure communications that can also be deleted 2445870-quantum-holograms-can-send-messages-that-disappear|2445870 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2445616-ultracold-quantum-battery-could-be-charged-with-quantum-tunnelling/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:00:52 +0100 Atoms tunnelling through a quantum battery could charge it and also keep it from losing energy, which could give an advantage over conventional batteries 2445616-ultracold-quantum-battery-could-be-charged-with-quantum-tunnelling|2445616 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2445058-another-blow-for-dark-matter-as-biggest-hunt-yet-finds-nothing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:00:13 +0100 The hunt for particles of dark matter has been stymied once again, with physicists placing constraints on this mysterious substance that are 5 times tighter than the previous best 2445058-another-blow-for-dark-matter-as-biggest-hunt-yet-finds-nothing|2445058 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2445418-how-strange-ice-could-form-in-the-extremely-hot-interiors-of-planets/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 28 Aug 2024 23:21:39 +0100 In an experiment simulating what happens deep in the interiors of planets, scientists have found that liquid can be compressed into ice crystals – even at extremely high temperatures 2445418-how-strange-ice-could-form-in-the-extremely-hot-interiors-of-planets|2445418 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2445261-tweezers-made-of-light-could-illuminate-the-quantum-twin-paradox/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 26 Aug 2024 23:00:08 +0100 A single ytterbium atom, cooled down to extreme temperatures and manipulated with laser beams, could reveal how gravity affects quantum objects 2445261-tweezers-made-of-light-could-illuminate-the-quantum-twin-paradox|2445261 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2444968-we-can-diagnose-an-objects-quantumness-from-the-way-it-radiates-heat/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:21:18 +0100 To determine an object’s quantum properties, you may only need to measure how it exchanges heat with its environment, without touching the object itself 2444968-we-can-diagnose-an-objects-quantumness-from-the-way-it-radiates-heat|2444968 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2444536-quantum-trick-lets-you-cool-objects-down-using-nothing-at-all/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:00:48 +0100 Physicists have demonstrated a bizarre cooling effect by setting up a detector to record the absence of photons in a laser experiment 2444536-quantum-trick-lets-you-cool-objects-down-using-nothing-at-all|2444536 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2444715-this-antimatter-version-of-an-atomic-nucleus-is-the-heaviest-yet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 21 Aug 2024 17:00:08 +0100 Smashing gold nuclei together at high speeds billions of times has resulted in 16 particles of antihyperhydrogen-4, a very exotic and heavy form of antimatter 2444715-this-antimatter-version-of-an-atomic-nucleus-is-the-heaviest-yet|2444715 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2444628-fuzzy-quantum-effects-have-been-seen-on-the-largest-scale-yet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 20 Aug 2024 19:00:07 +0100 A weird quantum phenomenon called delocalisation has been measured for a 100-nanometre glass bead, helping reveal where the boundary lies between quantum and classical physics 2444628-fuzzy-quantum-effects-have-been-seen-on-the-largest-scale-yet|2444628 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2444045-the-odds-of-quantum-weirdness-being-real-just-got-a-lot-higher/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 16 Aug 2024 17:00:49 +0100 An experiment to test distant particles’ ability to correlate their behaviour is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that classical ideas about reality are incorrect 2444045-the-odds-of-quantum-weirdness-being-real-just-got-a-lot-higher|2444045 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2443380-new-spin-on-quantum-theory-forces-rethink-of-a-fundamental-physics-law/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:03:57 +0100 In the quantum realm, a particle’s properties can be separate from the particle itself, including its angular momentum – which could require a rethinking of fundamental laws 2443380-new-spin-on-quantum-theory-forces-rethink-of-a-fundamental-physics-law|2443380 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2443871-why-sling-action-bowling-deceives-so-many-batters-in-cricket/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:09:26 +0100 Experiments in a wind tunnel have revealed why the sling action bowling technique made famous by Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga is so effective at hoodwinking whoever is batting 2443871-why-sling-action-bowling-deceives-so-many-batters-in-cricket|2443871 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2442498-how-einstein-was-both-right-and-wrong-about-gravitational-waves/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:00:25 +0100 A century ago, Albert Einstein suggested that the universe might contain ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves – but then he changed his mind 2442498-how-einstein-was-both-right-and-wrong-about-gravitational-waves|2442498 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2443170-existing-quantum-devices-could-be-used-to-disrupt-the-stock-market/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:56:02 +0100 Commercially available quantum technology could let stock traders coordinate decisions to buy or sell nearly instantaneously using a technique called “quantum telepathy” 2443170-existing-quantum-devices-could-be-used-to-disrupt-the-stock-market|2443170 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26335021-100-time-travel-sci-fi-novel-is-a-rip-roaringly-good-thought-experiment/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0100 An ordinary-looking valley has a secret – each of its neighbours is 20 years removed in time. Scott Alexander Howard's debut is heartfelt and deeply enjoyable, says Emily H. Wilson mg26335021-100-time-travel-sci-fi-novel-is-a-rip-roaringly-good-thought-experiment|2441792 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2442410-a-slight-curve-helps-rocks-make-the-biggest-splash/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 01 Aug 2024 17:39:45 +0100 Researchers were surprised to find that a very slightly curved object produces a more dramatic splash than a perfectly flat one 2442410-a-slight-curve-helps-rocks-make-the-biggest-splash|2442410 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2441744-particle-physicists-may-have-solved-a-strange-mystery-about-the-muon/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:00:20 +0100 A subatomic particle called the muon caused waves when its experimental behaviour didn't align with a prediction based on the standard model. A new calculation might resolve the discrepancy – but some particle physicists are sceptical 2441744-particle-physicists-may-have-solved-a-strange-mystery-about-the-muon|2441744 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2441936-nerve-fibres-in-the-brain-could-generate-quantum-entanglement/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 31 Jul 2024 20:00:27 +0100 Calculations show that nerve fibres in the brain could emit pairs of entangled particles, and this quantum phenomenon might explain how different parts of the brain work together 2441936-nerve-fibres-in-the-brain-could-generate-quantum-entanglement|2441936 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2441423-we-may-finally-know-what-caused-the-biggest-cosmic-explosion-ever-seen/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 25 Jul 2024 20:00:02 +0100 The gamma ray burst known as GRB221009A is the biggest explosion astronomers have ever glimpsed and we might finally know what caused the blast 2441423-we-may-finally-know-what-caused-the-biggest-cosmic-explosion-ever-seen|2441423 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2440087-how-to-unsnarl-a-tangle-of-threads-according-to-physics/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:44:39 +0100 A jiggling robot has revealed the ideal vibrating speed to free jumbled fibres 2440087-how-to-unsnarl-a-tangle-of-threads-according-to-physics|2440087 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26335000-300-take-a-look-behind-the-scenes-at-the-worlds-largest-fusion-experiment/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 17 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0100 Photographer Enrico Sacchetti captures the power and potential of ITER, an international nuclear fusion experiment currently under construction in southern France mg26335000-300-take-a-look-behind-the-scenes-at-the-worlds-largest-fusion-experiment|2439489 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26334993-000-how-a-simple-physics-experiment-could-reveal-the-dark-dimension/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 10 Jul 2024 17:50:00 +0100 Could the universe's missing matter be hiding in a "dark" extra dimension? We now have simple ways to test this outlandish idea - and the existence of extra dimensions more generally mg26334993-000-how-a-simple-physics-experiment-could-reveal-the-dark-dimension|2438874 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2438992-a-microscopic-diving-board-can-cheat-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 12 Jul 2024 18:00:33 +0100 Working with a tiny cantilever, physicists managed to violate the second law of thermodynamics, using less energy than expected to change the cantilever’s motion 2438992-a-microscopic-diving-board-can-cheat-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics|2438992 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2439263-you-can-turn-any-random-sequence-of-events-into-a-clock/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 11 Jul 2024 23:00:00 +0100 A set of mathematical equations can help turn apparently random observations into a clock – and then measure its accuracy 2439263-you-can-turn-any-random-sequence-of-events-into-a-clock|2439263 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2439243-laser-helps-turn-an-electron-into-a-coil-of-mass-and-charge/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 11 Jul 2024 20:00:19 +0100 Researchers have reshaped single electrons into spiralling matter waves with distinct handedness that could be used to study and control materials 2439243-laser-helps-turn-an-electron-into-a-coil-of-mass-and-charge|2439243 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2437585-incredibly-complex-mazes-discovered-in-structure-of-bizarre-crystals/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 02 Jul 2024 01:01:38 +0100 The atoms within quasicrystals are arranged in repeating forms, but unlike ordinary crystals they have more complex symmetry. It turns out this makes them perfect for producing mazes 2437585-incredibly-complex-mazes-discovered-in-structure-of-bizarre-crystals|2437585 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234971-300-we-are-closer-than-ever-to-finally-proving-the-multiverse-exists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 25 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0100 One hundred years ago, we discovered there were other galaxies beyond our own. Now, we might be on the verge of another discovery: that there are other universes mg26234971-300-we-are-closer-than-ever-to-finally-proving-the-multiverse-exists|2436689 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234970-600-are-space-and-time-illusions-the-answer-could-lie-in-black-holes/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 25 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0100 Whether space and time are part of the universe or they emerge from quantum entanglement is one of the biggest questions in physics. And we are getting close to the truth mg26234970-600-are-space-and-time-illusions-the-answer-could-lie-in-black-holes|2436681 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234971-200-the-universe-is-built-a-lot-like-a-giant-brain-so-is-it-conscious/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Tue, 25 Jun 2024 14:00:00 +0100 Research has found the universe is remarkably similar in structure to the human brain. But does this mean the cosmos has a consciousness of its own? mg26234971-200-the-universe-is-built-a-lot-like-a-giant-brain-so-is-it-conscious|2436688 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234970-700-why-this-is-a-golden-age-for-life-to-thrive-across-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 26 Jun 2024 20:00:00 +0100 Almost all the stars that will ever exist have already been born, and they have been around long enough for life to evolve on planets that orbit them mg26234970-700-why-this-is-a-golden-age-for-life-to-thrive-across-the-universe|2436682 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234971-600-is-it-possible-to-fully-understand-the-universe-while-living-in-it/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 26 Jun 2024 18:00:00 +0100 Through science, we are striving for objective knowledge about the universe around us. But physicists increasingly believe achieving this will never be possible mg26234971-600-is-it-possible-to-fully-understand-the-universe-while-living-in-it|2436733 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2437150-physicists-determined-the-paper-most-likely-to-give-you-a-paper-cut/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:00:04 +0100 An experiment with a robot and gelatine determined that 65-micrometre-thick paper is the most prone to slicing our skin – but it can also make for a handy recyclable knife 2437150-physicists-determined-the-paper-most-likely-to-give-you-a-paper-cut|2437150 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2437314-is-the-worlds-biggest-fusion-experiment-dead-after-new-delay-to-2035/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Thu, 27 Jun 2024 12:15:27 +0100 ITER, a €20 billion nuclear fusion reactor under construction in France, will now not switch on until 2035 - a delay of 10 years. With smaller commercial fusion efforts on the rise, is it worth continuing with this gargantuan project? 2437314-is-the-worlds-biggest-fusion-experiment-dead-after-new-delay-to-2035|2437314 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2436774-how-physics-is-helping-us-to-explain-why-time-always-moves-forwards/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 26 Jun 2024 19:00:00 +0100 While time is relative, it still flows in one direction for every observer. We don’t yet understand why, but some physicists are looking for answers that invoke the evolution of entropy, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 2436774-how-physics-is-helping-us-to-explain-why-time-always-moves-forwards|2436774 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2437141-maxwells-demon-charges-quantum-batteries-inside-of-a-quantum-computer/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Wed, 26 Jun 2024 16:00:03 +0100 A technique to charge a battery inside a quantum computer relies on sorting qubits in an imitation of Maxwell’s demon, a 19th-century thought experiment once thought to break the laws of physics 2437141-maxwells-demon-charges-quantum-batteries-inside-of-a-quantum-computer|2437141 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2436520-quantum-super-behaviour-could-create-energy-seemingly-from-nothing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=physics Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:00:52 +0100 It should be possible to combine several quantum states, each with almost no energy, to create a single quantum state containing unexpectedly energy-rich regions 2436520-quantum-super-behaviour-could-create-energy-seemingly-from-nothing|2436520 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