Why abseiling spiders don’t spin out of control – new research
If we could mimic spider silk, it could revolutionise the fibres we use on a daily basis.
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Articles on Physics
Displaying 1 - 20 of 176 articles
How hot weather – and climate change – affect airline flights
Major airports around the world will see more frequent flight restrictions in the coming decades because of increasingly common hot temperatures.
Cracking big data with statistical physics
Methods stemming from decades of research on disordered materials are used to describe algorithmic phase transitions, and to design new algorithms in machine-learning problems.
Curious Kids: If a huge huntsman spider is sucked into a vacuum cleaner, can it crawl out later?
If a huge huntsman spider is sucked into a vacuum cleaner, can it crawl out later? Lucy, age eight, really, really needs to know.
Arguments why God (very probably) exists
There remain many mysteries that are beyond science. Does that mean that a God truly exists? A scholar gives reasons for this possibility.
Physics of poo: Why it takes you and an elephant the same amount of time
New parenthood got our fluid dynamics experts thinking about what ends up in the diaper. They headed to the zoo and the lab to come up with a cohesive physics story for how defecation works.
We may just have solved the great mystery of why drops splash
Mathematicians make a splash with new theory that could lead to breakthroughs in 3D printing, climate science and forensics.
Hot food, fast: The home microwave oven turns 50
It's been five decades of microwave popcorn and piping hot leftovers in home kitchens. A serendipitous discovery helped engineers harness radar to create this now ubiquitous timesaving appliance.
Life on Earth is used to gravity – so what happens to our cells and tissues in space?
Every moment of life on our planet has had the force of gravity in the background. But the prospect of long-distance space travel means it's time to figure out what happens to our biology in its absence.
New physics syllabus raises the bar, but how will schools clear it?
NSW's proposed new rigorous physics syllabus refocuses on the fundamentals, but it'll require investment in teaching skills so all students can benefit from it.
Time crystals: how scientists created a new state of matter
Scientists theorised, disproved, revamped and finally created a bizarre new form of matter in just five years.
If atoms are mostly empty space, why do objects look and feel solid?
The reason you feel things as solid is all to do with electrons.
Introducing the terrifying mathematics of the Anthropocene
Scientific and technological innovations and economic policies promoting growth at all costs have created a consumption and production vortex on a collision course with the Earth system.
SmallSat revolution: Tiny satellites poised to make big contributions to essential science
As technology advances, tiny satellites no bigger than a loaf of bread have advanced from just proving they work to being big contributors in answering science questions.
Static electricity’s tiny sparks
These mini lightning bolts have been known for millennia. Understanding static electricity at the atomic level opens the door for new technologies – as well as ways to cut down on the tiny zaps.
Scientists have discovered a new state of matter for water
Liquid water develops different properties above around 50℃.
Why do elephants bellow but whales squeak like a mouse?
Size doesn't always matter when it comes to the pitch of your voice, especially if you're an aquatic mammal.
Antimatter breakthrough sheds light on matter’s shadowy twin
One of the great mysteries of the universe is why there is so much more matter than antimatter. Now a new experiment is helping us understand the nature of antimatter better than ever before.
Why don’t we teach Einstein’s theories in school?
Einstein's theories of relativity underpin our understanding of the universe, yet they're not taught in high school. How can we change that?
Digging for cosmic gold: the hunt for dark matter at the bottom of a gold mine
A new highly sensitive detector is being built one kilometre underground in a gold mine to detect the elusive dark matter.
Top contributors
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Post Doctoral Research Associate, Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter, University of Adelaide
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Associate Professor, University of Sydney
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Senior Research Fellow, Griffith University
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Professor of Astrophysics, University of Sydney
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Director, WA Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, and the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre, University of Western Australia
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Associate Professor of Physics, University of Melbourne
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Professor of Quantum Physics and Quantum Technology, University of Sydney
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Professor, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Astrophysics and Director of the Big Questions Institute at UNSW, UNSW
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Associate Professor in Physics, The University of Queensland
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Professor in Physics, Griffith University
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Post-doctoral research fellow, London Research Institute
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Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
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Senior Lecturer in Physics, Northumbria University, Newcastle
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Reader in Engineering Dynamics and Vibration, University of Cambridge