Field theory describes the universe as energy flowing along unending lines. With this perspective, it is possible to define a new fundamental building block of matter.
A melanoma, a malignant tumor of the pigmentary system of the skin, magnified 40 times.
J Wisell
Some beaches in the world tend to consistently produce huge waves. Places like Nazaré Canyon in Portugal and Mavericks in California are famous for their waves because of the shape of the seafloor.
Falling into a black hole is easily the worst way to die.
John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images
The 2020 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science have recognised momentous achievements in astrophysics, sustainability innovation, epigenetics and primary and secondary teaching excellence.
Roger Penrose helped resurrect Einstein’s general theory of relativity, and Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez showed there was a black hole in the middle of our galaxy.
A black hole is an object so compact that nothing can escape its gravitational pull, not even light. They are formed when stars die and start collapsing under their own weight. Deep inside the black hole resides an infinitely hot and dense object, a so-called, singularity.
Science Photo Library - MARK GARLICK/Getty Images
The 2020 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to three scientists – an Englishman, an American and a German – for breakthroughs in understanding the most mysterious objects in the universe: black holes.
There are two types of time travel: going back in time and going forward in time. And remarkably, people can feel time at different rates - but usually don’t notice it.
The new model predicts the growth of small ponds on arctic ice sheets.
Scientific Visualization Studio / NASA
Understanding sea ice loss requires expensive and difficult expeditions. Scientists have developed a new model that predicts the growth of small ponds on sea ice more efficiently.
Wind turbines and solar panels in Southern California.
4kodiak/E+ via Getty Images
Pegor Aynajian, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Generating energy usually means wasted heat. Semiconductors let the electrons flow with zero waste – but so far scientists only know how to get them to work at ultra-low temperatures.
Thanks to its sensors, the smartphone can be a measuring instrument.
A. Kolli, _La Physique Autrement_
Practical work is essential for science education. But health measures compromise their traditional organization. Here are some game-changing solutions.
Mating laser-driven atomic clocks like the one shown here with microwaves promises more accurate electronic devices.
N. Phillips/NIST
Researchers have made some of the most accurate clocks imaginable in recent years, but the trick is harnessing those clocks to electronics. Using lasers to tune microwaves bridges the gap.
The old idea of running with springs on your feet gets a high-tech makeover.
Krisztina Braun
The movies make it seem like someday we’ll be able to make people and objects grow really big or shrink really small. Whether this will be possible comes down to the smallest of things.
No one knows what kicked off the Big Bang that eventually allowed the stars to begin forming.
Adolf Schaller for STScI
The term ‘Big Bang’ might make you think of a massive explosion. Put the thought out of your head. Rather than an explosion, it was the start of everything in the universe.