The tangled physics of knots, one of our simplest and oldest technologies

Which knot is the strongest?

Star Trek's Warp Drive Leads to New Physics

Researchers are taking a closer look at this science-fiction staple—and bringing the idea a little closer to reality

AI Designs Quantum Physics Experiments beyond What Any Human Has Conceived

Originally built to speed up calculations, a machine-learning system is now making shocking progress at the frontiers of experimental quantum physics

What Makes Quantum Computing So Hard to Explain?

To understand what quantum computers can do — and what they can’t — avoid falling for overly simple explanations.

The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve

The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics.

Researchers Levitated a Small Tray Using Nothing but Light

One day a “magic carpet” based on this light-induced flow technology could carry climate sensors high in the atmosphere—wind permitting.

‘It Seems That I Know How the Universe Originated’

The theoretical physicist Andrei Linde may have the world’s most expansive conception of what infinity looks like.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/01/cloak-and-dagger-tale-behind-year-s-most-anticipated-result-particle-physics

Why Is M-Theory the Leading Candidate for Theory of Everything?

The mother of all string theories passes a litmus test that, so far, no other candidate theory of quantum gravity has been able to match.

Sandia National Laboratories: Z Pulsed Power Facility: How Does the Z Machi

Marx Bank Generator Marx Bank. Each Marx bank has sixty 2.6 μF capacitors (43 nF per Marx when erected) that are charged in parallel and discharged in series. When charged to 85 kV its output voltage is 5.1 MV, and stored energy is 20 MJ for all 36. (For a 90 kV charge it is 5.4…

Quantum Teleportation Was Just Achieved With 90% Accuracy Over a 44km Dista

Wow.

How to Talk Like a Physicist - Facts So Romantic

Theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder, who probably is the smartest person on her block, has fun in her latest video skewering the scientific braggart.Photograph by Francisco De Legarreta C. / Unsplash Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . The…

The Year in Physics

Featuring paradoxical black holes, room-temperature superconductors and a new escape from the prison of time.

Gravity, Gizmos, and a Grand Theory of Interstellar Travel | WIRED

For decades, Jim Woodward dreamed of a propellantless engine to take humans to the stars. Now he thinks he’s got it. But is it revolutionary—or illusory?

The Admiral of the String Theory Wars

After a decade, Peter Woit still thinks string theory is a gory mess.

What is antimatter?

Logic tells us that antimatter should have annihilated the Universe. So why hasn’t it?

Q: Why was it so hard to take a picture of a black hole? What are we even looking at?

Physicist: Black holes and space are both black, so there’s that. But while black holes tend to be very small, space is bonkers big and filled with just enough stuff to give astronomers thin…

One night of telescope time rules out black hole/dark matter idea

Black holes formed right after the Big Bang aren’t common enough to be dark matter.

Boy, 12, said to have created nuclear reaction in playroom lab

Hobbyists say Jackson Oswalt of Tennessee is youngest person to achieve fusion

The blind spot of science is the neglect of lived experience | Aeon Essays

It’s tempting to think science gives a God’s-eye view of reality. But we forget the place of human experience at our peril

Silent and Simple Ion Engine Powers a Plane with No Moving Parts

Researchers fly the first atmospheric aircraft to use space-proven ionic thrust technology

What Does Any of This Have To Do with Physics? - Issue 56: Perspective

Nautilus is a different kind of science magazine. Our stories take you into the depths of science and spotlight its ripples in our lives and cultures.

Material with helium ‘veins’ paves way for fusion reactors

Helium may not seem harmful, but the gas, a byproduct of fusion, can destroy metal, making fusion power a distant dream. A new material could change that.