How Did Life Begin? Dividing Droplets Could Hold the Answer
Researchers have discovered that simple “chemically active” droplets grow to the size of cells and spontaneously divide, suggesting they might…
The Man Who’s Trying to Kill Dark Matter
A proposed theory of gravity does away with dark matter, even as new astrophysical findings challenge the need for galaxies…
A Grand Unified Theory of Physics Really Wishes Protons Would Just Decay Already
Physicists have failed to find disintegrating protons, throwing into limbo the beloved theory that the forces of nature were unified…
Quantum Gravity Research Could Unearth the True Nature of Time
The effort to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity means reconciling totally different notions of time. The post Quantum Gravity…
What Sonic Black Holes Say About the Real Deal
Can a fluid analogue of a black hole point physicists toward the theory of quantum gravity, or is it a…
The Gaia Space Telescope Just Changed How You See the Stars
The first star map from the ESA’s Gaia space telescope is poised to revolutionize our understanding of the Milky Way…
Colliding Black Holes Tell the New Story of Stars
Just months after their discovery, gravitational waves coming from the mergers of black holes are shaking up astrophysics. The post…
A New Measurement Deepens the Puzzle of the Proton’s Size
A discrepancy in the measured size of the “deuteron” increases the chance that something is amiss in our understanding of…
New Neutrino Anomaly Hints at a Matter-Antimatter Rift
An early sign that neutrinos behave differently than antineutrinos suggests an answer to one of the biggest questions in physics.…
Nature’s Hidden Order Reveals Itself in a Bird’s Eye
Scientists are exploring a mysterious pattern, found in birds’ eyes, boxes of marbles and other surprising places, that is neither…