Can a Hydroelectric Dam Really Make the Days Longer?
By shifting water to a higher elevation, the giant Three Gorges Dam caused the Earth to spin more slowly.
Read MoreA Giant Planet and a Small Star Are Shaking Up Conventional Cosmological Theory
A giant gas planet comparable in size to Saturn exists around a small red dwarf star. The discovery is beyond the scope of conventional astronomy theory, and is making experts reconsider conventional notions of planet formation.
Read MoreThe Phony Physics of Star Wars Are a Blast
Those epic battle scenes in space are awesome—and physically impossible. But hey, it’s more fun this way!
Read MoreA New Quantum Algorithm Speeds Up Solving a Huge Class of Problems
It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do so for some critical optimization tasks.
Read MoreScientists Are Mapping the Bizarre, Chaotic Spacetime Inside Black Holes
By understanding the churning region near singularities, physicists hope they might be able to reconcile gravity and quantum mechanics.
Read MoreThis Famous Physics Experiment Shows Why the Government Should Support ‘Useless’ Science
Basic research often pays huge dividends—but that’s not why we do it.
Read MoreThis Famous Physics Experiment Shows Why the Government Should Support ‘Useless’ Science
Basic research often pays huge dividends—but that’s not why we do it.
Read MoreThis Famous Physics Experiment Shows Why the Government Should Support ‘Useless’ Science
Basic research often pays huge dividends—but that’s not why we do it.
Read MoreThis Famous Physics Experiment Shows Why the Government Should Support ‘Useless’ Science
Basic research often pays huge dividends—but that’s not why we do it.
Read MoreScientists Are Mapping the Boundaries of What Is Knowable and Unknowable
Math and computer science researchers have long known that some questions are fundamentally unanswerable. Now physicists are exploring how physical systems put hard limits on what we can predict.
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