Physics

Sooner or later, Earth is going to be hit by a large enough space object to cause significant damage to humanity. Stopping them isn't easy.
ai physics
An average undergraduate student in physics is better than the AI.
schwinger effect
In our common experience, you can't get something for nothing. In the quantum realm, something really can emerge from nothing.
A clock face with a spiral effect, showing multiple overlapping clock dials against a solid blue background, evokes the question: is time an illusion?.
The concept is so complex that scientists still argue whether it exists or if it is an illusion.
John Templeton Foundation
universe rotating
If you can model anything in the Universe with an equation, mathematics is how you get the solution(s). Physics must go a step further.
Einstein's "happiest thought" led to General Relativity's formulation. Would a different profound insight have led us forever astray?
pill
If you want a medication to kick in faster, lean right.
wolf rayet wr 31a
At their cores, stars can reach many millions or even billions of degrees. But even that doesn't touch the hottest of all.
The key problem with the dark matter hypothesis is that nobody knows what form dark matter might take.
What we call "basic research" is actually the most cutting-edge. It underpins knowledge, and without it, technology does not come into being.
bennu
The surface of asteroid Bennu is more like a plastic ball pit than the Moon.
lasers
Lasers are all around you. This ubiquitous technology came from our understanding of quantum physics.
Searching for dark matter, the XENON collaboration found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Here's why that's an extraordinary feat.
length of day
The length of a day oscillates slightly every six years. This was a surprising discovery made last decade. We might now know why.
Scientists have found three new examples of a very exotic form of matter made of quarks. They can yield insights into the early Universe.
The neutrino is the most ghostly, rarely-interacting particle in all the Standard Model. How well can we truly make "beams" out of them?
fireworks
From the explosions themselves to their unique and vibrant colors, the fireworks displays we adore require quantum physics.
Higgs boson
On July 4, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the discovery of the Higgs boson, the missing piece of the Standard Model of particle physics.
standard model color
The Standard Model of elementary particles has three nearly identical copies of particles: generations. And nobody knows why.
quantum biology
The spooky world of quantum mechanics might reach out and touch you — by mutating your DNA. Welcome to the weird world of quantum biology.
Hyperloop
The hyperloop would be a great idea for a completely flat planet. With topography and infrastructure, it's a very different story.
"The pulsar sort of consumes the thing that recycled it, just as the spider eats its mate.”
A digital, wireframe illustration of a DNA double helix strand is displayed against a black background, evoking concepts from quantum biology.
Are physicists about to decode a mysterious field of science that could have huge implications for your health?
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of a nude male figure with arms and legs extended in two positions, inscribed in a circle and square, known as the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, exemplifying the law of symmetry in human anatomy.
Basic and breath-taking – Dr. Frank Wilczek addresses symmetry’s critical role in nature’s laws and what we consider to be beautiful.
John Templeton Foundation
Silhouette of a person standing on a field at night, gazing at a clear sky filled with stars and glowing celestial objects, evoking the wonder described by Jim Al-Khalili.
Popular media often frame scientists as having a cold, sterile view of the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
John Templeton Foundation
A black and white painting of a man with wavy hair, a mustache, and a suit, depicted in a semi-realistic style, evokes the thoughtful air of someone pondering an interpretation of quantum mechanics.
4mins
Our world would be impossible without quantum mechanics — but we still don’t have a narrative of how it works.
John Templeton Foundation
standard model structure
The Standard Model may or may not be in trouble, but particle physics definitely needs saving. Here's what the new LHC can do.
Close-up of a pencil and charcoal drawing showing a detailed human eye on the left side, with textured shading and geometric shapes in the background—capturing the beauty found where science fails to explain human perception.
5mins
Why are we here? What is everything made of? This theoretical physicist says science isn’t the right way to answer these questions.
John Templeton Foundation