Physics

A group of five people stands in front of a brown van, channeling their inner Richard Feynman. The background features a wall adorned with lush plants, setting the perfect scene for these everyday heroes.
One of the 20th century's most famous, influential, and successful physicists is lauded the world over. But Feynman is no hero to me.
flame nebula infrared spitzer
The Universe changes remarkably over time, with some entities surviving and others simply decaying away. Is this cosmic evolution at work?
Illustration of Mars with overlaid data graphs and lines, offering analytical representations that unravel the mysteries of dark matter.
Watching for changes in the Red Planet’s orbit over time could be new way to detect passing dark matter.
time dilation
Time is relative, not absolute, as gravity and motion both cause time to dilate. Your head and feet, therefore, don't age at the same rate.
A large, intricate machine with metallic components and blue scaffolding in a laboratory setting. Numerous cables and pipes are connected to the central structure.
LHC scientists just showed that spooky quantum entanglement applies to the highest-energy, shortest-lived particles of all: top quarks.
spooky action quantum
Do we actually live in a deterministic Universe, despite quantum physics? An alternative, non-spooky interpretation has now been ruled out.
A graph depicting projectile motion with displacement on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. The projectile's trajectory forms a perfect parabola, with initial velocity u and angle θ clearly indicated.
Taught in every introductory physics class for centuries, the parabola is only an imperfect approximation for the true path of a projectile.
A person is giving a presentation at a podium with a large abstract, colorful light pattern displayed on a screen behind them.
Inflation, dark matter, and string theory are all proposed extensions to the prior consensus picture. But what does the evidence say?
Comparison of weight on Earth and Mars for a 1 kg mass. On Earth: gravity = 9.81 m/s², weight = 9.81 N. On Mars: gravity = 3.72 m/s², weight = 3.72 N; demonstrating that weight and mass are not the same across different planets due to varying gravitational forces.
Here on Earth, we commonly use terms like weight (in pounds) and mass (in kilograms) as though they're interchangeable. They're not.
A painting of a group of people standing in front of a church.
The original principle of relativity, proposed by Galileo way back in the early 1600s, remains true in its unchanged form even today.
A worker in a hard hat and safety vest adjusts equipment in a facility alongside large red machinery labeled "Jefferson Lab." The scene fades into concentric circles, as if drawn by the powerful collider, leading to a bright light.
The largest particle accelerator and collider ever built is the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Why not go much, much bigger?
Einstein
More than any other equation in physics, E = mc² is recognizable and profound. But what do we actually learn about reality from it?
A computer-generated visualization shows particle collision data with yellow lines and red dots against a black background. The simulated particles appear to interact within a transparent geometric shape.
Today, the Large Hadron Collider is the most powerful particle physics experiment in history. What would a new, successor collider teach us?
Dark matter's hallmark is that it gravitates, but shows no sign of interacting under any other force. Does that mean we'll never detect it?
A large circular particle accelerator with several cables and machines is where engineers work inside and around the structure. The facility, dedicated to solving the muon g-2 anomaly, has platforms and specialized equipment surrounding the central structure.
A longstanding mismatch between theory and experiment motivated an exquisite muon measurement. At last, a theoretical solution has arrived.
Overhead view of athletes in starting blocks on a track, preparing for the fastest 100 meters. Marked lanes and starting lines are visible.
The all-time record is Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds, set in 2009. What is the fastest time, ultimately, for an ideal human body?
Sequential illustrations showing the motion of a cat falling and landing on its feet, demonstrating the righting reflex.
Cats twist and snakes slide, exploiting and negotiating physical laws. Scientists are figuring out how.
Physicists have increasingly begun to view life as information-processing "states of matter" that require special consideration.
fireworks
From the explosions themselves to their unique and vibrant colors, the fireworks displays we adore require quantum physics.
bounce ball
Our thermodynamic arrow of time explains why the entropy of any isolated system always increases. But it can't explain what we perceive.
All telescopes are fundamentally limited in what they can see. JWST reveals more distant galaxies than Hubble, but still can't see them all.
universe temperature
Although the Big Bang occurred at an instant in time long ago, we still see the light from it. Will the evidence ever disappear completely?
A vibrant solar flare erupts from the Sun's surface, showcasing sun activity in 2024 and emitting bright ultraviolet light in this detailed astrophotograph.
Northern lights in the American South, clusters of huge geomagnetic storms—the Sun is throwing a tantrum right on schedule.
Two breathtaking pictures of a galaxy and a star taken by the Hubble telescope, highlighting the beauty and cosmic magnitude that fuels the Hubble tension.
There are two different ways to measure the expansion rate of the Universe, and they don't agree. And no, new measurements don't help.
standard model color
Predicted way back in the 1960s, the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 completed the Standard Model. Here's why it remains fascinating.
Abstract green fractal design with smooth, curved lines converging at a central point, resembling a flowing, symmetrical pattern against a dark background, inspired by AI physics.
A new technique that can automatically classify phases of physical systems could help scientists investigate novel materials.
A close-up of a metallic conical structure, set against a dark wireframe background. The structure has reflective surfaces and appears to be part of a scientific or industrial apparatus.
Scientists are searching for dark matter particles that are trillions or even quadrillion times lighter than the more traditional searches. 
A view of Earth from space with a bright sunburst at the planet's edge. Stars and a dark expanse of space serve as the background.
The number of planets that could support life may be far greater than previously thought, a recent discovery suggests.
separation normal matter dark matter galaxy cluster
There are many theories of gravity out there, and many interpretations of wide binary star data. What have we really learned from it all?
A person in a karate gi breaking a brick with a hand strike, demonstrating the physics of karate, superimposed on a background of mathematical equations and graphs.
A human hand has the power to split wooden planks and demolish concrete blocks. A trio of physicists investigated why this feat doesn’t shatter our bones.