Water
Rampant Groundwater Pumping Has Changed the Tilt of Earth’s Axis
Human depletion of groundwater has shifted the global distribution of water so much that the North Pole has drifted by more than four centimeters per year
Stories by Davide Castelvecchi
Quantum Physics
Physicists Create Long-Sought Topological Quantum States
Exotic particles called nonabelions could fix quantum computers’ error problem
Mathematics
Mathematician Wins Abel Prize for ‘Smooth’ Physics
Luis Caffarelli’s work includes equations underpinning physical phenomena, such as melting ice and flowing liquids
Astronomy
Are Telescopes on the Moon Doomed?
Booming exploration and commercial activity could ruin the quiet, astronomy-friendly environment of the lunar far side
Quantum Computing
Google’s Quantum Computer Hits Key Milestone by Reducing Errors
Researchers demonstrate for the first time that using more qubits can lower the error rate of quantum calculations
Quantum Computing
Underdog Technologies Gain Ground in Quantum-Computing Race
Individual atoms trapped by optical “tweezers” are emerging as a promising computational platform
Quantum Computing
Are Quantum Computers about to Break Online Privacy?
A new algorithm is probably not efficient enough to crack current encryption keys—but that’s no reason for complacency, researchers say
Particle Physics
Hint of Crack in Standard Model Vanishes in LHC Data
A discrepancy in the measurement of a type of particle decay had raised hopes of new physics
Renewable Energy
How the Hydrogen Revolution Can Help Save the Planet—And How It Can’t
Many researchers see a huge role for hydrogen in decarbonizing economies
Mathematics
Mathematician Who Solved Prime Number Riddle Claims New Breakthrough
After shocking the mathematics community with a major result in 2013, Yitang Zhang now says he has solved an analogue of the celebrated Riemann hypothesis
Mathematics
Ukrainian Mathematician Becomes Second Woman to Win Prestigious Fields Medal
Maryna Viazovska, who works on the geometry of spheres, is one of four winners of the coveted prize this year
Extraterrestrial Life
Origin of Life Theory Involving RNA-Protein Hybrid Gets New Support
A structure that links amino acids suggests that early organisms could have been based on an RNA-protein mix
Toxicology
Will Russia Use Chemical Weapons in Ukraine? Researchers Evaluate the Risks
Analysts explain why some fear that the Russian military will use chemical weapons—and how the world would know if it did
Mathematics
Virtuoso Mathematician Who Reshaped Topology Wins Abel Prize
Dennis Sullivan’s work has advanced the study of shapes, and he developed tools that have helped to solve many mathematical problems
Cosmology
New Result Casts Doubt on ‘Cosmic Dawn’ Claim
Fresh data suggest instrumental errors may have mimicked a purported signal from the universe’s first stars
Particle Physics
How Light Is a Neutrino? The Answer Is Closer Than Ever
The latest effort to weigh the elusive particle produces a more precise estimate of its upper limit
Quantum Physics
100 Years Ago, a Quantum Experiment Explained Why We Don’t Fall through Our Chairs
The basic concept of quantum spin provides an understanding of a vast range of physical phenomena
Astrophysics
Astrophysicists Unveil Glut of Gravitational-Wave Detections
The latest bounty of 35 events features oddball black holes and a miniature neutron star
Materials Science
This Is What a Solid Made of Electrons Looks Like
Physicists have imaged elusive ‘Wigner crystals’ for the first time
Space Exploration
Mercury Dazzles in New Close-up from BepiColombo Mission
The European and Japanese spacecraft performed the first of six slingshot maneuvers around the planet. It will ultimately insert two probes into orbit in 2025
