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
Stories by Davide Castelvecchi
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
Cosmology
New Type of Dark Energy Could Solve Universe Expansion Mystery
Hints of a previously unknown, primordial form of the substance could explain why the cosmos now seems to be expanding faster than theory predicts
Particle Physics
Exotic Four-Quark Particle Spotted at Large Hadron Collider
The rare tetraquark is one of dozens of nonelementary particles discovered at the accelerator and could help test theories about the strong nuclear force
Space & Physics
Why the Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Went Mysteriously Dim Last Year
High-resolution images suggest the star spewed out so much dust that its brightness dropped by two thirds in 2020
Space & Physics
Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Come in Two Distinct Flavors
A trove of new detections suggests that the bursts could be the result of at least two separate astrophysical phenomena
Space & Physics
First Nuclear Detonation Created ‘Impossible’ Quasicrystals
Their structures were once controversial. Now researchers have discovered quasicrystals in the aftermath of a 1945 bomb test
Space & Physics
Muon Results Throw Physicists’ Best Theories into Confusion
Experimental anomalies have sent researchers scrambling to concoct new explanations
Space & Physics
Long-Awaited Muon Physics Experiment Nears Moment of Truth
A result that has been 20 years in the making could reveal the existence of new particles and upend fundamental physics
Space & Physics
Quantum Network Is Step Toward Ultrasecure Internet
The experiment connects three devices with entangled photons, demonstrating a key technique that could enable a future quantum Internet
Technology
This Is the Fastest Random-Number Generator Ever Built
A laser generates quantum randomness at a rate of 250 trillion bits per second and could lead to devices small enough to fit on a single chip
Space & Physics
Hints of Twisted Light Offer Clues to Dark Energy’s Nature
Cosmologists suggest that an exotic substance called quintessence could be accelerating the Universe’s expansion—but the evidence is still tentative
Astrophysics
What 50 Gravitational-Wave Events Reveal about the Universe
Astrophysicists now have enough black-hole mergers to map their frequency over the cosmos’s history
