Materials Science
This Is What a Solid Made of Electrons Looks Like
Physicists have imaged elusive ‘Wigner crystals’ for the first time
Stories by Davide Castelvecchi
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
Evolution
This Beetle's Stab-Proof Exoskeleton Makes It Almost Indestructible
Jigsaw-puzzle-shaped seams that hold a notoriously tough insect’s wing cases together could inspire engineers
Space & Physics
First Room-Temperature Superconductor Excites and Baffles Scientists
A compound of hydrogen, carbon and sulfur has broken a symbolic barrier—but its high-pressure conditions make it difficult to analyze
Black Holes
The First Ever Image of a Black Hole Is Now a Movie
Pictures created from old observations show the void’s stormy evolution over the past decade
Space & Physics
Mystery over Universe’s Expansion Deepens with Fresh Data
A long-awaited map of the big bang’s afterglow fails to settle a debate over how fast the universe is expanding
Space & Physics
Welcome Anyons! Physicists Find Best Evidence Yet for Long-Sought 2D Structures
The ‘quasiparticles’ defy the categories of ordinary particles and herald a potential way to build quantum computers
Space & Physics
Neutrinos Reveal Final Secret of Sun’s Nuclear Fusion
The detection of particles produced in the sun’s core supports long-held theory about how our star is powered
Space & Physics
CERN Makes Bold Push to Build $23-Billion Super Collider
European particle-physics lab will pursue a 100-kilometer machine to uncover the Higgs boson’s secrets — but it doesn’t yet have the funds
