Particle Physics
God, Dark Matter and Falling Cats: A Conversation with 2022 Templeton Prize Winner Frank Wilczek
The physics Nobelist and author has not exactly found religion—but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped looking
"Universe"
Cosmology
Astronomers Gear Up to Grapple with the High-Tension Cosmos
A debate over conflicting measurements of key cosmological properties is set to shape the next decade of astronomy and astrophysics
Particle Physics
Troubled U.S. Neutrino Project Faces Uncertain Future—and Fresh Opportunities
A new two-phase approach to building the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment ignites controversy among particle physicists
Cosmology
Astronomers Spot Most Distant Galaxy Yet, 13.5 Billion Light-Years from Earth
The surprisingly bright galaxy, called HD1, may contain some of the universe’s first stars, as well as a supermassive black hole
Space Exploration
China Plans Asteroid Missions, Space Telescopes and a Moon Base
In the next five years, the nation hopes to launch a robotic craft to an asteroid, two lunar missions and an orbital observatory
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
Black Holes
Astronomers Find First Ever Rogue Black Hole Adrift in the Milky Way
Weighing in at seven times the mass of our sun, the dark object is by far the best-yet candidate for a free-floating stellar-mass black hole
Black Holes
Could Echoes from Colliding Black Holes Prove Stephen Hawking’s Greatest Prediction?
Subtle signals from black hole mergers might confirm the existence of “Hawking radiation”—and gravitational-wave detectors may have already seen them
Astrophysics
Astronomers Report a Monstrous Eruption from a Supermagnetic Star
In a fraction of a second, the outburst released as much energy as our sun produces in 100,000 years
Astrophysics
Hunt for Alien Life Tops Next-Gen Wish List for U.S. Astronomy
A major report outlining the highest priorities and recommendations for U.S. astronomy has finally been released, revealing the shape of things to come
Extraterrestrial Life
A Mysterious ‘Alien Beacon’ Was Actually a False Alarm
The radio signal seemed to originate from the star Proxima Centauri and provided a helpful drill for future searches
Quantum Physics
Can We Gauge Quantum Time of Flight?
Measuring the time it takes particles to travel between two points may be the best test yet for Bohmian mechanics
Cosmology
Was Our Universe Created in a Laboratory?
Developing quantum-gravity technologies may elevate us to a “class A” civilization, capable of creating a baby universe
Astrophysics
FAST, the World’s Largest Radio Telescope, Zooms in on a Furious Cosmic Source
China’s Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope has detected more than 1,600 fast radio bursts from a single enigmatic system
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
Black Holes
Singularities Can Exist Outside Black Holes—in Other Universes
Recent work has shown how “naked singularities” might defy the cosmic censorship conjecture
Black Holes
Astronomers Find an Unexpected Bumper Crop of Black Holes
In trying to explain the spectacular star trails of the star cluster Palomar 5, astronomers stumbled on a very large trove of black holes.
The Spookiverse
The most haunting thing about the universe is how empty it is
Space & Physics
The Scariest Thing in the Universe
It's not what you're probably thinking
Why Do I Write about Science?
The answer is a little more complicated than you might expect
