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Experiments Ring the ‘Death Knell’ for Sterile Neutrinos
Decades of weird experimental results appeared to support the existence of the sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that would solve multiple mysteries. But recent experiments have killed hope of finding these phantoms, leaving physicists to wonder what might explain their anomalies.
An Arctic Road Trip Brings Vital Underground Networks into View
A vast meshwork of soil-bound fungi governs life aboveground. In Alaska, and at field sites around the world, researchers are racing to understand exactly how, with essential stores of carbon at stake.
New Advances Bring the Era of Quantum Computers Closer Than Ever
Two research groups say they have significantly reduced the amount of qubits and time required to crack common online security technologies.
A Through-The-Lens Look at the World’s Particle Physics Labs
The winning entries in the 2025 Global Physics Photowalk contest showcase the beauty of toil and discovery.
In Expanding de Sitter Space, Quantum Mechanics Gets Even More Elusive
The basic shape that best describes our expanding universe is also the hardest shape for physicists to understand.
When Coupled Volcanoes Talk, These Researchers Listen
Around the world, volcanologists are following the path of magma as it travels between connected volcanoes, in an effort that could lead to improved eruption forecasts.
In Math, Rigor Is Vital. But Are Digitized Proofs Taking It Too Far?
The quest to make mathematics rigorous has a long and spotty history — one mathematicians can learn from as they push to formalize everything in the computer program Lean.
How Writing Changes Mathematical Thought
David E. Dunning explores how mathematical notation is a social, world-building technology.
Are Strings Still Our Best Hope for a Theory of Everything?
Columnist Natalie Wolchover examines the latest developments in the “forever war” over whether string theory can describe the world.