Life might have originated in droplets that behave surprisingly like living cells.
Researchers have discovered that simple “chemically active” droplets grow to the size of cells and spontaneously divide, suggesting they might have evolved into the first living cells.
Geochemical signals from deep inside Earth are beginning to shed light on the planet’s first 50 million years, a formative period long viewed as inaccessible to science.
Physicists have failed to find disintegrating protons, throwing into limbo the beloved theory that the forces of nature were unified at the beginning of time.
The effort to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity means reconciling totally different notions of time.
A proposed theory of gravity does away with dark matter, even as new astrophysical findings challenge the need for galaxies full of the invisible mystery particles.
So-called “analogue experiments” are becoming increasingly common in physics, but do they teach or mislead?
Can a fluid analogue of a black hole point physicists toward the theory of quantum gravity, or is it a red herring?
The impasse in math and science instruction runs deeper than test scores or the latest educational theory. What can we learn from the best teachers on the front lines?