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Natalie Wolchover

Columnist

Latest Articles

Universal Quantum Phenomenon Found in Strange Metals

November 19, 2018

Experiments suggest that exotic superconducting materials share a “strange metal” state characterized by a quantum speed limit that somehow acts as a fundamental organizing principle.

Ewine van Dishoeck, the Netherlander Who Traced Water’s Origin

November 1, 2018

The astrochemist and winner of the 2018 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics has wondered about the cosmic origin of water while enjoying Noordwijk beach near her hometown of Leiden.

Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness

October 11, 2018

Oil droplets guided by “pilot waves” have failed to reproduce the results of the quantum double-slit experiment, crushing a century-old dream that there exists a single, concrete reality.

Laser Physicists, Including Third Woman Ever, Win Physics Nobel

October 2, 2018

Three researchers shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for advances in laser physics. The winners include a woman for the first time in 55 years.

A New Test for the Leading Big Bang Theory

September 11, 2018

Cosmologists have predicted the existence of an oscillating signal that could distinguish between cosmic inflation and alternative theories of the universe’s birth.

The New Science of Seeing Around Corners

August 30, 2018

Computer vision researchers have uncovered a world of visual signals hiding in our midst, including subtle motions that betray what’s being said and faint images of what’s around a corner.

Dark Energy May Be Incompatible With String Theory

August 9, 2018

A controversial new paper argues that universes with dark energy profiles like ours do not exist in the “landscape” of universes allowed by string theory.

The Peculiar Math That Could Underlie the Laws of Nature

July 20, 2018

New findings are fueling an old suspicion that fundamental particles and forces spring from strange eight-part numbers called “octonions.”

What Is the Sun Made Of and When Will It Die?

July 5, 2018

If and when physicists are able to pin down the metal content of the sun, that number could upend much of what we thought we knew about the evolution and life span of stars.