What's up in
Physics
Latest Articles
Astrophysicists Puzzle Over Webb’s New Universe
Faced with observations of early black holes and galaxies that weren’t expected to exist, scientists have come up with a wealth of new theories to explain them. Now they just need to figure out which ones are true.
How Physicists Track and Trap the Elusive Neutrino
The hunt for these ghostly particles has required some of the most audacious experimental setups ever built.
A Dark Dimension Could Link Two of the Universe’s Great Unknowns
Recent observations suggest that dark energy is changing over time. Theorists wonder if dark matter is, too.
How Many Elementary Particles Are There, Really?
Plausible answers range from 17 to — in all seriousness — 995.5.
Where Did Earth Get Its Oceans? Maybe It Made Them Itself.
At first, scientists thought Earth’s water came from comets. Then, asteroids. Now, they wonder if Earth’s water is homegrown.
Entanglement Builds Space-Time. Now “Magic” Gives It Gravity.
In holographic theories, physicists may have traced the pliability of space-time to its quantum roots: a measure of quantumness known as “magic.”
How We See the Beautiful, Violent Sun
Over hundreds of years, increasingly sophisticated instruments have revealed — and continue to reveal — the secrets of our star.
When Quiet Undersea Volcanoes Turn Disruptive
Earth’s largest volcanic system, hidden in mountain chains under the sea, has long been assumed to erupt only quietly. The shallow seafloor off Iceland tells another story.
Rubin Tracks Skyscraper-Size Asteroids, Failed Supernovas, and Interstellar Visitors
Astronomers are preparing for a new era of big-data astronomy, and results are already starting to arrive.