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Will We Ever Be Able To Forecast Volcanic Eruptions Like Weather?
It should be possible, but getting there will require a greater understanding of subsurface physics.
What Causes Lightning? The Answer Keeps Getting More Interesting.
Armed with a slew of new instruments, physicists are closing in on one of nature’s oldest mysteries — and finding that storm clouds are seething with violent and unexpected phenomena.
Physicists Discover the Most Complex Forms of Ice Yet
Scientists keep detecting new forms of ice. According to simulations, there could be many more left to find.
Quantum ‘Jamming’ Explores the Truly Fundamental Principles of Nature
Some quantum cryptographers want to find ways to keep messages secret even if the rules of quantum mechanics don’t hold. The recently rediscovered idea of quantum jamming complicates things.
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.
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.
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.