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From Einstein’s Theory to Gravity’s Chirp
The path from a revolutionary set of equations to the detection of gravitational waves was strewn with obstacles and controversy, explains the physicist Daniel Kennefick — and the struggle continues.
Gravitational Waves Discovered at Long Last
Ripples in space-time have been detected a century after Einstein predicted them, launching a new era in astronomy.
The Case for Complex Dark Matter
The physicist James Bullock explains how a complicated “dark sector” of interacting particles may illuminate some puzzling observations of the centers of galaxies.
Why the Big Bang’s Light May Have a Tilt
Scientists haven’t tested the Big Bang’s light for a revealing shift in 25 years. A new experiment aims to change that.
The Particle That Broke a Cosmic Speed Limit
Physicists are beginning to unravel the mysteries of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, particles accelerated by the most powerful forces in the universe.
Strange Stars Pulse to the Golden Mean
Nature has revealed peculiar mathematical objects that connect order and chaos.
Joint Dust Analysis Deflates Big Bang Signal
No definitive evidence for cosmic inflation is found, but support remains strong for the theory even as critics highlight its shortcomings as an explanation for how and why the universe began.
Dwarf Galaxies Dim Hopes of Dark Matter
For five years physicists have been tantalized by possible evidence of dark matter in the Milky Way’s center. But new results from small satellite galaxies have complicated the story.
‘Big Bang Signal’ Could All Be Dust
Cosmic dust in the high latitudes of the Milky Way could account for the entire swirl pattern that had been presented as proof of a leading Big Bang theory, according to a new data analysis from the Planck satellite.