Physics

New calculations seem to have put a 25-year-old particle physics puzzle to rest. But they’ve also created a clash with other experimental results.

One of the most contested issues in astrophysics is our understanding of the Universe’s expansion. Adam Riess discusses why there is disagreement and what might resolve it.

Today’s computers need safeguards against random energy fluctuations. Thermodynamic computers would put those fluctuations to use.

Researchers thought that what enabled complex fluids to break apart was their elasticity. But a crack in a nonelastic simple fluid has them questioning that idea.

Astronomer David Kipping discusses why claims of extraterrestrial life keep dissolving under scrutiny, why we need a more statistically grounded approach to searching for life beyond Earth, and why it’s rational to believe that we may be alone.

When checking that solutions to certain problems are correct, it turns out, you can’t get around the inherent complexity of the quantum world.

The hunt for these ghostly particles has required some of the most audacious experimental setups ever built.

Recent observations suggest that dark energy is changing over time. Theorists wonder if dark matter is, too.

Plausible answers range from 17 to — in all seriousness — 995.5.