Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics awarded for research in cosmology and exoplanets
By Bryan Dyne, 11 October 2019
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics focuses on the deeper understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmos that has been developed over the past six decades.
First imagery of black hole by the Event Horizon Telescope
By Bryan Dyne, 11 April 2019
The results from the planet-wide array of radio telescopes are the first direct measurements of the structure of a black hole and its surrounding environment.
NASA spacecraft launched for close-up study of the Sun
By Bryan Dyne, 13 August 2018
The Parker Solar Probe spacecraft has begun its three-month journey to get closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft.
Large Hadron Collider resumes operations
By Joe Mount, 4 July 2018
Several results from the accelerator have been published in the last 12 months, including recent and more detailed studies of the Higgs boson.
Physics, poetry and the search for quantum gravity: Carlo Rovelli’s Reality Is Not What It Seems
By Bryan Dyne, 29 June 2018
Rovelli’s works on modern physics combine a materialist approach to science with a popular approach of explanation that is informed by a knowledge of literature and philosophy.
Observation of gravitational waves wins Nobel Prize in physics
By Bryan Dyne, 6 October 2017
The announcement comes seven weeks after the detection of the fourth gravitational wave by the two Advanced LIGO detectors and the Advanced Virgo detector.
Spectrum of anti-hydrogen observed
By Joe Mount, 13 April 2017
Initial results from the ALPHA-2 experiment show that matter and antimatter differ by at most 200 parts per trillion.
Nobel Prize in physics awarded for discoveries about condensed states of matter
By Bryan Dyne, 8 October 2016
The combination of the mathematics of topology and condensed matter physics is expected to lead directly to new types of materials and electronics.
Alternative approach to nuclear fusion energy at German lab takes important first step
By Gregory McAvoy, 24 February 2016
The scientists and engineers who designed and built the device are attempting to show that a new type of reactor design could provide a more attainable path to commercial fusion power.
The detection of gravitational waves: A scientific milestone
By Bryan Dyne, 13 February 2016
The discovery of gravitational waves is a vindication of science and the ability of human reason to tackle and overcome the most complex problems.
Astronomers detect gravitational waves predicted by Einstein
By Will Morrow, 12 February 2016
The LIGO Collaboration has published the first direct detection of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space and time.
100 years of General Relativity—Part Three
By Bryan Dyne, 9 December 2015
This is the last part of a three-part series examining the history, science and implications of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
100 years of General Relativity—Part Two
By Will Morrow, 8 December 2015
This is the second of a three-part series examining the history, science and lasting implications of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which remains, along with his special theory, one of the central pillars of modern physics.
CERN restarts Large Hadron Collider
By Bryan Dyne, 8 April 2015
As a result of two years of upgrades, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator will generate 30 petabytes of data per year in the search for a deeper understanding of nature.
New telescope reveals first detailed image of a planetary system in formation
By Bryan Dyne and Don Barrett, 1 December 2014
An international telescope array entering operation has produced the first detailed image showing a planetary system in formation around a young star
Imprint of primordial gravitational waves detected
By C. Frederick Graves, 24 March 2014
The finding by astronomers working at the South Pole provides confirmation of a key aspect of the Big Bang theory, called the inflationary hypothesis.
CERN confirms Higgs discovery
By Bryan Dyne, 23 March 2013
The major collaborators in research at the Large Hadron Collider have jointly announced that the new particle discovered last year is the Higgs boson.
Astronomers confirm fundamental relationship in atomic physics
By Will Morrow, 4 January 2013
A team of astronomers has determined that the ratio of the mass of the proton to the mass of the electron has been stable for at least seven billion years.
CERN discovers new fundamental particle
By Bryan Dyne, 5 July 2012
Results jointly released from the Large Hadron Collider have confirmed the existence of a new fundamental particle, which has the high possibility of being the long sought after Higgs boson.
Large Hadron Collider upgrade aids exploration of the origin of mass
By Bryan Dyne, 13 April 2012
What makes things heavy? How does the origin of mass connect with other physical theories? The Large Hadron Collider was built in Switzerland to experimentally test theoretical work that suggests an answer to these questions.
Tantalizing evidence of the Higgs boson
By Bryan Dyne, 29 December 2011
Physicists are close to confirming detection of the last undiscovered particle predicted by the “Standard Model” of particle physics.
Tentative evidence of particles travelling faster than light
By Margaret Bourne, 4 November 2011
Initial results from a group of scientists appear to indicate that neutrinos travel at a velocity greater than the speed of light.
Thomas S. Kuhn, post-modernism and materialist dialectics
By William Whitlow, 28 October 2011
William Whitlow replies to a reader’s inquiry about sociologist Thomas S. Kuhn, author of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
CERN experiment weighs antimatter to unprecedented precision
By Bryan Dyne, 26 August 2011
The research provides further confirmation of quantum mechanics.
A further advance in quantum computing
By Bryan Dyne, 12 August 2011
A team led by Susumu Takahashi has pioneered a new step forward toward the development of a fully functional quantum computer.
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