Inside the High-Stakes Race to Make Quantum Computers Work
Quantum computers could help explain some of the most fundamental mysteries in the universe and upend everything from finance to encryption—if only someone could get them to work.
Astronomers Have Found the Universe’s Missing Matter
For decades, some of the atomic matter in the universe had not been located. Recent papers reveal where it’s been hiding.
Slime Molds Remember—But Do They Learn?
Evidence mounts that organisms without nervous systems can in some sense learn and solve problems, but researchers disagree about whether this is “primitive cognition.”
Troubled Times for Alternatives to Einstein’s Theory of Gravity
New observations of extreme astrophysical systems have “brutally and pitilessly murdered” attempts to replace Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
To Understand the Universe, Physicists Are Building Their Own
Silke Weinfurtner isn’t an evil genius hell-bent on creating a new world of her own to rule. She just wants to understand the origins of the one we already have.
Astronomers Trace Fast Radio Burst to Extreme Cosmic Neighborhood
A mysterious object that repeatedly bursts with ultra-powerful radio waves must live in an extreme environment.
Galactic Glow, Thought to Be Dark Matter, Now Hints at Hidden Pulsars
A number of high-energy anomalies raised hopes that astrophysicists had seen their first direct glimpses of dark matter. New studies suggest a different source may be responsible.
Ultra-Powerful Radio Bursts May Be Getting a Cosmic Boost
Repeating radio bursts are among the most mysterious phenomena in the universe. A new theory explores how some of their puzzling properties can be explained by galactic lenses made of plasma.
Inside the Hunt for the Source of a Mysterious Cosmic Burst
Inside the Hunt for the Source of a Mysterious Cosmic Burst
After a surprise discovery, astrophysicists are racing to understand superenergetic flashes of radio waves that sometimes beep out from distant galaxies.