Space Elevators Could Totally Work—If Earth Days Were Much Shorter
What would it take to run a cable from the ISS to Earth? Depends how fast you want the Earth to rotate.
How the Universe and Its Mirrored Version Are Different
From living matter to molecules to elementary particles, the world is made of “chiral” objects that differ from their reflected forms.
Are Those Viral ‘Cooling Blankets’ for Real?
According to physics, any blanket can cool you—for a few minutes. But a real cooling blanket is possible with phase-change materials.
How to Make AI Faster and Smarter—With a Little Help from Physics
Rose Yu has drawn on the principles of fluid dynamics to improve deep learning systems that predict traffic, model the climate, and stabilize drones during flight.
Is Using a Stair Machine the Same as Climbing Stairs?
According to physics, one burns more calories than the other—and the winner might surprise you.
The Quest to Prove the Existence of a New Type of Quantum Particle
A new proposal makes the case that paraparticles—a new category of quantum particle—could be created in exotic materials.
Intelligence on Earth Evolved Independently at Least Twice
Complex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times.
Why Pigeons at Rest Are at the Center of Complexity Theory
When pigeons outnumber pigeonholes, some birds must double up. This obvious statement, and its inverse, have deep connections to many areas of math and computer science.
The Phony Physics of Star Wars Are a Blast
Those epic battle scenes in space are awesome—and physically impossible. But hey, it’s more fun this way!
A New Quantum Algorithm Speeds Up Solving a Huge Class of Problems
It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do so for some critical optimization tasks.