Fundamental research into matter, energy, and the laws governing them. Particle physics, condensed matter, statistical mechanics, and the models underneath physical reality.
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Practical Magic
Isolated flashes of extreme ultraviolet light can now be squeezed into a spot smaller than a single bacterium.
First Ever
A stack of two atomic layers twisted like a kaleidoscope allows for the manual reprogramming of how electrons behave inside a material.
Practical Magic
A data center in space currently costs 13 times more to build and run than one on the ground.
Paradigm Challenge
A breakthrough material that seemed to have impossible physical properties was actually just full of chemical dirt.
First Ever
A massive family of complex mathematical symmetries called Lie groups can now be mapped directly onto the set of all rational numbers.
First Ever
A tiny bead of glass floating in a laser beam can be used to squeeze light into a state that defies classical physics.
Practical Magic
A forgotten window in physics suggests that dark matter might be hiding where our existing sensors can already see it.
Paradigm Challenge
A solid block of copper begins to slide and deform internally long before it reaches its breaking point.
Nature Is Weird
The behavior of quantum information might be directly tied to one of the most abstract and infinite concepts in mathematics.
Collision
A nuclear fusion reactor can be controlled by a computer that thinks like a human brain to keep the reaction alive.
Nature Is Weird
Fibonacci numbers dictate the exact probability that a set of random sticks will fail to connect into a closed polygon.
Paradigm Challenge
A mathematical assumption about the geometry of shapes that stood for 35 years has just been proven wrong.
Practical Magic
A universal ink made of nanoparticles can 3D print glowing layers that are only seven nanometers thick.
First Ever
Ghostly neutrino particles can spontaneously pair up and flip their identities in ways that defy our understanding of the early universe.
Nature Is Weird
A seemingly random cloud of fractal dust is guaranteed to contain a perfect geometric pattern if it reaches a certain density.
Nature Is Weird
A hidden law of physics discovered by Isaac Newton allows an object to spin faster or slower without changing its distance from the center.
Nature Is Weird
A twisted vortex of light injected into a fiber optic cable instantly shatters into a predictable line of stable light pulses.
Practical Magic
A machine learning system can now calibrate a quantum computer better than the best theories written by human physicists.
Paradigm Challenge
A moving spherical cavity must shrink in a specific way or the waves inside it will literally fall apart.
Practical Magic
Time crystals can be used to build sensors that far exceed the limits of traditional physics.
Practical Magic
A quantum method reaches the ultimate limit of precision even when the machine controlling it is relatively slow.
Practical Magic
A random laser that used to be chaotic and unpredictable can now be reprogrammed using an electric field.
Nature Is Weird
A musical instrument called a hyperbolic marimba allows you to hear the actual shape of a curved geometric space.
Nature Is Weird
A simple closed loop will always have four points that form a perfect isosceles trapezoid no matter how weirdly you draw it.
Nature Is Weird
A small battery powered motor can actually use more energy if you lower the voltage.
Practical Magic
A chain of quantum spins can act as a perfect energy converter that changes frequencies with mathematical precision.
Nature Is Weird
The hottest substance ever created in a laboratory vibrates with the same mathematical symmetry as a simple water molecule.
Nature Is Weird
A quantum computer has been used to tie mathematical knots inside the energy bands of a solid material.
Paradigm Challenge
Negative sectional curvature in a complex shape forces its internal geometry to follow a strict numerical law.
Nature Is Weird
A hidden population of magnetic stars has been caught erupting in violent bursts that were previously thought to be impossible.
Paradigm Challenge
Primates live significantly longer than other mammals of the same size because their large brains act as a thermodynamic shield against aging.
Nature Is Weird
Microscopic droplets can now swim indefinitely through a liquid using nothing but chemical reactions and protein separation.
Practical Magic
A material generates an electrical signal using light waves that bypasses the physical limits of traditional sensors.
Nature Is Weird
A classic Jacob's Ladder toy is actually a physical demonstration of high level particle physics in action.
Practical Magic
A squishy hydrogel mimics the biology of an electric eel to shock nerves into action with a simple squeeze.
Nature Is Weird
A tiny chip of gallium arsenide can host actual whirlpools made of flowing electricity.
Paradigm Challenge
A strange mathematical model proves that heat can actually create perfect order instead of destroying it.
Paradigm Challenge
A popular rule of thumb used by chemists for decades has been turned into a rigorous law of physics.
Nature Is Weird
A hot magnetic system can actually cool down and freeze faster than one that starts out cold.
Collision
Two quantum systems can coordinate their actions perfectly even when they have no memory of what happened before.
Nature Is Weird
A strand of DNA can be bent into a tiny circle without snapping but only if it is twisted to a very specific tightness.
Nature Is Weird
A 41,000 year old piece of pollen shows that the sun scorched the Earth when its magnetic field weakened.
Cosmic Scale
A thousand years of coral history proves that current swings in Pacific Ocean temperatures are the most extreme on record.
Practical Magic
An AI chip can be completely rewired using nothing but a radio broadcast signal.
Nature Is Weird
Three different AI bots agreeing with each other can manipulate your beliefs even if they are all just repeating the same mistake.
Practical Magic
Computer memory can now store data by moving a single atom in just 20 trillionths of a second.
Practical Magic
Ten quintillion atoms were simulated across a meter of steel to predict how nuclear reactors will fall apart over the next year.
Nature Is Weird
AI writing tools subtly rewrite your personality to make you sound more privileged and wealthy, and you will probably love the result.
Nature Is Weird
Pedestrians are intentionally bullying self-driving cars into a game of chicken because they know the vehicle is hard-coded to never hit them.
Practical Magic
An AI system screened 2.4 million different crystals in just 28 hours and successfully guided the creation of four brand-new superconductors.