What We're Reading

Vast reaches of mostly empty space could offer superior odds for detecting the invisible substance thought to make up more than 80 percent of the material in the universe

Time crystals were long believed to be impossible because their perpetual motion would seem to defy the laws of physics. However, using quantum physics scientists have not only created time crystals, but they have also now shown that they have the potential to power useful devices in the future.

Detectors that exploit subtle quantum phenomena could be key for identifying the cosmos’ elusive invisible stuff.

To study something as freewheeling, spontaneous, and variable as play, researchers had to get creative.

Many galaxies host an active galactic nucleus — a luminous disk of gas and dust circling a central supermassive black hole. Extreme though this environment may be, stars can live within these disks, and new research led by the Flatiron Institute's Adam Jermyn examines how these stars might affect the evolution of the disk that surrounds them.

Converting DNA sequences and particle vibrations into notes allows researchers to recognize unseen patterns and create songs for outreach.

The behemoth, Sagittarius A*, appears as a faint shadow surrounded by glowing material.

Two independent teams show that neutral ytterbium-171 atoms can be trapped and used for quantum information processing, bringing quantum computers based on this platform a step closer to reality.

Long-awaited boosts to the world’s most powerful collider could spur breakthroughs in the hunt for physics beyond the Standard Model.

Advance has implications for drug development and biological research.