Browse Physics

A “handle” of DNA can control the effectiveness of an enzyme molecule, which might lead to new ways of designing proteins or drugs.

A simple arrangement of electric and magnetic fields causes plasma to form shapes reminiscent of the jets generated near supermassive black holes.

Although the transition from smooth flow to turbulence is notoriously complex in normal fluids, researchers have now seen it in a superfluid.

Mathematical tools from the theory of magnets applied to seismic data reveal that the stronger an earthquake, the sooner the next one will occur, and it could be hundreds of miles away.

In 1960 physicists finally verified Einstein’s 1911 prediction that gravity could change light’s frequency. Understanding the effect is essential to modern navigational technology.

“Uncrackable” quantum cryptography can thwart spies even if today’s quantum theory is replaced by something better–as long as it remains impossible to send messages faster than light.

Gravitational waves from merging neutron star pairs could help reveal their mysterious and exotic material properties.

Two new high-performance metals–one super-strong, the other super-malleable–have several properties that could lead to cheaper and better manufactured products.

The speed of light moving through a series of metal strips depends on their dimensions rather than on their composition.

A magnetic field can sustain a single, isolated hump on the surface of a magnetic fluid–a new type of solitary feature with parallels in heated fluids and shaking beds of sand.

Our genes contain long stretches of meaningless junk DNA. This genetic clutter slipped in between chunks of gene that melt at different temperatures, physicists report.

A 1948 paper used general relativity to provide the first quantitative description of the first moments after the big bang.

Researchers have reduced the magnetic field needed to induce a “colossal” change in resistance–an effect that might improve data storage devices.

A magnetic field can control the flow of heat across a loop of wire, according to calculations, thanks to interference between quantum waves.

Neutrons can take the temperature of a shock wave racing through a solid and could provide a new tool for weapons research and planetary science.

In a newly discovered phase of ice, the hydrogen nuclei appear to move and carry electric current–possibly powering planetary magnetic fields.

A 1935 idea from Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen for unifying electromagnetism with gravity lives on in the minds of science fiction fans.

A new technique that cancels out Brownian motion improves researchers’ ability to hold and manipulate nanoscale particles.

A specially designed layer of granular material can provide improved protection against sudden impacts, a theorist predicts.

Simulations show that two observers near a cosmic singularity such as a black hole cannot communicate.