Physics
New navigation system works even when GPS fails
A new navigation system that tracks subatomic particles called “muons” could help us get around indoors, underground, and underwater.
Plants perform quantum mechanics feats that scientists can only do at ultra-cold temperatures
There may be a link between quantum mechanics and photosynthesis explaining why plants are so effective at converting light to food.
“Spooky” quantum biology might cause your DNA to mutate
Research suggests that quantum effects could drive mutations in human DNA — the latest development in the emerging field of quantum biology.
How the world’s most sensitive yardstick reveals secrets of the universe
When two massive objects – like black holes or neutron stars – merge, they warp space and time. Here's the tool that measures the resulting waves.
How to terraform Mars, without nukes, on a budget
Terraforming Mars has been a dream for decades; here’s how we might get it started today.
For the first time, astronomers have detected a radio signal from the massive explosion of a dying white dwarf
Patience and persistence pays off in ways researchers never expected, allowing them to hear the dying whispers of a distant star.
Astronomers have directly detected a massive exoplanet. The method could transform the search for life beyond Earth.
There are many techniques to search for planets orbiting other stars. Perhaps the simplest of these is called direct imaging, but it's not easy.
NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory to finally answer the epic question: “Are we alone?”
The Nancy Roman Telescope is already being built with a goal no smaller than to find inhabited planets beyond Earth.
Why Earth is the only planet with plate tectonics
Here in our Solar System, of all the known planets, only Earth — not Mercury, not Venus, and not Mars — possesses plate tectonics.