Jennifer Ouellette, Author at Gizmodo

We’re One Small Step Closer to a Working Light Saber

Killjoy physicists have long pointed out the sheer unlikelihood of building a working light saber. But now, they’ve taken a small step toward realizing the dream of Star Wars fans worldwide, by figuring out how to get photons to stick together like molecules in a super-chilled gas. This latest work builds on prior experiments from…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

Master the Art of Sabrage with This Space-Age Champagne Saber

This sleek, space-age stainless steel take on a saber from Menu is proof that a champagne saber doesn’t need to be sharp to get the job done. It’s the impact that matters, after all, not the sharpness of the blade. The fine art of sabrage — the fancy French term for opening a champagne bottle…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

Here’s Everything We Know So Far About Finding Water on Mars

Big news broke this morning as NASA scientists announced the first direct evidence for water on Mars. Let that sink in for a moment. Water. On Mars. It’s very exciting stuff, just in time for the big opening weekend of The Martian. Here’s what we’ve learned so far about this momentous discovery. The first hints…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

One Physicist’s Quest for New Physics Beyond Einstein and the LHC

All eyes are currently on the upgraded Large Hadron Collider as it ramps up its hunt for new physics. But some physicists are already looking beyond and pinning their hopes on an even bigger machine, four times the size of the LHC. One of them is Nima Arkani-Hamed, the subject of a recent extensive profile…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

A Wedding Ring Spins More Like a Boomerang Than a Coin

Spin a coin on a flat surface, and it spirals much like a planet orbiting a star — at least until it runs out of steam and rattles to a stop on the table. But spin a wedding ring the same way, and it will make a surprising abrupt turn, following a trajectory more like…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

Let’s Talk About Mantis Shrimp Fight Club

The fearsome mantis shrimp has many fascinating attributes, most notably its powerful hammer-like rounded claws — technically known as “raptorial appendages” — that it uses to crack open the hard shells of its favored prey (clams and crabs) and to ward off predators. And now it seems they use them as weapons against each other,…

Biology Jennifer Ouellette

What’s the Best Way to Tie Your Shoes? Physics May Have the Answer.

The most common mistake when tying your shoelaces is accidentally making a weaker granny knot instead of the stronger square knot. Now, physics can help you tie the perfect knot that stays tight no matter what. While it is well-known that any knot’s strength depends on its configuration, nobody really understands specifically why this should…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

At Scotland’s Crawick Multiverse Garden, You Can Look into the Void

Have you ever wanted to meander between two spiral galaxies, or follow in the footsteps of a comet? Now visitors to southwest Scotland’s Nith Valley can do just that. Welcome to the “Crawick Multiverse,” a massive installation created by renowned landscape architect Charles Jencks that gives symbolic physical form to some of our most abstract…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

New Art Installation Makes Music Out of Bitcoin Trades

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin enjoy a brisk pace of trading activity. But what does all that cyber wheeling and dealing look like? Better yet, what does it sound like? A new art installation in Moscow takes all that raw data and transforms it into musical notes, making melody out of global finance. Silk is…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

Have Some Physics With Your Tea Next Time You’re in Malaysia

Travelers to southeast Asia frequently marvel at the showman-like skill with which street vendors prepare a drink known as teh tarik (“pulled tea”). They might not realize those same vendors are intuitive physicists at heart. Teh tarik is the national beverage of Malaysia, a mixture of black tea and condensed or evaporated milk, whipped into…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

How That Ice Ball in Your Cocktail Inspired a Cool Physics Experiment

Any decent bartender knows that ice can dilute your drink as it melts. That’s why they use as much ice as possible: it keeps the drink colder, longer. An even better way to achieve the same effect is to use giant ice balls. Now this snazzy bartender’s trick has led to a discovery in physics.…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

Quantum “Weeping Angel” Effect Freezes Atoms in Place

The paradox of Schroedinger’s Cat famously demonstrates that a quantum cat sealed in a box is both alive and dead at the same time until we look inside, at which point it becomes one or the other. Such is the weirdness of quantum mechanics. But if a mere act of observation determines the outcome of…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

Here’s the Exact Way That the Ice Bucket Challenge Helped ALS Research

Last year’s hugely popular “ice bucket challenge” saw celebrities pouring buckets of ice water over their heads to help fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). Skeptics dismissed it as mere “slacktivism,” but researchers told us that the money led directly to a scientific breakthrough. Can slacktivism actually work? Earlier this month, Nicholas Kristof wrote a rather…

Health Jennifer Ouellette

This Tulip Cloaks Itself in Shimmery Iridescent Armor

Queen of Night tulips are known for their ultra-deep purple hue, with a touch of shimmer to enhance the jewel tones, but they don’t get that striking color from the usual pigment molecules. According to a new paper in The Journal of Chemical Physics, what you’re seeing is actually a result of how the plant’s…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

These Cool Kinetic Sculptures Can Run 40 Hours After a Single Wind of the Spring

It looks like the inner workings of an elaborate mechanical clock, but it’s actually one of many hypnotic kinetic sculptures created by Connecticut-based artist and woodworker David C. Roy over the years. And they can run anywhere from five to 40 hours on a single wind, a testament to their excellent design. Just to get…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

FBI Didn’t Bother to Check Facts Before Accusing Physicist of Being a Spy for China

Temple University physics professor Xiaoxing Xi made headlines back in May, when he was indicted for allegedly sharing “sensitive” information with colleagues in China about a piece of laboratory equipment used in his superconductivity research. Xi maintained his innocence from the start. On Friday, he was vindicated: the U.S. Justice Department dropped the charges against…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette

Why Trading In Your Old Car for a 2016 Prius Might Not Be the Best Investment

Photos of Toyota’s shiny new 2016 Prius leaked onto the Internet this week, supposedly boasting an estimated 60 MPG rating. But should you rush right out to reserve one of your very own? Not so fast. It all depends on the fuel efficiency of whatever you’re driving now. Full disclosure: I drive a 2007 Prius…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

Creepy Relics of Phrenology, the Pseudoscience of Reading Head Bumps

These creepy miniature heads — 60 in all — are a fascinating relic of a short-lived fad in the 18th century called phrenology. They’re currently housed at the Science Museum in London. Phrenology was basically a pseudoscientific approach to determining someone’s personality traits and intellectual capacity by feeling for bumps on that person’s head. We…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

National Geographic Is Now Owned by a Climate Change Denier

News broke yesterday afternoon that Australian media mogul and climate change denier Rupert Murdoch has purchased a majority stake in National Geographic, a magazine and scientific organization that has been staunchly non-profit since its first issue in 1888. National Geographic is going commercial, partnering with 21st Century Fox to create a new for-profit venture: National…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

Consciousness May Be a Lot Like Making Coffee, Say Scientists

We tend to think of losing consciousness as an abrupt shutting down of our awareness of the world, like flicking a light switch. But it’s actually more of a gradual process. The best way to understand it is to brew a cup of coffee. A new theoretical model described in Physical Review Letters suggests that…

Tech News Jennifer Ouellette

Jennifer Ouellette

We’re One Small Step Closer to a Working Light Saber

Master the Art of Sabrage with This Space-Age Champagne Saber

Here’s Everything We Know So Far About Finding Water on Mars

One Physicist’s Quest for New Physics Beyond Einstein and the LHC

A Wedding Ring Spins More Like a Boomerang Than a Coin

Let’s Talk About Mantis Shrimp Fight Club

What’s the Best Way to Tie Your Shoes? Physics May Have the Answer.

At Scotland’s Crawick Multiverse Garden, You Can Look into the Void

New Art Installation Makes Music Out of Bitcoin Trades

Have Some Physics With Your Tea Next Time You’re in Malaysia

How That Ice Ball in Your Cocktail Inspired a Cool Physics Experiment

Quantum “Weeping Angel” Effect Freezes Atoms in Place

Here’s the Exact Way That the Ice Bucket Challenge Helped ALS Research

This Tulip Cloaks Itself in Shimmery Iridescent Armor

These Cool Kinetic Sculptures Can Run 40 Hours After a Single Wind of the Spring

FBI Didn’t Bother to Check Facts Before Accusing Physicist of Being a Spy for China

Why Trading In Your Old Car for a 2016 Prius Might Not Be the Best Investment

Creepy Relics of Phrenology, the Pseudoscience of Reading Head Bumps

National Geographic Is Now Owned by a Climate Change Denier

Consciousness May Be a Lot Like Making Coffee, Say Scientists

Artemis 2 Crew Become First Humans to Travel Beyond Earth Orbit Since the 1970s

Artemis 2 Day 2: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Labubus Might Be Labu-Bust After Pop Mart Posts Record Share Loss

Cursor’s New Tool Lets Users Delegate to a Team of Coding Agents

Nvidia Needs to Remind Itself What PC Gamers Actually Want

Iran Says It Hit Oracle Facilities in UAE

‘Invincible’ Season 4 Is Doing Right By Debbie

New Theory Says We’ve Been Overcomplicating the Big Bang

Marvel Might Have Finally Dealt With One of the Most Hated ‘Spider-Man’ Characters Around

China Is Trying to Grow New Forests in This Notorious Mega-Desert. It’s Working

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?