The magnum opus of particle physics is far from complete, requiring physicists to devise many alternatives—some weirder than others.
While it's no replacement for either computer, the new device is a powerful alternative for addressing some very practical challenges.
To answer odd questions, physicists have odd ideas.
An elegant new equation identifies the surprisingly orderly, mathematical way in which things break, shatter, and fall apart.
At the turn of the century, it sounded as if string theory could give us big answers about the universe. Well… has it?
The natural complexity of the universe should phase out the possibility of some advanced civilization controlling reality itself, researchers argue.
Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner’s upcoming book is a philosophical exploration of the humanity behind our desire to find aliens.
String theorists, this one may be for you.
Einstein was a great thinker who made plenty of mistakes—errors that sometimes led to more meaningful discoveries in physics, long after his passing.
The first reported demonstration of “unconditional” quantum advantage has little practical value—but that's perhaps why it matters.
A simple yet intuitive approach to tracking tiny, quantum mechanical particles could inform the next breakthrough in quantum technology.
The proposal is highly theoretical and likely will take at least several decades to realize, but if we’re hoping someday to visit a black hole, scientists need to start somewhere.
A groundbreaking experiment demonstrates yet again that light exists both as a wave and a particle in the quantum world—but we can’t see both at the same time.
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of modern quantum mechanics, a survey asked physicists for their takes on some hot questions in quantum theory.
A new theory promises to simplify our approach to the universe's earliest moments, but some cosmologists say further mathematical scrutiny is warranted.
The latest dark matter experiment kicks off this week, as physicists aim to identify the universe's most enigmatic particles.
Signatures of gravitational lensing in images of distant galaxies suggest the presence of wave-like dark matter.
Physicists are stoked about the possibilities of LUX-ZEPLIN, an underground experiment in South Dakota.
An underground experiment in South Korea has turned up nothing, suggesting an intriguing observation from 2017 was a red herring.
Physicists have built two tiny drums, each as large as a human hair is wide, and synchronized their vibrations exactly. They achieved this perfect unison of drums using a quantum mechanics phenomenon known as entanglement—and the drums could be useful for developing quantum computers. The two drums play together with a precision far beyond what…
