physics

Drones: Giving small flying craft barn owl-like tails may make them more efficient flyers

by

The barn owl’s tail has a surprisingly important role to play in making the bird more aerodynamic Physics 9 February 2022 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre A barn owl in flight Javier Fernandez Sanchez/Getty Images The barn owl’s tail plays an unexpected role in flight by making the bird more aerodynamic, which may have implications for drone … Read more

The High-Speed Physics of Olympic Sledding, Explained

by

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Speed alone may be the factor that draws many sports fans to the bobsled, luge and skeleton events at this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics. But beneath the thrilling descents of the winding, ice-covered track, a myriad of concepts … Read more

Quantum friction explains strange way water flows through nanotubes

by

Water flows mysteriously well through narrow carbon nanotubes, but now there is an explanation: it may all be due to quantum friction Physics 2 February 2022 By Chen Ly Narrow carbon nanotubes behave in an unusual way Shutterstock / ustas7777777 Water flows more easily through narrower carbon nanotubes than larger ones and we have struggled … Read more

This New Record in Laser Beam Stability Could Help Answer Physics’ Biggest Questions

by

Scientists are on a mission to create a global network of atomic clocks that will enable us to, among other things, better understand the fundamental laws of physics, investigate dark matter, and navigate across Earth and space more precisely.   However, to be at their most effective, these clocks will need to be reliably and … Read more

Advances in physics may seem abstract at first but tech often follows

by

Sakkmesterke/Alamy WHY are fundamental physicists so keen to undermine the very theories that are the bedrock of their success? It is a reasonable question to ask confronted with the excitement bubbling around anomalies that seem to be firming up at CERN’s LHCb experiment. At stake is a particle that might – the “might” bears emphasising – break open … Read more

The Large Hadron Collider blips that could herald a new era of physics

by

Hints of a new particle carrying a fifth force of nature have been multiplying at the LHC – and many physicists are convinced this could finally be the big one Physics 12 January 2022 By Harry Cliff Marcus Marritt At half past six on the evening of 20 January 2021, amid the gloom of a … Read more

Swab Your Throat First? Rapid Tests May Need Saliva to Detect Omicron, Early Data Find

by

Rapid COVID-19 tests that use nose swabs alone might not pick up Omicron in the early days of infection, a new study suggests – but experts don’t agree on whether you should also swab your throat.   A small study from a group of US researchers, published Tuesday, found that rapid tests with nasal swabs didn’t detect Omicron … Read more

Physicists Observe Incredible ‘Quantum Tornados’ Formed From Ultra-Cold Atoms

by

Scientists have observed a stunning demonstration of classic physics giving way to quantum behavior, manipulating a fluid of ultra-cold sodium atoms into a distinct tornado-like formation.   Particles behave differently on the quantum level, in part because at this point their interactions with each other hold more power over them than the energy from their movement. … Read more

Isaac Newton | One of the founders of modern physics

by

New Scientist once described Isaac Newton as “the supreme genius and most enigmatic character in the history of science.” His three greatest discoveries — the theory of universal gravitation, the nature of white light and calculus — are the reasons why he is considered such an important figure in the history of science. Newton’s theory … Read more