Category: Quantum Stuff

They appear, at first, like so many toy tops spinning around a petri dish, etching squiggly patterns on the plate as if it were an ice rink. But soon enough, their work makes you realize that these tiny dervishes are, unmistakably, alive. You are in the presence of xenobots, which a few years ago made… Continue reading The Uncanny Valley of Xenobots

During a solar eclipse in 1919, Arthur Eddington observed light bending around the sun just as predicted by general relativity, Albert Einstein’s new theory of gravity. Since then, general relativity, which says that massive objects like stars warp the fabric of space-time around them, has passed increasingly precise tests. A year rarely goes by without… Continue reading In Search of Cracks in Albert Einstein’s Theory of Gravity

From the bizarre creatures in the depths of the oceans to the bacteria inside our bodies, all life on Earth consists of cells. But we have only a very rough idea of how even the simplest of those cells function. Now, as described recently in Cell, a team at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and… Continue reading Most Complete Simulation of a Cell Probes Life’s Hidden Rules

In Ian Fleming’s first novel, James Bond returns from the Royale-les-Eaux casino to his hotel room and inspects it for signs of intrusion. First, he confirms that a hair carefully placed inside his writing desk has not been moved. He then checks that talcum powder on a cupboard handle is free of fingerprints. Lastly, he… Continue reading Cryptographers Achieve Perfect Secrecy With Imperfect Devices

Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin. Doing science isn’t easy. It takes an enormous amount of time and energy to collect and analyze data. At least, that’s the way it usually works. Saad Bhamla: This is one of those examples that we joke that we can snap our fingers and… Continue reading The Surprising Physics of Finger Snapping

When we think about how science is distorted, we usually think about concepts that have ample currency in public discourse, such as pseudoscience and junk science. Practices like astrology and homeopathy come wrapped in scientific concepts and jargon that can’t meet the methodological requirements of actual sciences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pseudoscience has had a… Continue reading The Attack of Zombie Science

After several tense days of unfurling and clicking its various parts into place, the biggest and most sophisticated space telescope ever launched is now complete. On 8 January, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope slowly swung the last 3 of its 18 hexagonal mirror segments into position, locking them together into one 6.5-metre-wide, gold-coated cosmic eye.… Continue reading Landmark Webb Observatory Is Now Officially a Telescope

Hurricane Ida, which cut a path of destruction from Louisiana to New York last year, is being recognized as one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history and the world’s costliest natural disaster in 2021. But the Category 4 hurricane also is becoming a poster child for government spending on flood protection. Analysts say… Continue reading Rebuilt New Orleans Levees Saved Lives and Property

We take it for granted that virtually every habitat on Earth is alive with the sounds of animals, from the haunting songs of whales in the oceans to the riotous symphony of birds, frogs and insects in forests to the hubbub of humans and our technological creations in cities the world over. Yet for most… Continue reading Fossils Reveal When Animals Started Making Noise

In the moment between reading a phone number and punching it into your phone, you may find that the digits have mysteriously gone astray — even if you’ve seared the first ones into your memory, the last ones may still blur unaccountably. Was the 6 before the 8 or after it? Are you sure? Maintaining… Continue reading Neural Noise Shows the Uncertainty of Our Memories