Physics & Math, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2011

New Experiment Aims to Trap Bizarre Antimatter

A new project is underway at the European physics lab CERN to produce antimatter versions of protons and trap them for study. Antimatter is the spooky cousin of normal matter. For every regular subatomic particle, there is thought to be a corresponding antiparticle with equal mass and opposite charge. When...

Jun 30, 2011

Physicists Discover New Subatomic Particle

High-speed collisions at a giant atom smasher have produced what physicists say is a new particle, a heavier relative of the familiar neutron. The particle is called the neutral Xi-sub-b. When it's formed in the Fermilab Tevatron particle accelerator in Batavia, Ill., the neutral Xi-sub-b lasts just a mere instant...

Mar 31, 2011

Scientists Abuzz Over Controversial Rumor that God Particle Has Been Detected

A rumor is floating around the physics community that the world's largest atom smasher may have detected a long-sought subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, also known as the God particle. The controversial rumor is based on what appears to be a leaked internal note from physicists at the Large...

Sep 30, 2012

How Supersonic Skydiver Will Freefall Through Earth's Atmosphere

Veteran skydiver Felix Baumgartner plans to take a supersonic tour of Earth's atmospheric layers on Tuesday (Oct 9). The Austrian daredevil will attempt the world's highest skydive, a daring leap from 23 miles up that will send him plummeting earthward faster than the speed of sound. On the way down,...

Sep 30, 2012

World's Highest Skydive! Daredevil Makes Record-Breaking Supersonic Jump

This story was updated at 2:22 p.m. EDT. An Austrian daredevil plummeted into the record books today (Oct. 14), breaking the mark for highest-ever skydive after leaping from a balloon more than 24 miles above Earth's surface. Felix Baumgartner stepped into the void nearly 128,000 feet (39,000 meters) above southeastern...

Sep 30, 2012

Giant Strand of Elusive Dark Matter Seen in 3D

Astronomers have taken their first 3D look at a gigantic filament of dark matter, an invisible cosmic structure that can only be detected by its gravitational effects it has on its surroundings. The universe is thought to be structured like a tangled web, with long strings of mostly dark matter...

Aug 31, 2012

Sharper Curve, Stronger Egg

(ISNS) -- Breaking an egg is a lot easier along its side than at its tip, and scientists can now say exactly why -- and by how much. This new information could help bioengineers better understand the biological structure of egg-shaped cells -- and how those cells might respond to...

Jul 31, 2012

Invisible Dark Matter Likely Bountiful Near Sun

The area around our sun is probably rife with dark matter, the pervasive invisible stuff that populates the universe, a new study suggests. Dark matter is thought to be all around us, making up a large fraction of the mass in the universe. Yet whatever particles compose dark matter interact...

Jun 30, 2012

Giant Dark Matter Bridge Between Galaxy Clusters Discovered

A giant string of invisible dark matter has been discovered across the universe between a pair of galaxy clusters. The filament forms a bridge between two huge clusters called Abell 222 and Abell 223, which lie 2.7 billion light-years away. The universe is thought to be filled with such strings...

Jun 30, 2012

Who Deserves a Higgs Boson Nobel? One Scientist, or Many

There's the science, and then there's the glitter. As researchers celebrate the best-yet evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson, some are already thinking about who's going to get the Nobel Prize in physics for the seminal discovery. Stephen Hawking told the BBC that he thinks Peter Higgs, who...

May 31, 2012

'Peekaboo' Reveals Babies Understanding of Quantum Mechanics

Quantum mechanics, the bizarre set of rules that govern the behavior of elementary particles, is notoriously confounding. Even Albert Einstein — winner of a Nobel Prize for his work in the field — thought there was something dicey about the whole business. But then again, he was a grown man....

May 31, 2012

Fastest Swimmers Make Webbed Hands Out of Water

When watching the Summer Olympics, take a good look at the hands of the competitive swimmers. Chances are, their fingers will be slightly spread. Now new research finds that this hand position creates an invisible web of water that gives swimmers more speed. It is a counterintuitive idea, the fact...

Feb 29, 2012

Snowflakes Re-Created Using Physics

Windswept from cloud to cloud until they flutter to Earth, snowflakes assume a seemingly endless variety of shapes. Some have the perfect symmetry of a six-pointed star, some are hexagons adorned with hollow columns, whereas others resemble needles, prisms or the branches of a Christmas tree. Scientists as far back...

Nov 30, 2013

Tipsy Tottering, Sunlight and The Smell of Coffee: It's All Random

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The warmth on your face, the scenic view outside – such delights are delivered to you by countless photons from the sun. But believe it or not, these photons move...

Oct 31, 2013

5 Weird Effects of Daylight Saving Time

As daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. this coming Sunday morning (Nov. 3), most Americans will join snoozers across more than 60 other nations in savoring the gift of one extra hour of sleep. Though the biannual ritual of turning clocks might feel like second nature to us today,...