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How I Dismantled the World’s Deadliest Weapon
Phil Hoover is in the bomb business. But these days he’s a bomb unbuilder, eliminating nukes to comply with arms treaties. 02.20.2012
#1: Faster than the Speed of Light
Runaway subatomic particles seem to be breaking the cosmic speed limit. If the results hold up, physicists have some explaining to do. 01.09.2012
#17: Quantum Weirdness Enters the Larger World
Eight-legged molecule may be the strangest--and biggest--new quantum phenom on the block. 01.09.2012
#20: Helium’s Antimatter Twin Created
Scientists catch particle only created once every 28 billion times nuclei are smashed together. 01.09.2012
#32: Where’s the Higgs?
The Large Hadron Collider is supposed to solve the top mysteries in physics. That has not happened yet. Joseph Lykken explains why not, and what to do next. 01.09.2012
#65: America’s Atom Smasher, 1983–2011
The Illinois-based Tevatron closes after an auspicious--but all too short--career. 01.09.2012
Selling Cheap: Abandoned, Half-Finished, Would-Be Collider Facility
It has a variety of potential uses—potential buyers have discussed using the tunnels for energy generation, secure storage, and mushroom farming—and is definitely one-of-a-kind. 12.02.2011
This Is What It Looks Like When Black Holes Collide
“Pictures like these are worth a billion pieces of data,” says legendary physicist Kip Thorne. 09.19.2011
The Strange Physics—and Singular Sights—Inside Black Holes
Nothing that enters a black hole ever comes out. But one astrophysicist has stepped inside and created striking visualizations of passing the event horizon, carried on a waterfall moving faster than the speed of light. 09.12.2011
The Bright, Hi-Tech Future of Food Preservation
Irradiating food? Pssh. Old news. Engineers are working on more effective (and cooler) techniques like super-high pressure, chemical coatings, and, yes, laser ovens. 09.02.2011
China's Upcoming Nuclear Power Boom
The emerging superpower is developing a different type of reactor that should be less prone to dangers like those that emerged recently in Japan. 09.01.2011
Anton Zeilinger Dangled From Windows, Teleported Photons, and Taught the Dalai Lama
What started out as totally intellectual, impractical experiments could help pave the way for a revolution in computing. 08.29.2011
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Magnetism
The mystery of how to describe it, the mystery of where spin comes from, and the mystery of whether lightning makes rocks magnetic. 08.12.2011
Our Universe May Be a Giant Hologram
Physicist Brian Greene explains how properties at the black hole’s surface—its event horizon—suggest the unsettling theory that our world is a mere representation of another universe, a shadow of the realm where real events take place. 08.04.2011
The Priest-Physicist Who Would Marry Science to Religion
John Polkinghorne leads a disparate group of scientists the controversial search for God within the fractured logic of quantum physics. 07.14.2011
A Giant Mine's Glorious Second Life as a Physics lab
A mine in South Dakota contained the largest gold deposit in the Western Hemisphere and was the deepest mine in the United States, reaching down more than 8,000 feet. But the real ground-breaking work involved much smaller treasures. 06.14.2011
Lightning Unleashes Antimatter Storms
You don't have to go all the way to supernovas to find natural events powerful enough to generate gamma rays... 06.06.2011
Brand-New Eye in the Sky Will Look at the Very "Foundations of the Universe"
The powerful AMS detector has a gauntlet of experiments to analyze the thousands of super-energetic particles that plow into it every second. 05.20.2011
The Lightning Hunters
Scientists set up camp—and lots of specialized gear—near Cape Canaveral, in Lightning Alley, to try to decode the elusive physics of the flashes. 05.16.2011
The Dark-Horse Lab That Just Might Figure Out Fusion
It is the energy source that could change the world. It has eluded every effort to master it. But Glen Wurden thinks he knows how to tame the heart of the sun. 01.26.2011
#70: The Proton Gets Small(er)
12.16.2010
#63: Ghost Particles Shake Physics
12.16.2010
#26: How Matter Defeated Antimatter
12.16.2010
The 100 Top Science Stories of 2010
Every year DISCOVER sorts through the scientific accomplishments of the past 12 months, and assembles a list of the coolest experiments, most brilliant discoveries, and most world-changing events. As you page through the countdown to the #1 science story, we think you'll come to the same conclusion we did: 2010 was quite a year. 12.16.2010
Science's First-Ever Look at Atomic Spin
Spin doesn't make atoms look like little tops, unfortunately, but at least it can be seen. 12.03.2010
Discover Interview: The Dark Hunter
Physicist Elena Aprile is certain that dark matter exists. She just hasn’t found it yet. 11.17.2010
The Mystery of the Rocketing Particles That Shouldn't Exist
From deep space, cosmic rays come fast and pack a heck of a punch. They may also carry clues to the most vexing mysteries in the universe. 09.23.2010
Discover's How-to Guide for Finding Subatomic Particles
Modern day physicists use massive detectors to seek out hypothetical particles. But in days gone by researchers have used other creative methods to track down their subatomic quarry. 09.08.2010
Shedding Dark: Discoveries That Totally Confused Scientists
Some science doesn't "shed light" on the subject--instead it forces researchers to question their assumptions and start all over again. 07.29.2010
Ice Fishing For Neutrinos From the Middle of the Galaxy
An intrepid reporter braves Siberia’s frozen Lake Baikal in search of the fundamental particles that could answer some of the deepest questions in physics. 06.29.2010
The Man Who Plucks All the Strings
Brian Greene says string theory is still scientific even if it's not falsifiable. 03.09.2010
How to Build a $1000 Fusion Reactor in Your Basement
Admittedly, the project is a little dangerous—not because of a few little fusion reactions but because of the the very flammable gas and voltages high enough to instantly kill you. 03.02.2010
The Coolest Science Experiments in Antarctica
Researchers go neutrino-hunting and penguin-watching at the South Pole. 02.25.2010
The Hottest Science Experiment on the Planet
In a Long Island lab, gold particles collide to form a subatomic stew far hotter than the sun. 02.15.2010
Two More Steps Toward Quantum Computing
01.31.2010
#40: Quantum Strangeness Leaks Into the Big World
Four ions can become quantum entangled. Why not a human? 01.26.2010
Visual Science: The Ultimate X-Ray Generator
To get really high-energy X-rays, you need some really powerful magnets. 01.06.2010
#86: Particle-Smasher John Ellis
The CERN theoretical physicist looks ahead to what will happen when the LHC gets cranked up to full power. 12.19.2009
A Tumultuous Year at the LHC
Physicist Lisa Randall describes the turbulent first year after the collider's premature celebration. 11.12.2009
The Universe's Most Powerful Magnets
Nuclear fusion reactors, particle colliders, and other big-science rely on giant magnetic fields. But nature's most powerful magnets blow even our best efforts away. 08.21.2009
New Tech Could Make Nuclear the Best Weapon Against Climate Change
Two new designs aim to make nuclear reactors safer and vastly more efficient. 06.08.2009
Building the World's Wimpiest Space Thruster—Harder Than It Sounds
The ESA's new system is designed to counter the force of sunlight on a spacecraft—about the same as the force of gravity on a single human hair. 05.24.2009
10 Obscure Elements That Are More Important Than You'd Think
You know hydrogen and oxygen, helium and carbon. But the periodic table's frequently forgotten residents, rare elements with funny names, show up in many unexpected places. 05.20.2009
Countdown to Fusion: National Ignition Facility in Pictures
Researchers at Livermore National Lab expect to be producing energy with a controlled, self-sustaining fusion reaction within three years. 04.14.2009
Where Do Old Colliders Go to Die?
After the LHC comes online, old accelerators will stand by, just in case they're necessary, get salvaged for spare parts, or just lie untouched in the ground for years. 04.04.2009
The Man Who Found Quarks and Made Sense of the Universe
Murray Gell-Mann had a smash success with particles, notorious dustups with Feynman, and a missed opportunity with Einstein. 03.17.2009
What is This? A Psychedelic Place Mat?
Actually, you'd be more likely to see this pattern in your wine glass. 01.14.2009
Is Quantum Mechanics Controlling Your Thoughts?
Science's weirdest realm may be responsible for photosynthesis, our sense of smell, and even consciousness itself. 01.13.2009
#2: The LHC Begins Its Search for the "God Particle"
After many years and billions of dollars, the LHC had its fateful first test run. 12.22.2008
#69: Physicists Create a Perfect Place to Store Electricity
New "superinsulator" can hold a charge forever without leakage 12.10.2008
#70: A Single Electron Is Caught on Film
Scientists make one of the world's most remarkable movies. 12.10.2008
The Inner Life of Fish Revealed… by X-Rays
These stunning images offer a look inside the world's largest collection of fish. 09.24.2008
Nevermind The Black Hole Hoopla: Here's How the LHC Could Blow Up the World (of Physics)
The collider might find extra dimensions, dark matter, some unknown unknown, and—just maybe—nothing at all. 09.10.2008
An Essential, Concise History of the LHC, 2002–2008
DISCOVER's been all over the Large Hadron Collider since it was just a big hole in the ground. 09.10.2008
The Extremely Long Odds Against the Destruction of Earth
Don't be too concerned that the world’s largest particle accelerator is about to go online. 07.24.2008
Nothingness of Space Could Illuminate the Theory of Everything
Could the vacuum contain dark energy, gravity particles, and frictionless gears? 07.18.2008
3 People Who Are Pushing the Edge of Science
Growing electronics with viruses, finding alien life, and quantum privacy protection. 05.30.2008
Three Words That Could Overthrow Physics: “What Is Magnetism?”
The standard model still doesn't describe magnets' spooky action at a distance. 04.24.2008
Stupid Science Word of the Month: Unparticle
\un-pär-ti-cl\ n. (2007) A particle whose mass is unrelated to its energy. 04.16.2008
Keeping Up With The Picards
The director of Jumper on putting teleportation on-screen. 03.12.2008
Einstein Didn't Grok His Own Revolution
He thought black holes and quantum mechanics were too weird to be true. 03.10.2008
Teleportation? Very Possible. Next Up: Time Travel.
Some of the most far-out sci-fi is eminently do-able. 02.28.2008
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Relativity
Galileo invented it, Einstein understood it, and Eddington saw it. 02.25.2008
Stupid Science Word of the Month: Barn
A physics joke that bombed. Atomically. 01.29.2008
55. New Technique Nails Down the Amp
01.09.2008
37. How Killer Electrons Form in Space
12.28.2007
Say Hello to the First Antimolecule
Hope you enjoyed it, 'cause it wasn't around long. 12.05.2007
Beyond the Higgs
Looking for "the smoking gluon" 08.13.2007
The Biggest Thing in Physics
Two teams of physicists compete to explain matter—and win a Nobel Prize. 08.13.2007
Microscopy Approaches Fundamental Limits
If God can’t pin down tiny atoms, what hope do mere mortals have? 06.13.2007
The World's Most Complex Structure
Abstract 248-dimensional map may unify the laws of nature. 05.29.2007
Mining for Dark Matter
Seeking the universe’s missing ingredient inside a Minnesota mountain 05.15.2007
The Big Bang Machine
A Long Island particle smasher re-creates the moment of creation. 02.27.2007
Whatever Happened To... Cold Fusion?
03.03.2006
Doomsday Odds Calculated
03.03.2006
The Year in Science: Physics
01.08.2006
You'll Know Less if You Read This Story
You'll Know Less If You Read This Story 11.22.2005
New Physics: Beads Clump When Shaken
New 7: Beads Clump When Shaken 10.24.2005
X [Marks the Spot]
Backyard black holes 10.24.2005
Catch Me if You Can
After spending decades and billions of dollars searching for the Higgs boson particle, physicists will soon find out if it was all just wishful thinking 07.24.2005
If an Electron Can Be in Two Places at Once, Why Can't You?
Electrons do it. Photons do it. Physics legend Roger Penrose thinks he finally knows why you and I can't do it too 06.05.2005
Surf's Up
02.22.2005
9: Teleportation Gets Real
01.03.2005
One Step Closer to Teleportation
10.01.2004
Antimatter
If we understand these mysterious particles, will we know why we exist? 08.02.2004
What's Cooking at the Center of the Earth?
07.25.2004
One Particle, Two Worlds
06.27.2004
Black Holes Made Here
(Deliveries begin in 2007) 06.26.2004
Weird Glowings-on at the Top of the World
02.26.2004
The Strange Case of the Mystery Meson
02.18.2004
Physics
01.02.2004
Opening an Icy Eye on the Neutrino Sky
10.01.2003
What Shape Are Your Protons?
08.01.2003
Physics
01.01.2003
Neutrinos of the Sea
Scientists hope to find rare high-energy particles in the sea. 09.01.2002
Smallville Rebounds from Buckyball Scandal
09.01.2002
A Wrinkle in Space-Time
06.01.2002
Follow Up:
04.01.2002
Atomic Merry-Go-Round
04.01.2002
Physics
Year In Science 01.13.2002
The Unbearably Unstoppable Neutrino
Why a thousand of the best physicists from around the world are trying so hard to catch just a few of nature's weirdest particles 08.01.2001
Where the Buses Run on Space-Time
11.01.2000
The Glue That Holds the World Together
The most we learn about subatomic paricles called gluons, the more the universe seems to be made of nothing at all 07.01.2000
Weather from Outer Space
04.01.1999
The Year in Science: Physics 1997
Score One (More) for the Spooks 01.01.1998
Beams of Stuff
To get closer to the true, quantum nature of matter, physicist David Pritchard has been splitting atoms down the middle, fiddling with the halves, and then putting them back together. In principle, he says, he could do the same to a bacterium. Or even a baby grand. 12.01.1997
The Antiblob
A fountain of anti-matter poses big questions. 08.01.1997
Plasma Porthole
02.01.1997
The Quantum Ski Lift
01.01.1997
Antiatoms: Here Today . . .
01.01.1997
Quantum Cat Tricks
10.01.1996
Vanishing Electrons
07.01.1996
Inside the Quark
05.01.1996
The Bigon
04.01.1996
Flipping Neutrinos
04.01.1996
Whence the Rays? Thence the Rays
A source of mysterious cosmic rays is found at last. 03.01.1996
Looking for the Right Hand
11.01.1995
The Philosopher's Atom
Physicists have long struggled to see the quantum mechanical atom in real-world terms. Now one odd atom is giving them a glimpse--not quite of the phantasmal quantum world, perhaps, but at least of the boundary between the world and the one we inhabit. 11.01.1995
A Small Problem of Propulsion
It's a long way to alpha centauri, but some think antimatter could send us there in record time. 10.01.1995
A Question of Gravitas
07.01.1995
Over The Top
Trying to pin down the most elusive member of the quark family is the perfect task for Melissa Franklin, a physicist with a flair for the eccentric and a love for the big machines. 02.01.1995
Masters of the Universe
11.01.1994
Sweet Little Accelerator
When it comes to particle accelerators, bigger has always meant better. But now a small new machine in Virginia promises to measure up the big guys. 08.01.1994
The War on Radicals
07.01.1994
Welcome to Femtoland
In southern California there's a place where molecular matings are captured flagrante delicto, by laser flashes so fleeting that 10 trillion will pass while you read this sentence. 02.01.1994
The Cinderella Particle
The lowly muon provides insight into the dark spaces between atoms. 12.01.1993
Nuclear Detectives
In California some gumshoe physicists are using a particle accelerator to nab polluters. 04.01.1993
The Biggest Chill
Physicists expect to see some very strange things when matter snuggles up to absolute zero. 02.01.1993
Atom Chasing
Thanks to Sam Hurst. The chemical composition of matter is now an open book. He can detect impurities as small as a single atom. 07.01.1992
Time Travel Redux
Blow up a balloon very, very fast, or zip around a pair of cosmic strings, and you're on your way. 04.01.1992
Watery Eyes
03.01.1992
Vacuum Matters
Forget traditional distinctions between matter and empty space—it's all a seamless whole. 03.01.1992
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