TIME SPACE - SKY NIGHTLY

Apr 06, 2017 (SPX)

At present, the kelvin is literally based on no more than water - on the triple point of water, to be more precise. The base unit of temperature is therefore de...

The inner lives of molecules

Apr 06, 2017 (SPX)

"Quantum mechanics describes how all this stuff works," said Paul Hockett of the National Research Council of Canada. "But as soon as you go beyond the two-body...

Lego figures don't stand a chance against time reversal

Apr 06, 2017 (SPX)

A crowd of 29 stands still, positioned as lookouts in various directions. A chirp punctuates the silence before being replaced by a distinct buzz. The buzzing g...

NASA observations reshape basic plasma wave physics

Apr 04, 2017 (SPX)

When NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale - or MMS - mission was launched, the scientists knew it would answer questions fundamental to the nature of our universe -...

New research into light particles challenges understanding of quantum theory

Mar 31, 2017 (SPX)

Scientists have discovered a new mechanism involved in the creation of paired light particles, which could have significant impact on the study of quantum physi...

In a quantum race everyone is both a winner and a loser

Mar 30, 2017 (SPX)

When describing nature using physical laws, scientists often start from everyday experiences. However, our usual intuition does not apply to the quantum world. ...

Timing a Space Laser With a NASA-style Stopwatch

Mar 30, 2017 (SPX)

To time how long it takes a pulse of laser light to travel from space to Earth and back, you need a really good stopwatch - one that can measure within a fracti...

NIST physicists show ion pairs perform enhanced 'spooky action'

Mar 29, 2017 (SPX)

Adding to strong recent demonstrations that particles of light perform what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance," in which two separated objects can ha...

Scientists recreate space particle collisions inside Large Hadron Collider

Mar 28, 2017 (UPI)

Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in Italy are aiding the study of dark matter. Last week, researchers smashed protons against helium nuclei inside LHC's...

Gravitational wave kicks monster black hole out of galactic core

Mar 28, 2017 (SPX)

Astronomers have uncovered a supermassive black hole that has been propelled out of the center of a distant galaxy by what could be the awesome power of gravita...

Astrocytes keep time for brain, behavior

Mar 27, 2017 (SPX)

Until recently, work on biological clocks that dictate daily fluctuations in most body functions, including core body temperature and alertness, focused on neur...

Futuristic clock prepared for space

Mar 23, 2017 (JPL)

No one keeps time quite like NASA. Last month, the space agency's next-generation atomic clock was joined to the spacecraft that will take it into orbit in late...

Giant magnetic fields in the universe

Mar 23, 2017 (SPX)

Astronomers from Bonn and Tautenburg in Thuringia (Germany) used the 100-m radio telescope at Effelsberg to observe several galaxy clusters. At the edges of the...

Finding the 'ghost particles' might be more challenging than what we thought

Mar 23, 2017 (SPX)

Dubbed as "ghost particles," neutrinos have no electric charge and their masses are so tiny that they are difficult to observe. The sun, nuclear reactors, super...

Does the universe have a rest frame?

Mar 23, 2017 (SPX)

Physics is sometimes closer to philosophy when it comes to understanding the universe. Donald Chang from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China, ...

Breaking the supermassive black hole speed limit

Mar 23, 2017 (SPX)

A new computer simulation helps explain the existence of puzzling supermassive black holes observed in the early universe. The simulation is based on a computer...

Scientists evade the Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Mar 23, 2017 (SPX)

State-of-the-art sensors, such as MRIs and atomic clocks, are capable of making measurements with exquisite precision. MRI is used to image tissues deep within ...

NASA's swift mission maps a star's 'death spiral' into a Black Hole

Mar 21, 2017 (SPX)

Some 290 million years ago, a star much like the sun wandered too close to the central black hole of its galaxy. Intense tides tore the star apart, which produc...

Scientists identify a black hole choking on stardust

Mar 16, 2017 (SPX)

Data suggest black holes swallow stellar debris in bursts. In the center of a distant galaxy, almost 300 million light years from Earth, scientists have discove...

Radiation from nearby galaxies helped fuel first monster black holes

Mar 15, 2017 (SPX)

The appearance of supermassive black holes at the dawn of the universe has puzzled astronomers since their discovery more than a decade ago. A supermassive blac...