A space elevator connecting Earth and the Moon could be closer than ever
A Moon-anchored “Spaceline” could theoretically reach toward Earth using materials such as Zylon, Kevlar or Dyneema that already…
Quantum chip opens new way to read complex quantum systems
A quantum computing method called QCS reconstructed spectra from static, open and periodically driven quantum systems using one…
Space habitat design could shape astronaut mental health on Mars missions
Space habitats may need to protect astronauts’ mental and social wellbeing, not just shield them from physical hazards.An…
New semiconductor turns billions of spin oscillators into a shared time crystal
Continuous time crystals inside a semiconductor can synchronize with one another, locking many separate spin oscillators into a…
New recycling process converts plastic waste into useful chemicals using only water and oxygen
Researchers developed a catalyst-free recycling method that uses only water and oxygen to break down durable plastics such…
Physicists use thorium-229 to power the world’s first working nuclear clock
A clock built from thorium-229 has crossed an important line, from a long-discussed concept to a working device.…
For the first time ever, scientists create particles out of empty space
The universe looks like it is mostly empty space. Remove the stars, planets, dust, and gas, and what…
Scientists develop laser-powered graphene propulsion for next-generation space travel
A laser hit the tiny black cube, and it lurched forward almost at once. That split-second jump, caught…
Desktop particle accelerators are opening new frontiers in physics
A beam of electrons crossed just a few millimeters of plasma, then helped trigger an effect that usually…
America’s nuclear spacecraft is heading to Mars, and it’s bringing helicopters
For decades, nuclear propulsion has been a fixture of aerospace engineering proposals and government studies, always promising, never…
New ‘vacuum ultraviolet’ laser is 100 to 1,000 times more efficient than existing tech
The vacuum ultraviolet region is the area of the electromagnetic spectrum lying between X-rays and visible light. It…
Cambridge scientists capture electrons leaping across solar materials in 18 femtoseconds
A tiny burst of motion inside a molecule may be enough to shove an electron across a solar…