Ask Ethan: Can “zero-point energy” power the world?
Sign up for the Starts With a Bang newsletter Travel the universe with Dr. Ethan Siegel as he…
Scientists just cracked the quantum code hidden in a single atom
To build a large-scale quantum computer that works, scientists and engineers need to overcome the spontaneous errors that…
What came before the Big Bang? Supercomputers may hold the answer
We’re often told it is “unscientific” or “meaningless” to ask what happened before the Big Bang. But a…
Bloch oscillations of a soliton in a one-dimensional quantum fluid
Bloch, F. Über die Quantenmechanik der Elektronen in Kristallgittern. Z. Phys. 52, 555–600 (1929). ADS Google Scholar Zener,…
Physics – Microchip Provides Made-to-Order Photons
August 22, 2025• Physics 18, 151 A 10-µm-wide microchip can generate light with any desired direction, polarization, and…
Black Holes Are the Elusive Source of the Universe’s Dark Energy, Study Argues
Dark energy—the hypothetical force accelerating our universe’s expansion—sometimes raises more questions than it answers. A new study, however,…
Sound Waves Unlock a New Path to Practical Quantum Computing
Caltech’s sound-based quantum memory lasts 30x longer than superconducting qubits, moving practical quantum computing closer to reality. Credit:…
What came before the Big Bang remains a mystery but new tools may help
What came before the Big Bang remains a mystery but new tools may help by Sophie Jenkins London,…
Record-Breaking “Watermelon” Nucleus Could Rewrite Atomic Science
The study is part of Henna Kokkonen’s doctoral thesis. Credit: Tommi Sassi After more than 30 years, physicists…
Scientists Crack the Code of China’s Mysterious “Matrix Tide”
On China’s Qiantang River, witnesses recently observed an extraordinary “matrix tide,” where colliding tidal bores formed a grid…
Sean Carroll explains why physics is both simple and impossible
Sign up for Big Think on Substack The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox…
What appeared to be a normal galaxy concealed a ring of light
It is not every day that a nearby, cataloged galaxy reveals a secret hiding in plain sight. A…