Who's killing physics? | Cosmos Weekly Taster
This article on the future of physics first appeared in Cosmos Weekly on 15 October 2021. For more stories like this,...
Physics
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The Mpemba effect: why hot water freezes faster than cold
The puzzling Mpemba effect has been successfully modelled, explaining a paradox that baffled Aris...
The Mpemba effect: under the right circumstances, hot water can freeze more quickly than cold. This mystery has puzz...
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The physics of porpoises
When it comes to catching prey, porpoises really use their heads.
Porpoise sonar is one of many enduring mysteries surrounding porpoises Are they really as happy as they seem? Are the...
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Who’s killing physics?
The renowned German author, theoretical physicist and Research Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute ...
On a recent visit to my mum’s place, I searched through my old stuff for something my children might like. One book t...
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Explainer
What is energy?
Energy is one of the most basic concepts in physics, but also one of the hardest to define.
Any physics textbook will tell you energy is the capacity to do work. Then it usually goes on to explain that “work” ...
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Conversation
What is quantum entanglement?
Quantum entanglement – a term unfamiliar to most and misunderstood by many. Are there ways to mak...
Quantum computers, quantum cryptography and quantum (insert name here) are often in the news these days. Articles abo...
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Black holes exert ‘quantum pressure’ on their environment
Shedding new light on the true quantum nature of black holes.
Black holes aren’t as single-minded as we thought. It turns out their quantum behaviour adds a new, recalcitrant dime...
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Moths vs bats, weird asteroids, and ancestors with a sweet tooth – catch up on the science you mi...
Moths vs bats: moths use sound to thwart bat attacks Photograph of the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas). This large silk...
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Our 5 favourite Ig Nobel Prize Winners
Upside-down rhinos, nose-clearing sex and chewing gum forensics.
Every year, the science humour magazine the Annals of Improbable Research awards the Ig Nobel Prizes – a riff on the ...
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Dark energy will almost certainly destroy the universe and everything in it.
Sorry, but the heat death of the universe is actually the nice option.
Dark energy is without a doubt the weirdest thing in the universe. Despite being present in every corner of the cosmo...
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Part of a disCERNing crowd
Life with and around the Large Hadron Collider.
Happy 13th birthday, CERN! The following is an edited excerpt from the article “A disCERNing crowd”, which appeared i...
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What causes the oily film on black tea?
Researchers take a closer look at the physics and chemist-tea.
If you’re a black tea fan, you may have noticed the thin, oily film that sometimes forms on the top of the drink. Why...