To make nuclear fusion a reliable energy source one day, scientists will first need to design heat- and radiation-resilient materials

Fusion reactors get hot − scientists need materials that can take the heat without deforming and deteriorating.

Sophie Blondel, Research Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
Oct. 18, 2024 • ~8 min

2 solar probes are helping researchers understand what phenomenon powers the solar wind

For years, researchers have wondered what energy source allows the solar wind − a projection of charged particles from the Sun − to rush by at hundreds of miles a second.

Samuel Badman, Researcher in Astrophysics, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
Aug. 29, 2024 • ~8 min

Why isn't there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream

Sound needs matter to propagate, so the vast vacuum of space is not just empty − it’s silent.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
Dec. 4, 2023 • ~7 min

Nuclear fusion: how excited should we be?

Fusion produces more energy per gram of fuel than any other process that could be achieved on Earth.

Lee Packer, Applied Radiation Physics Section Leader, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy • conversation
Feb. 23, 2022 • ~8 min

The sun's atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface – here's why

Alfvén waves, first proposed 80 years ago, could explain why the sun's atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface.

Huw Morgan, Reader in Physical Sciences, Aberystwyth University • conversation
May 24, 2021 • ~8 min

It's no Large Hadron Collider, but our new particle accelerator is the size of a large room

The compact accelerators are 100 times smaller than traditional ones, and could easily fit inside hospitals and laboratories.

Gianluca Sarri, Reader (Associate Professor) at the School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast • conversation
Feb. 18, 2021 • ~8 min

Forget the Large Hadron Collider – our team has designed a particle accelerator the size of a large room

The compact accelerators are 100 times smaller than traditional ones, and could easily fit inside hospitals and laboratories.

Gianluca Sarri, Reader (Associate Professor) at the School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast • conversation
Feb. 18, 2021 • ~8 min

Seven things you might not know about blood

We're full of blood – around five litres, on average.

Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre, Lancaster University • conversation
May 13, 2020 • ~7 min

Checking blood for coronavirus antibodies – 3 questions answered about serological tests and immunity

After your body fights off an infection, antibodies remain in your blood. Two researchers explain how tests identify these antibodies and what the data can be used for.

Daniel Stadlbauer, Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai • conversation
April 16, 2020 • ~9 min

Antibodies in the blood of COVID-19 survivors know how to beat coronavirus – and researchers are already testing new treatments that harness them

Before a vaccine is available to teach your immune system to ward off the coronavirus, maybe you can directly use molecules that have already fought it in other people.

Ann Sheehy, Professor of Biology, College of the Holy Cross • conversation
April 1, 2020 • ~9 min

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