Measuring helium in distant galaxies may give physicists insight into why the universe exists

The way particles interacted while the universe was forming seconds after the Big Bang could explain why the universe exists the way it does – a physicist explains matter-antimatter asymmetry.

Anne-Katherine Burns, Ph.D. Candidate in Theoretical Particle Physics, University of California, Irvine • conversation
July 26, 2023 • ~8 min

Theory of everything: how progress in physics depends on asking the right questions

Good questions guide good science, but that doesn’t mean we know where we’ll end up.

Peter Millington, Senior Research Fellow and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow in the Particle Theory Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester • conversation
May 15, 2023 • ~10 min

What is quantum entanglement? A physicist explains the science of Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’

A multitude of experiments have shown the mysterious phenomena of quantum mechanics to be how the universe functions. The scientists behind these experiments won the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics.

Andreas Muller, Associate Professor of Physics, University of South Florida • conversation
Oct. 6, 2022 • ~9 min

A decade of science and trillions of collisions show the W boson is more massive than expected - a physicist on the team explains what it means for the Standard Model

A decadelong experiment produced the most accurate measurement yet of the mass of W bosons. These particles are responsible for the weak force, and the result is more evidence for undiscovered physics.

John Conway, Professor of Physics, University of California, Davis • conversation
April 14, 2022 • ~9 min

Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster–than–light space travel a boost

If humanity wants to travel between stars, people are going to need to travel faster than light. New research suggests that it might be possible to build warp drives and beat the galactic speed limit.

Mario Borunda, Associate Professor of Physics, Oklahoma State University • conversation
April 23, 2021 • ~8 min

Fragments of energy – not waves or particles – may be the fundamental building blocks of the universe

Field theory describes the universe as energy flowing along unending lines. With this perspective, it is possible to define a new fundamental building block of matter.

Larry M. Silverberg, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University • conversation
Dec. 9, 2020 • ~8 min

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