Physical Sciences

POSTS FROM 2023

Beyond The Periodic Table Mickey Wong explores the origins of radioactivity and why this means that superheavy elements are unlikely to exist Monday, 24 July 2023

Frontiers at the Large Hadron Collider Manuel Morales Alvarado writes about the importance of the work at the LHC in the progression of high energy physics and its impact on wider society Tuesday, 18 July 2023

POSTS FROM 2022

Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning Through Making Bethan Charles considers Ploszajski's journey into materials science Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Eco-Mining for the Future: The Changing Face of Lithium Extraction Matthew Morris discusses the need to make lithium extraction greener and how we are bringing this closer to home in more ways than one Thursday, 16 June 2022

Scientific Discovery, Imperialism and the Geological Map Octavia Rooks charts the concept of discovery and the role of mapping in colonialism Thursday, 13 January 2022

Hidden Figures: The Erasure of Scientific Labour and the Hope of Decolonisation For the FOCUS article of Issue 52, Gianamar Giovanetti-Singh, Rory Kent, and Swathi Nachiar Manivannan discuss who is excluded from the narratives surrounding scientific practice - and who benefits from this exclusion. Tuesday, 4 January 2022

POSTS FROM 2021

Geology Rocks! — How Rock Collections Shaped the Understanding of the Earth Juliane Borchert explores the history of the Sedgwick Museum Tuesday, 10 August 2021

Arteries of the Earth: Why Rivers Run Everything Will Knapp and Séan Thor Herron investigate how scientists study the importance of river systems throughout Earth's history Tuesday, 20 July 2021

Synchrotron Science: A Deep Dive into the Atomic World Fran Seymour explores the creation of synchrotron light in accelerators and its many usages Tuesday, 6 July 2021

Remote Sensing: the Key to Reducing Seismic Hazard? Natalie Forrest discusses how satellite data can shed light on seismic processes Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Animal Magnetism Susanne Mesoy investigates the mechanisms of magnetoreception Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Illuminating the Northern Lights Lucy Hart explains how the solar wind creates the Northern Lights Thursday, 10 June 2021

A Sprinkling of Gold Dust: Fairytale or Modern Science? William Hotham writes about gold nanoparticles Thursday, 3 June 2021

Improved With Crystals Evelyna Wang explores the intricacies of crystal formation and their many uses Thursday, 20 May 2021

A Mathematician, A Monster, And A Game With No Players Maria Julia Maristany takes a look inside the marvelous and magical mind of John Horton Conway Thursday, 13 May 2021

The Music of Black Holes Owain Salter Fitz-Gibbon discusses how sound waves from a violin resemble gravitational waves emitted from black holes Thursday, 29 April 2021

The Electrifying World of Energy Harvesting Liam Ives explores how we can harness the wasted energy from everyday processes. Thursday, 22 April 2021

Peanut Butter Diamonds Elizabeth Brown reveals an unlikely source of diamonds Thursday, 28 January 2021

POSTS FROM 2020

Ion-blocking polymers offer sunny horizons for solar power Pip Knight takes a look at what materials are on the horizon for solar power Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Plan-demic: Decoding Disease Dynamics Shavindra Jayasekera explores how mathematical modelling can inform plans for controlling the spread of infectious diseases Thursday, 12 November 2020

Negative Mass and the Dark Universe Alex Byrne considers the bizarre idea of negative mass, and why it might explain the missing 95% of the Universe Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Beneath the layers: exploring the unique properties of hybrid superlattices Pip Knight explores the exciting possibilities that hybrid superlattices offer, and the novel technologies on the horizon that it enables Tuesday, 29 September 2020

Energy from (almost) nothing: a review of polymer-based nanogenerator technology Pip Knight explores the future of nano-generator technology, the potential materials we could make them out of, and the plethora of applications that sit on our horizon. Artwork by Natalie Saideman Tuesday, 1 September 2020

Going Deep to Reach the Stars Tatjana Baleta explores the deep sea and its relationship to outer space. Thursday, 2 April 2020

FOCUS: Our Place in the Universe Maeve Madigan, Philip Clarke and João Melo explain the central concepts behind the 2019 Physics Nobel Prize. The first half... Monday, 23 March 2020

J.J, Is your Corpuscle My Electron? How the story of the electron shows that the language of ‘discovery’ in science is misleading and problematic. Thursday, 20 February 2020

POSTS FROM 2019

Scientists capture the first image of a black hole event horizon A network of eight radio telescopes spanning locations in various continents, from Antarctica to Europe and South America, called the Event Horizon... Sunday, 14 July 2019

Sulawesi: A Seismological Mystery The Sulawesi earthquake should not have produced tsunamis, but it did. Ben Johnson speaks to Professor James Jackson about how it happened, and how we could prepare for future incidents Thursday, 20 June 2019

A Bohmian Rhapsody Mrittunjoy Guha Majumdar talks Bohmian mechanics, the 'causal interpretation' of the strange world of quantum mechanics. Thursday, 6 June 2019

Let's Talk About Soil Kasparas Vasiliauskas looks under our feet at some of the Earth's most overlooked material. Thursday, 9 May 2019

How the Antarctic is used as a Neutrino Detector Maeve Madigan discusses how and why we can leverage Antarctic ice to find some of the most elusive particles in the known Universe. Thursday, 2 May 2019

Most distant planetary flyby in history The NASA probe captured photographs of the distant object Monday, 29 April 2019

Drought and the Collapse of the Maya James Kershaw discusses whether new data is raining on, or could prove, this fashionable hypothesis Thursday, 25 April 2019

The Future of Earth is Up in the Air James Weber explains the role of positive feedback loops and how they could lead to runaway environmental disaster Thursday, 18 April 2019

POSTS FROM 2018

Peering into the Past Dan Brubaker and a mishmash of know-nothings convene at the Dr Ralph L Buice, Jr Observatory, Atlanta Thursday, 4 October 2018

Why Limit Ourselves to Silverware? Think goldware, zincware and copperware! Bianca Provost explains what Professor Mark Miodownik's work can tell us about materials and food Thursday, 20 September 2018

Breaking up at Sea:  The Great Collapse of an Ice Shelf Dr Alison Banwell tells Silas Yeem Kai Ean and Seán Thór Herron how ice shelves break up Monday, 3 September 2018

Liquid-liquid Phase Transition Observed for the First Time Esther Pilla reports on the state of water research Thursday, 16 August 2018

A Laser Game Controller for the Cambridge Science Festival James Macdonald describes designing a system to control video games with lasers. Tuesday, 13 February 2018

Ambling in the Arctic: a geological expedition in remote Greenland Victoria Honour discusses Arctic camping, bear alarms, and the solidification of magma on her recent expedition to the Skaergaard intrusion Sunday, 11 February 2018

Marie Curie, 150 years on First woman to be a professor at a French University; first to receive a Nobel Prize; only recipient of two... Monday, 1 January 2018

POSTS FROM 2017

A Look Behind the Ice Sheet: The Polar Museum's Greenland Exhibit Uummannaq: A Century of Exploration Thursday, 23 November 2017

Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Detection of Gravitational Waves Theo Steele explores the science behind this year's Nobel Prize Wednesday, 18 October 2017

Cambridge’s Latest Nobel Prize Max Wilkinson explores the science behind this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry Wednesday, 11 October 2017

What if We Touched Mars? Patrick Lundgren reflects on the scientific and moral implications of humanity’s dream of space exploration coming true. Friday, 7 July 2017

Lord Martin Rees: the Future and Catastrophe Lord Martin Rees is a former Master of Trinity College and an accomplished cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995, and was President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010. Lord Rees spoke to Gabija Maršalkaite and Deyan Mihaylov. Friday, 7 July 2017

Shakes and the City Seán Thór Herron talks to Dr Emily So about preparing for earthquakes in urban areas Sunday, 18 June 2017

The Last Lunar Explorer: An interview with Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon Jackson Howarth (from LUUSci at the University of Leeds) chats with Gene Cernan Tuesday, 11 April 2017

Exploring our Amazing Universe from Cambridge - The Joy of Observing the Night Skies Andrew Sellek discusses how astronomers and amateurs alike observe the sky at night Tuesday, 14 March 2017

FOCUS: AI and the power of the neuron Alex Bates looks at how neurobiology has inspired the rise of artificial intelligence Monday, 13 March 2017

Tissue Engineering Scaffolds: Guiding the rise of Cell Therapies Oran Maguire explains how engineering and cell biology are carving out a new field Sunday, 5 March 2017

In Search of Quantum Gravity In Search of Quantum Gravity Sunday, 5 March 2017

POSTS FROM 2016

Want to be the next Einstein? In case you somehow managed to miss it, physicists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the U.S. have detected gravitational waves for the first time. Monday, 15 February 2016

Northern lakes are the dominant methane source New estimates place methane emissions from Arctic lakes and ponds north of 50°N latitude as the main source of all... Thursday, 21 January 2016

Honey bee welfare and virus warfare The decline in bee populations is causing large concerns not only among ecologists but also among agricultural managers and economists.... Thursday, 7 January 2016

POSTS FROM 2015

Plate tectonics thanks to plumes? “Knowing what a chicken looks like and what all the chickens before it looked like doesn’t help us to understand... Thursday, 26 November 2015

Is the flickering of a far-away star caused by comets or aliens? (It’s probably not aliens.) NASA’s Kepler space telescope was launched in March 2009 with the goal of discovering Earth-like exoplanets. It also may have... Thursday, 5 November 2015

Postcards from Pluto: Blue skies, red water ice, and more If we ever travel to Pluto, we might be greeted by blue skies. (This is, of course, assuming we came... Thursday, 22 October 2015

Huge Hydrogen Cloud Bleeding from Nearby Planet The Hubble Space Telescope has detected a huge hydrogen cloud, dubbed “The Behemoth”, evaporating from a Neptune-sized planet in a... Monday, 13 July 2015

Activities can have good or bad impact on sleep depending on their type Have you ever slept like a stone after training or racing? A new study by the University of Pennsylvania used... Friday, 19 June 2015

Earth organisms survive under low-pressure Martian conditions Methanogens are among the oldest and simplest organisms on earth having evolved approximately 3.5 billion years ago. They are highly resilient microbes... Monday, 15 June 2015

Deep fried ice cream comet anyone? Hope it doesn’t hit us in (baked) Alaska on a Sundae (sorry). Astronomers may have discovered why comets, like deep fried ice cream, have an outer crust but a colder, more porous inner core. Wednesday, 11 February 2015

POSTS FROM 2014

Flu: How viral infection causes intestinal disease Why do we often suffer from vomiting and diarrhoea during an influenza? Influenza is an infectious respiratory disease, whereas vomiting and diarrhoea are symptoms of a gastrointestinal disease. Researches have now found the mechanism by which they are connected. Monday, 15 December 2014

Probe successfully lands on comet for the first time in history On the 12th of November at 16.00 GMT hours a mission launched by The European Space Agency succeeded on landing... Monday, 17 November 2014

New method for finding water on mars A young Washington-based undergraduate student Katie Wall, aged 21, has been looking for evidence that water influences crystal formation in... Thursday, 6 November 2014

Top Headline Grabbers of the Past Ten Years In celebration of BlueSci’s tenth anniversary, Joanna-Marie Howes revisits the past ten years of influential scientific stories Monday, 13 October 2014

Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of the Past Ten Years In celebration of BlueSci’s tenth anniversary, Joanna-Marie Howes revisits the past ten years of influential scientific stories Monday, 13 October 2014

Ten Years of Nobels For over 100 years, Nobel Prizes have recognised those conferring “the greatest benefit on mankind”. Meanwhile, the Ig Nobel Prizes... Monday, 13 October 2014

Feature: Voyager 1: breaching the final frontier of the Solar System Simon Watson describes Voyager 1’s journey of a lifetime Saturday, 11 October 2014

Feature: Our Colourful History Rhian Holvey explores how colour has shaped our history Saturday, 11 October 2014

Cover: Turbulent encounters Dhiren Mistry discusses the turbulence we encounter every day Saturday, 11 October 2014

Can sugar affect your memory? Western diet consumption, high in fat and sugar, is known to be linked to many negative health outcomes including diabetes... Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Feature: Eyes See? Robin Lamboll explores the unconscious side of sight Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Why? My decision to start writing about cutting-edge Physics research, bringing it to as wide an audience as possible, is based on the assumption that people would be interested in reading about it. Friday, 11 April 2014

A face-specific mechanism for recognising people in the brain? Humans are amazingly skilled at recognising faces. A recent study suggests that the brain has a unique mechanism specialized for... Monday, 31 March 2014

Probable hydrogen river observed flowing through space Astronomers from West Virginia University have spotted what could be a hydrogen river floating through space. Galaxies have different shapes,... Thursday, 6 February 2014

Arts and Science: Counting Out Loud Matthew Dunstan explores the complex interplay between language and numbers Monday, 3 February 2014

POSTS FROM 2013

New theory to propagate seeds of life in asteroids A new look at the early Solar System has introduced an alternative to the long-taught and accepted theory that explains... Friday, 22 November 2013

Birds pay attention to speed limits, study shows European birds decide how soon to fly away from a car according to the speed limit of the road, a... Friday, 8 November 2013

Life on Earth has 1.75 billion years left on the clock. Our home planet will remain habitable for a further 1.75 billion years new research suggests. During this time, Earth will... Wednesday, 25 September 2013

New moon on Neptune In an age when we are observing new planets around distant stars almost every day, it is stunning to realise... Thursday, 29 August 2013

Voyager 1 crosses the magnetic highway out of our solar system The Voyager 1 spacecraft has encountered an unexpected region at the edge of our solar system which has become known as the “Magnetic Highway”, 18.5 billion km from the Sun. Monday, 29 July 2013

Focus: A World of Music BlueSci explores the phenomenon of music—what it is, where it comes from and why we do it Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Feature: Have You Heard the Northern Lights? Shane McCorristine examines the eerie sounds made by the glowing sky Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Observing the birth of a planet An international team of astronomers appear to have made the first observations of a planet being born. The team, led... Friday, 15 March 2013

Art and Science: Art, Maths and the Universe Zac Kenton discusses the mathematical basis of the great artist M.C. Escher Friday, 25 January 2013

History: HMS Challenger Amelia Penny explores the expedition of the HMS Challenger which marked the beginning of oceanography Friday, 25 January 2013

Science and Policy: Anything but Elementary Matthew Dunstan looks back at the history of the naming of elements Friday, 25 January 2013

Focus: Lazy Universe BlueSci explores the universal principle of energy minimisation across the sciences Friday, 25 January 2013

Feature: Digging for Dinosaurs Amelia Penny discusses the importance of the fossil record, and the impact of fossil-hunters on our historical knowledge Friday, 25 January 2013

Feature: The Journey of the Bicycle Karsten Koehler explores the history of the bicycle, and how our understanding of the physics of cycling has developed over time Friday, 25 January 2013

POSTS FROM 2012

History: Life on Mars Hugo Schmidt reveals the advances made in the field of Astrobiology Wednesday, 3 October 2012

Behind the Science: Written in the Stars Matthew Dunstan explores the life of controversial physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson Wednesday, 3 October 2012

Concussions cause brain ageing? The first sign that concussion can prematurely age the brain by breaking down its signalling pathways has been found by... Friday, 17 August 2012

Away from the Bench: Science on Ice Hugo Schmidt talks to Pierre Dutrieux and Paul Holland about science at the South Pole. Friday, 27 April 2012

Arts & Science: Dreaming up Science Beth Venus looks at how thought experiments have explained scientific phenomena. Friday, 27 April 2012

Focus: Higher, Faster, Stronger BlueSci explores the role of science in pushing the boundaries of human physical ability. Friday, 27 April 2012

Feature: Type ‘L’ for Love Jordan Ramsey reveals how computers are being used to simulate love and investigate our choice of life partners. Friday, 27 April 2012

Feature: Symmetry in Science Jack Williams discusses symmetry in nature and its fundamental place in the Universe. Friday, 27 April 2012

Cover: Deducing Diffractions Lindsey Nield explains the science behind this issue’s front cover. Friday, 27 April 2012

Final flight of Discovery After a year of decommissioning, NASA’s flagship Space Shuttle Discovery has made its final flight, this time within Earth’s atmosphere... Tuesday, 24 April 2012

How to detect traces of explosives Scientists at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology in Trivandrum, India, have developed a simple method for detecting attogram (10-18 g) quantities of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT). Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Feature: Powering East Africa from below Tom Bishop explores the potential of geothermal energy in Africa. Sunday, 18 March 2012

‘Great Lake’ on Jupiter’s moon may harbour life Scientific analysis of the surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa, suggests that warm water rises from its deep oceans to form shallow nutrient-rich lakes that could support life. Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Arts & Science: Writing the Future Matthew Dunstan investigates the role of science fiction in shaping science fact Wednesday, 18 January 2012

History: Science’s Royal Beginnings Nicola Stead takes a look back at the origins of the Royal Society and its founding members Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Behind the Science: Computers, Codes and Cyanide Jordan Ramsey explores the persecuted genius of computing pioneer Alan Turing Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Science & Policy: The Race to the Edge Beth Venus discusses the future of manned space missions Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Focus: Intelligence BlueSci looks at the science of human intelligence: how do we test it, what controls it, and how do we even define it? Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Feature: The Eccentric Engineer Sarah Amis looks into the life of one of the world’s most innovative, yet troubled, inventors Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Reviews The God Species - Mark Lynas Wednesday, 18 January 2012

News: Issue 23 …and this little piggy corrected mutations Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Cover: Creating Crystals Lindsey Nield looks into the story behind this issue’s cover image Wednesday, 18 January 2012

New metal is world’s lightest material A team of researchers has developed a ‘micro-lattice’ material that is approximately 100 times lighter than polystyrene. Thursday, 12 January 2012

Earth's survival, thanks to the sacrifice of a gas giant New research published by Dr. David Nesvorny of the Southwest Research Institute provides strong evidence that the solar system may initially have had five giant gas planets, as opposed to the current four. Sunday, 1 January 2012

POSTS FROM 2011

Interview: Dr Rupert Soar - Fungus Farming to Freeform Construction. Nick Crumpton talks to Rupert Soar about termite-inspired buildings, sustainable architecture and the future of construction. Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Review: Frank Close - Physics, Prizes and Phantom Particles Winning a Nobel Prize in neutrino physics, is all about longevity. That was the message of Professor Frank Close OBE to a joint audience from BlueSci, Cambridge University's Science Magazine, and the Cambridge University Physics Society. Monday, 12 December 2011

Stars send out distress flares Astronomers have revealed that stars send out distress flares as they’re torn apart by black holes. Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Temporal cloaks mask our perception of reality Through a remarkable feat of physics, researchers at Cornell University have been able to hide an event in time by... Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Review: Ten Top Tips for Televisual Triumph Why do journalists often get their facts wrong when they report on science stories? Thursday, 10 November 2011

Radar can now see us through walls Since the development of RADAR (Radio Detection And Ranging) in 1940, its ability to pinpoint fixed objects and determine the... Tuesday, 8 November 2011

New observations question our understanding of dark matter According to the standard cosmological model, dark matter plays an important role in the description of our universe. Dark matter... Monday, 31 October 2011

Bigger than the Big Bang - 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess, whose efforts during the 1990s led to the astonishing conclusion that the rate of expansion of the Universe is increasing. Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Discoverer of quasi-crystals wins Nobel Prize The Nobel Prize for chemistry has gone this year to Dan Shechtman, the man who discovered quasi-crystals – materials that... Sunday, 9 October 2011

Weird and Wonderful A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science Monday, 3 October 2011

Away from the Bench: Skeletons and Flame Tornadoes Aaron Barker explains how certain types of CHaOS can be fun and informative Monday, 3 October 2011

Science & Policy: Reactive Politics Rose Spear analyses the varying global stances on nuclear energy Monday, 3 October 2011

Perspective: Colliding at Colossal Costs Richard Thomson gives his opinion on whether the Large Hadron Collider is worth its substantial investment Monday, 3 October 2011

Arts & Science: Caring for Art Tim Middleton uncovers the role of science in the storage and conservation of paintings Monday, 3 October 2011

History: Science in Print Helen Gaffney explores the rise of popular science magazines Monday, 3 October 2011

Behind the Science: The Father of Forecasting Lindsey Nield reflects on the life and voyages of Admiral Robert Fitzroy Monday, 3 October 2011

Focus: Beneath the Surface BlueSci looks at an endlessly fascinating and increasingly useful world deep below Monday, 3 October 2011

Feature: A Bolt from the Blue Simon Page reveals the colourful side of one of chemistry’s more dangerous reactions Monday, 3 October 2011

Feature: Eye-popping Films Aaron Barker looks into the physics behind 3D cinema Monday, 3 October 2011

Feature: The Age of Endeavour Vicki Moignard recalls the captivating history of the Space Shuttle Monday, 3 October 2011

Reviews Cool It - Bjorn Lomborg Monday, 3 October 2011

News: Issue 22 Bat wing hairs act as airflow detectors Monday, 3 October 2011

BlueSciFilm: Interview with Lord Martin Rees Sita Dinanauth interviews Lord Martin Rees; Astronomer Royal and Master of Trinity College on his career in astrophysics research and his many prestigious accolades. Monday, 12 September 2011

New material offers superior rate performance for batteries Battery technology could soon see a vast improvement due to the discovery of a new material that could increase power, energy density and safety, as well as reduce charge time. Monday, 12 September 2011

Superconductor model fits with extreme correlation Physicists at the University of California have developed a technique that helps to explain the behaviour of electrons in a high-temperature superconductor. Wednesday, 3 August 2011

Enceladus plumes come from underground ocean Direct sampling of water plumes jetting into space from Saturn’s moon Enceladus suggest that liquid water exists in large underground reservoirs. Friday, 1 July 2011

Serendipitous supercapacitors The unexpected discovery of a new three-dimensional porous carbon material could allow supercapacitors to rival the performance of the standard lead-acid battery. Sunday, 22 May 2011

BlueSciFilm: Understanding ocean currents BlueSciFilm interview Natalie Roberts, PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, about her work as a paleoceanographer, studying circulation of water around the Atlantic and its association with climate change. Monday, 9 May 2011

Weird and Wonderful A selection of the wackiest research in the world of science Saturday, 7 May 2011

Behind the Science: Women Who Led the Way Jessica Robinson uncovers some of the pioneering female scientists Saturday, 7 May 2011

Focus: Small Channels, Big Ideas BlueSci explores microfluidic technology and its dazzling array of applications Saturday, 7 May 2011

Feature: Mountains - Go with the Flow Alex Copley explains how fluid dynamics can help us understand geology Saturday, 7 May 2011

News: Issue 21 The Sun as we’ve never seen it before Saturday, 7 May 2011

Antihelium discovered in STAR experiment Physicists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider have detected 18 examples of antihelium, breaking their own a world record for the heaviest particle of antimatter ever found. Wednesday, 4 May 2011

The search for antimatter This month the space shuttle Endeavour will make its final journey after a loyal 19 years service and its last... Thursday, 14 April 2011

Renewable petroleum to the rescue Researchers at the University of Minnesota have taken a step closer to making a renewable hydrocarbon fuel. Thursday, 31 March 2011

Metamaterials for superheroes The invisibility cloaks of comic books may not be all that far-fetched according to a paper recently published in the journal Nature. Their origins lie with the 19th Centrury physicist James Clerk Maxwell. Thursday, 24 March 2011

MESSENGER spacecraft begins historic Mercury orbit A space probe launched over six and a half years ago has achieved orbit around the planet Mercury, an engineering and scientific milestone for NASA. Monday, 21 March 2011

Polymer failure Researchers at Duke University in the United States have shown for the first time how soft polymers can break down when exposed to high electric fields. Thursday, 17 March 2011

Avoiding stereotypes Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a method that uses novel organic catalysts to produce pure chiral products... Monday, 7 March 2011

How much is too much? Phosphorus is now one of the major causes of water pollution in the Western world. A new study has found... Wednesday, 2 March 2011

New class of magnetic atomic clusters discovered Atomic clusters are particles containing a small number of atoms, which often possess unique properties that make them different from... Sunday, 20 February 2011

Twirly-whirly electrons Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) are used to study and image a wide variety of materials due to their sub-nanometre resolving power. In a TEM electrons are shot through an object and adsorption, deflection and energy loss of the electrons is measured. Saturday, 19 February 2011

New theory reveals fractal nature of arithmetic A full mathematical description of partition numbers, the basis for addition, has long eluded mathematicians. Ken Ono of Emory University... Tuesday, 8 February 2011

Deep space monitored by world’s largest telescope Giant radio telescopes in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been used together for the first time... Saturday, 5 February 2011

Behind the Science: An Ordinary Genius Ian Fyfe uncovers the personal life of Albert Einstein Saturday, 29 January 2011

Focus: Life Will Find a Way Worlds on worlds are rolling ever Saturday, 29 January 2011

Feature: Climbing Space Mark Nicholson discusses the science behind the fiction of the space elevator Saturday, 29 January 2011

Feature: The Blue Screen of Death Wing Yung Chan traces the imperfect path to the perfect program Saturday, 29 January 2011

News: Issue 20 Benefits to weaker immune system Saturday, 29 January 2011

Small-scale earthquakes hit Britain Mention earthquakes and most people will think of places such as Japan and California, where major damaging earthquakes happen once... Wednesday, 26 January 2011

An average approach to managing risk New research suggests that there may be a serious flaw in the way that many investors approach risk. A report... Friday, 14 January 2011

Enjoying the VISTA 2011 is already proving to be a significant year for astronomy. In addition to a conjunction of the planets, a partial solar eclipse and the Quadrantid meteor shower we have obtained spectacular new images of both the Andromeda galaxy and our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Tuesday, 11 January 2011

The goldilocks body temperature A new mathematical model has shed light on why mammals spend so much energy staying warm-blooded, a phenomenon that has long been poorly understood. Friday, 7 January 2011

Scientific balloons launched from Antarctica NASA and the National Science Foundation of the United States are launching a series of large high-altitude scientific balloons on... Tuesday, 4 January 2011

POSTS FROM 2010

Carbon hot-house planet examined by NASA’s Spitzer The blazing-hot exoplanet Wasp 12b has revealed its black stripes as its carbon-rich composition helps it live up to its... Saturday, 18 December 2010

Creative problem-solving for computers Have you ever had one of those ‘light bulb moments’ - flashes of insight that present you with an instant... Friday, 17 December 2010

Closing the gender gap Education researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have claimed success in reducing the gender performance gap in physics exams using only a simple writing exercise. Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Let there be light Scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany have developed an entirely new source of light, based on a quantum... Saturday, 4 December 2010

Behind the Science: The Man Who Weighed The Earth Anders Aufderhorst-Roberts describes the life of the eccentric genius Henry Cavendish Sunday, 7 November 2010

Icy Mars mystery - solved? Scientists believe that they have finally found a theory to explain the phenomena of disappearing ice on Mars, also shedding light on the planet's water cycle. Monday, 11 October 2010

On the origin of complexity Theoretical models have suggested that complexity comes with a cost, and the simplest organisms are the best at adapting to their environment. How then, have the most complex plants and animals evolved? Friday, 8 October 2010

Quarks: strange, colourful and now, apparently, dancing randomly The world of quarks is a bizarre one. Seemingly everyday words are employed to provide tangible names for otherwise abstract... Friday, 8 October 2010

New mathematical model to aid biodiversity conservation A new theory of species diversity has been developed that predicts the number of species in an ecological community by mathematically accounting for the interdependent properties of individual species as well as those of the environment. Thursday, 30 September 2010

A break-down in communications Climate change. Nuclear power. GM crops. Vaccines. Why is it that the general public is so often divided on issues that scientific experts largely agree on? Tuesday, 28 September 2010

Song of a distant star could solve mysteries close to home By eavesdropping on far-away stars, scientists hope to better understand the Sun's magnetic properties and its influence on our lives. Monday, 13 September 2010

Why matter matters: a new kind of physics? Particle collision experiments reveal inadequacies in existing theory. Thursday, 2 September 2010

Sun + Plastic Sheet = Energy Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a major improvement for organic solar cells, reporting their results in the... Tuesday, 31 August 2010

The passion and profession of Richard Ernst On Wednesday 7 July, an audience of over a thousand scientists gathered to hear Nobel laureate Richard Ernst talk about the scientific investigations on Tibetian religious paintings known as thangkas. Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Scientists create artificial mini black hole Chinese researchers at the Southeast University in Nanjing have successfully built an electromagnetic absorbing device for microwave frequencies. They have utilised the special properties of metamaterials- a class of ordered composites which can distort light and other waves. Monday, 14 June 2010

Silk is the secret to honeycomb strength Engineers from China and Cardiff have uncovered the microscopic structure of honeycomb, which is responsible for its impressive mechanical properties... Thursday, 20 May 2010

Bio-Gels for Drug Delivery Scientists at Ajou University in South Korea have designed a material that forms a gel in vivo and releases protein... Monday, 10 May 2010

Elegant Folding of Pollen Grains The structures adopted by pollen grains as they dry out have been analysed and modelled by a team of physicists... Wednesday, 5 May 2010

Book Reviews Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth Monday, 3 May 2010

Perspective: Funding in Crisis? Gemma Thornton gives her perspective on the future of scientific funding Monday, 3 May 2010

Behind the Science: The People’s Palaeontologist Taylor Burns describes the life behind the science of Stephen Jay Gould Monday, 3 May 2010

Focus: Lasers - Guiding us into the Future BlueSci looks at how this physicist’s toy has become the tool of choice in so many areas of life and how they may play a vital role in solving the impending energy crisis. Monday, 3 May 2010

News: Issue 18 Morphogenesis on a tight leash Monday, 3 May 2010

Book Reviews Why We Disagree About Climate Change Monday, 4 January 2010

Behind the Science: Joker, Womaniser... Physicist? Jake Harris looks at the life behind the science of Richard Feynman Monday, 4 January 2010

Feature: Mind Over Matter Amy Miller considers why science and maths can be so hard to learn Monday, 4 January 2010

Feature: The Perfect Conductor Jack Gillett discusses the current uses and potential of superconductivity Monday, 4 January 2010

Pavilion: Issue 17 In chemistry, highly complex behaviour can follow from a number of simple rules. Drawings can be made by looking at the ways of developing complex, and profound, patterns from simple structures and techniques. Monday, 4 January 2010

POSTS FROM 2009

Spying on catalysts A new method for measuring catalytic activity has been developed using nanoparticles ((E. M. Larsson et al., “Nanoplasmonic Probes of Catalytic Reactions,” Science 326, no. 5956 (2009): 1091-1094.)). Friday, 30 October 2009

History: Bringing Elements to the Table Lindsey Nield tracks the evolution of the periodic table. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Arts & Reviews: The Perfect Melody Amy Chesterton looks at the mathematics behind a perfect tune. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Away From the Bench Alison Peel braves the wilds of Africa to look at the spread of viruses in bats. Thursday, 1 October 2009

A Day in the Life of: The Great Beyond Chris Adriaanse and Sonia Aguera talk to Jim Bagian about becoming an astronaut. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Focus: The Manhattan Project As the UK government continues discussion on the renewal of Trident, our missile-based nuclear weapons arsenal, Bluesci looks back on the only two bombs ever to be used in war and Britain’s role as a nuclear power. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Feature: A Revolution in Substance Nicholas Gibbons explains how metamaterials can reveal what we can’t see and make what we can see invisible. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Feature: Seeing the Invisible Bárbara Ferreira tackles the misconception surrounding black holes and describes how scientists can ‘see’ them. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Feature: The Extinction of Physics? Frederik Floether examines whether a Theory of Everything could lead to the demise of a discipline. Thursday, 1 October 2009

Cover: Unstable Research Katherine Thomas on the physics behind the cover image. Thursday, 1 October 2009

POSTS FROM 2006

Our Second-Hand Universe A cyclic universe, bouncing through a series of ‘Big Bangs’ and ‘Big Crunches’, could solve the mystery of the cosmological constant Thursday, 11 May 2006

POSTS FROM 2000

Brane new world of higher dimensions Why are there exactly three dimensions of space? Can there be more? These questions may lead to surprising consequences in our understanding of space and matter Thursday, 23 November 2000

Space probe communications trouble from the Doppler effect ESA's Huygens probe which is to explore Saturn's moon Titan in 2004, is expected to have communications problems due to Doppler effect, an elementary physical phenomenon that could have been predicted Saturday, 28 October 2000

Mathematical enigma solved! It seems that two undergraduates studying in the Cambridge University, UK, have solved one of the most challenging mathematical mysteries. They managed to make a plot of two superimposed transcendental functions. See figure below. Sunday, 22 October 2000