Gravitational wave detector LIGO is back online after 3 years of upgrades – how the world's most sensitive yardstick reveals secrets of the universe

May 23, 2023 15:11 pm UTC| Science

After a three-year hiatus, scientists in the U.S. have just turned on detectors capable of measuring gravitational waves - tiny ripples in space itself that travel through the universe. Unlike light waves, gravitational...

Why don't rocks burn?

May 16, 2023 13:21 pm UTC| Science

While many rocks dont burn, some of them do. It depends on what the rocks are made of and thats related to how they were formed. There are three main rock types: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. These rocks are...

Quantum physics proposes a new way to study biology – and the results could revolutionize our understanding of how life works

May 16, 2023 13:20 pm UTC| Science

Imagine using your cellphone to control the activity of your own cells to treat injuries and disease. It sounds like something from the imagination of an overly optimistic science fiction writer. But this may one day be a...

You shed DNA everywhere you go – trace samples in the water, sand and air are enough to identify who you are, raising ethical questions about privacy

May 16, 2023 13:18 pm UTC| Science

Human DNA can be sequenced from small amounts of water, sand and air in the environment to potentially extract identifiable information like genetic lineage, gender, and health risks, according to our new...

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

May 16, 2023 13:17 pm UTC| Science

When I began my undergraduate physics degree (around 20 years ago), What is the theory of everything? was a question that I heard often. It was used as a label for how theoretical physicists were trying to develop a deeper...

Supercomputers have revealed the giant 'pillars of heat' funnelling diamonds upwards from deep within Earth

May 11, 2023 16:01 pm UTC| Science

Most diamonds are formed deep inside Earth and brought close to the surface in small yet powerful volcanic eruptions of a kind of rock called kimberlite. Our supercomputer modelling, published in Nature Geoscience,...

What is hydrogen, and can it really become a climate solution?

May 11, 2023 16:00 pm UTC| Science

Hydrogen, or H₂, is getting a lot of attention lately as governments in the U.S., Canada and Europe push to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. But what exactly is H₂, and is it really a clean power source? I...