Physics

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- Animals
Here’s what bats ‘see’ when they explore the world with sound
High-speed cameras, fancy microphones and slick software are helping scientists get the best look yet at what bats perceive through echolocation.
- Plants
Here’s how giant pumpkins get so big
Cinderella took a ride in a pumpkin coach. Though real pumpkins do get big enough, here’s why their ride would be uncomfortable at best.
- Tech
‘Frozen smoke’ could protect electronics from annoying static
A fluffy material made from cellulose nanofibers and silver nanowires can protect electronic devices by blocking more than 99.99 percent of disrupting interference, a new study reveals.
By Sid Perkins - Climate
Let’s learn about solar power
Solar power is a way to harness energy from the sun, and lessen our reliance on fossil fuels.
- Space
Scientists Say: Gravity
Gravity is a fundamental force that attracts objects with mass to other objects with mass. It decreases with distance.
- Tech
Trees power this alarm system for remote forest fires
Wind moving through tree branches is all the energy needed to power devices that can detect a remote fire before it rages into an uncontrolled inferno.
- Tech
This high-tech sweeper is designed for super-clingy moon dust
An electron beam is the newest tool being developed to remove sticky and damaging lunar dust from surfaces.
By Jack J. Lee - Physics
2020 Physics Nobel goes for delving into black holes
Although Einstein’s general theory of relative suggested black holes might exist, this year’s winner’s helped show they actually are out there.
- Physics
How physics lets a toy boat float upside down
Buoyancy’s upward force keeps objects afloat even in unusual conditions.
- Chemistry
How to recycle ‘nonrecyclable’ plastics
A new process can convert some nonrecyclable plastics into a type that now can be reused. That could greatly cut down on wastes sent to landfills.
- Archaeology
Stonehenge enhanced voices and music within the stone ring
Scientists built a 'Stonehenge Lego' model in a sound chamber to study how sound would have behaved in the ancient stone circle.
By Bruce Bower - Space
Strange but true: White dwarfs shrink as they gain mass
Telescope observations of thousands of these stars now confirm a decades-old theory on how their masses relate to their waistline.