Articles for category: Physics

Tanvir Qureshi: Concrete Crack Bridge for Self-Healing. Electron Microscopy prize in the ZEISS photography competition 2014.

Self-Healing Materials: How Scientists Are Creating Objects That Repair Themselves

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine a world where your car could fix its own dents or your smartphone screen could heal its scratches. It might sound like science fiction, but thanks to the groundbreaking field of self-healing materials, this is becoming a reality. Self-healing materials are engineered substances that have the ability to automatically repair damage without human intervention. ...

silhouette on floating man

The Strange Case of Quantum Levitation: How Superconductors Make Objects Float

Trizzy Orozco

There’s something almost magical about watching an object float in midair, defying the very laws of gravity that bind us to the earth. This isn’t a scene from a science fiction movie, but a real-life phenomenon known as quantum levitation. At the heart of this mesmerizing spectacle are superconductors—materials with the incredible ability to conduct ...

Microgravity

The Strangest Ways Scientists Have Tested Gravity (Including in Minecraft!)

Annette Uy

The enigmatic force of gravity has long intrigued scientists, inspiring them to devise innovative ways to study its effects. From dropping objects from towering heights to conducting intricate experiments in virtual worlds, the quest to understand gravity has led researchers down some truly peculiar paths. This article delves into the fascinating and sometimes bizarre methods ...

Sojourner: The Pathfinder That Changed Expectations

Mars Rovers Then and Now: From Sojourner to Perseverance

Trizzy Orozco

Picture a tiny robotic pioneer the size of a microwave oven rolling across the crimson plains of Mars in 1997, its aluminum wheels leaving the first human-made tracks on another planet. That brave little rover named Sojourner was humanity’s first successful attempt to explore Mars from its surface, and it kicked off an extraordinary journey ...

man in black crew neck shirt wearing black headphones

Are We Living in a Simulation? The Scientific Case for ‘Yes’

Maria Faith Saligumba

Imagine waking up tomorrow to discover that everything you’ve ever experienced – every sunset, every laugh, every tear – was nothing more than carefully crafted code running on some cosmic computer. This isn’t just the plot of a science fiction movie anymore. Leading scientists, philosophers, and tech visionaries are seriously considering the possibility that our ...

Brain Activity

The Boltzmann Brain Hypothesis: Could the Universe Be a Cosmic Hallucination?

Annette Uy

Imagine waking up one day in a world that feels eerily familiar and yet, unsettlingly artificial. This mind-bending scenario is at the heart of the Boltzmann Brain hypothesis—a concept that challenges our foundational understanding of reality itself. The question it poses is both simple and profound: Could everything we perceive as the universe be an ...

Why Lightning Strikes More Often Over Cities Than Forests

Why Lightning Strikes More Often Over Cities Than Forests

Jan Otte

Have you ever watched a summer thunderstorm roll over a sprawling metropolis and wondered why cities seem to attract more lightning than rural areas? The answer reveals a fascinating interplay between human development and atmospheric physics. When urban planners first started building skyward and outward, they unknowingly created perfect conditions for increased lightning activity. Modern ...

clear hour glass beside pink flowers

Does Time Work Differently in Space?

Maria Faith Saligumba

Picture this: you’re floating in a spacecraft, watching Earth slowly rotate beneath you while your twin sibling remains planted firmly on the ground. When you return after what feels like a year-long journey, something impossible has happened. You’ve aged differently than your earthbound twin. This isn’t science fiction – it’s the mind-bending reality of how ...

Absolute zero.

Why Scientists Are Experimenting With Negative Temperatures Below Absolute Zero

Trizzy Orozco

In the fascinating world of physics, the concept of temperature is a fundamental one. We often think of temperature in terms of hot and cold, with absolute zero, or -273.15°C, being the lowest possible temperature where all molecular motion ceases. However, recent scientific experiments are challenging this traditional understanding by delving into the realm of ...

Abstract digital artwork of a butterfly with atomic orbit elements.

The Future of Quantum Computing: How Prof. Hau’s Work on Slow Light Could Change Technology Forever

Trizzy Orozco

Quantum computing is on the brink of revolutionizing the way we process information, and Professor Lene Vestergaard Hau’s pioneering research on slow light is a game-changer that could redefine technological landscapes. Imagine a world where computers can solve complex problems in seconds that would take traditional systems millennia. This isn’t just a futuristic fantasy; it’s ...