Latest News
Our pick of the latest physics stories from around the world wide web.
Wireless eye implants restores sight
14/05/2012
A new implant allows signals to be sent to neurons in the brain without having any wires attached
Instrument for James Webb Telescope ready to see
11/05/2012
One of the instruments for the James Webb telescope has been tested and is ready to be installed on the telescope.
Magnetic Bacteria could create computers of the future
08/05/2012
Magnetic bacteria may soon be creating bio-computers
Mars Rocks may contain life
04/05/2012
Latest finding from the NASA rover Opportunity has found rock formations which could harbour life.
Pigeon neurons fire in response to magnetic field
30/04/2012
A new study has found that certain areas of a pigeons brain show activity when exposed to a magnetic field.
Space Shuttle Discovery retires to Smithsonian
23/04/2012
NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery made its final voyage to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virgnia.
Scientists count penguins with satellite images
17/04/2012
Scientists are using satellite images to count Emperor penguins and found there are twice as many as previously thought.
LHC back in action after break
13/04/2012
The LHC is running at a record breaking 8TeV after the winter break.
How to get the perfect curl?
03/04/2012
Animators are using physics to achieve realistic looking hair for their characters.
Avalanche research aids search for tastier ice cream
26/03/2012
Avalanche experts are helping to study how ice cream's structure changes when it is stored in a household freezer.
Neutrinos 'slow down' in new test
16/03/2012
An experiment to repeat a test of the speed of subatomic particles known as neutrinos has found that they do not travel faster than light.
Massive solar storm heading for Earth
08/03/2012
Airlines and energy suppliers are on alert as the largest solar storm in five years threatens to disrupt flights and power lines.
'Twisted' waves could boost capacity of wi-fi and TV
02/03/2012
A striking demonstration of a means to boost the information-carrying capacity of radio waves has taken place across the lagoon in Venice, Italy.
Faster-than-light neutrinos: was a faulty connection to blame?
27/02/2012
A dodgy optical fibre connection may have skewed results that appeared to show neutrinos travelling faster than light.
LHC energy boost will aid hunt for Higgs boson
14/02/2012
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will increase the energies of the bunches of subatomic particles called protons that it smashes together.
Four telescope link-up creates world's largest mirror
09/02/2012
Astronomers have created the world's largest virtual optical telescope, linking four telescopes in Chile so that they operate as a single device.
Leap second decision postponed
19/01/2012
A decision on whether to abolish the leap second - the occasional, extra second added to the world's time - has been deferred.
Astronomers weigh in on Milky Way's true colours
12/01/2012
Astronomers have determined exactly what colour our home galaxy the Milky Way is - and find it is aptly named.
Loch Ness is giant 'spirit level'
04/01/2012
Scientists have measured the way Loch Ness tilts back and forth as the whole of Scotland bends with the passing of the tides.
'New metal type' at Earth's core
20/12/2011
Under the extreme conditions present in the Earth's interior, a common metal oxide changes its electrical properties without changing shape.
Higgs 'may have been identified'
13/12/2011
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider say they may have glimpsed the fabled Higgs boson, but are not yet able to claim a discovery.
Mars water clue 'most clear yet'
09/12/2011
Nasa's Mars rover Opportunity has found slivers of a bright material that looks very much like it is gypsum (calcium sulphate).
Kepler finds Earth-like planet
06/12/2011
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" around a star not unlike our own.
Antique Stradivarius violin 'replicated' by radiologist
29/11/2011
A Stradivarius violin has been "recreated" using an X-ray scanner normally used to detect cancers and injuries.
Bionic contact lens 'to project emails before eyes'
22/11/2011
A new generation of contact lenses that project images in front of the eyes is a step closer after successful animal trials, say scientists.
Giant asteroid to pass near Earth
08/11/2011
An asteroid that is 400m (1,300ft) wide will pass by the Earth on Tuesday, closer to it even than the Moon.
Faster-than-light neutrino experiment to be run again
28/10/2011
Scientists who announced that sub-atomic particles might be able to travel faster than light are to rerun their experiment in a different way.
Europe's first Galileo satellites lift off
21/10/2011
The first satellites for Galileo - Europe's GPS - are launched from French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket.
Ultrasound used to heal fractures
12/10/2011
In the city where doctors first pioneered ultrasound the same technology is now being used to treat broken bones.
Arctic ozone loss at record level
03/10/2011
Ozone loss over the Arctic this year was so severe that for the first time it could be called an "ozone hole" like the Antarctic one, scientists report.
Self-healing materials take cue from nature
29/09/2011
The development of self-healing materials has surged forward as scientists have taken inspiration from biological systems.
Faster than light particles found
23/09/2011
Particle physicists detect neutrinos travelling faster than light, a feat forbidden by Einstein's theory of special relativity.
X-rays uncover secret painting beneath Goya masterpiece
21/09/2011
Beneath a Goya masterpiece, a second, hidden painting by the Spanish painter has been discovered, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has announced.
Electrified roads could power cars from the ground up
14/09/2011
The cars of the future could be powered by electrified roadways, removing the need for heavy batteries in electric cars.
Super-earth exoplanet found that could support life
.jpg "Earth (Credit: NASA)")
13/09/2011
Astronomers find a second planet outside our solar system which is the right distance from its star for life to exist.
New pictures of Moon landing sites released
07/09/2011
Remarkable new images of the Apollo landing sites on the Moon have just been released by Nasa.
A faster way to board passenger planes
31/08/2011
The most common way of boarding passenger planes is among the least efficient, tests have shown.
Sun storms 'could be more disruptive within decades'
19/08/2011
Within decades, solar storms are likely to become more disruptive to planes and spacecraft, say researchers at Reading University.
Telescope search for ET revived
17/08/2011
Private donors, including actress Jodie Foster, raise enough money to re-open an array of mothballed telescopes looking for extra terrestrial life
US military to launch fastest-ever plane
11/08/2011
Unmanned Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 can travel from London to Sydney in less than an hour
Earth may once have had two moons
04/08/2011
A new theory suggests the Earth once had a small second moon that perished in a slow motion collision with its "big sister".
Light's speed curbs time travel
26/07/2011
Physicists have confirmed the ultimate speed limit for the packets of light called photons - making time travel even less likely than thought.
New Pluto moon spied by Hubble
21/07/2011
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified another moon around the dwarf planet Pluto.
Atlantis shuttle undocks from space station
19/07/2011
The US shuttle Atlantis has undocked from the International Space Station and is bound now for a final landing at the Kennedy Space Center.
'Rough boroughs' of space listed
13/07/2011
The Fermi catalogue, which lists the most violent neighbourhoods in the Universe, has been updated.
Robo-worm to wriggle through rubble to quake survivors
06/07/2011
A giant robotic worm has slithered out of a 3D printer in the north of England – and one day its inventor hopes it could head for earthquake-hit cities in search of people trapped in collapsed buildings.
Tibetan singing bowls give up their chaotic secrets
01/07/2011
A study of Himalayan "singing bowls" using high-speed video and mathematical modelling unravels the secrets of the bowls' watery dance.
Human eye 'may act as a compass'
22/06/2011
A protein from the human eye allows fruit flies to sense the Earth's magnetic field - re-igniting a debate about in-built "compasses" in humans.
Hi tech badger monitoring
15/06/2011
Magnetic fields and sensors are helping zoologists map what badgers do when they go underground.
