Shoebox-sized satellite proposal could detect hidden nuclear weapons in orbit
Neutrons from a bomb could reveal its presence from 4 kilometers away under a newly proposed verification method.
Read the storyScience
51 STORIESDiscoveries, evidence, and fieldwork that expand what we know about Earth and beyond.
Gluons may carry the proton’s baryon number, collision study suggests
A new study suggests gluons, not quarks, carry the proton’s baryon number. Data from nuclear collisions at RHIC matched a Y-shaped gluon junction better than the quark model, researchers report in Science, though physicists say the evidence is not yet definitive.
Read the story
Stars’ plasma spurts may be blocked by magnetic fields
Stars other than the sun are rarely seen spewing charged particles. A new experiment hints at why
Read the story
LUX-ZEPLIN data reveal one possible dark matter event, but not yet a detection
An analysis of 220 days of LUX-ZEPLIN data has found a single particle interaction consistent with dark matter. At 2.6 sigma, it falls short of physics thresholds for evidence or detection, and researchers say more data are needed to know what it is.
Read the story
Spikes, claws and stingers have no single best shape
Cataloging nature’s pokey bits reveals a trade-off between durability and effective piercing, with no single winning shape.
Read the story
Atoms in free fall in space add a quantum twist to Galileo’s gravity test
An experiment aboard China’s Tiangong space station reaffirms a core principle of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Read the story