Latest articles by Paul Sutter
Superpowerful 'oscillon' particles could have dominated the infant universe, then vanished
A weird, super-powerful particle that's not truly a particle could have dominated the universe when it was just a second old, releasing a flood of ripples that permeated all of space-time.
Mysterious 'kick' just after the Big Bang may have created dark matter
A mysterious "kick" in the early universe may have produced more matter than antimatter. And that imbalance may have also led to the creation of dark matter, researchers now say.
Neutrons' 'evil twins' may be crushing stars into black holes
The universe may be filled with "mirror" particles — and these otherwise-undetectable particles could be shrinking the densest stars in the universe, turning them into black holes.
How do stars die?
Surprisingly, the fate of a star is easy to predict. All you need to know is how big it is.
'Bumblebee gravity' could explain why the universe is expanding so quickly
Bumblebee gravity could explain dark energy — if it's proven true.
Where are all the squarks and gluinos?
There have been no signs of supersymmetry, and the theory is looking a little shaky, researchers say.
Are primordial black holes really giant gravitinos?
New research proposes that the first black holes came from clumps of gravitinos, exotic, hypothetical particles that managed to survive the first chaotic years of the Big Bang.
Is there more than one dark energy?
What if there is more than one cosmological agent for dark energy? This mixture would have strange effects in our universe, making it potentially detectable with upcoming surveys.
Physicists attempt to unify all forces of nature and rectify Einstein's biggest failure
Einstein's failed dream could ultimately become his ultimate triumph, as a small group of theoretical physicists rework his old ideas to explain the most pressing issues of modern science.
World's largest atom smasher could seed microscopic black holes
If teensy black holes could be produced inside the world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider, that would be a boon for physics.
Black holes may not exist, but fuzzballs might, wild theory suggests
What if black holes aren't black holes at all, but rather the cosmic equivalent of fuzzy, vibrating balls of string?
Dangerous 'naked' black holes could be hiding in the universe
Black holes shorn of event horizons could lurk throughout the universe.
Can the EmDrive actually work for space travel?
The EmDrive doesn't just violate our fundamental understanding of the universe; the experiments that claim to measure an effect haven't been replicated. When it comes to the EmDrive, keep dreaming.
Weird 'gravitational molecules' could orbit black holes like electrons swirling around atoms
Will our solar system survive the death of our sun?
Our sun's death is a long way off — about 4.5 billion years, give or take — but someday it's going to happen, and what then for our solar system?
What happens at the center of a black hole?
At the center of a black hole, matter is compressed down to an infinitely tiny point, and all conceptions of time and space completely break down.
Distant alien planets could be turned into dark matter detectors
A pair of astronomers is advocating a daring new research program: to turn our widening search for life beyond Earth into a hunt for dark matter.
Black holes could become massive particle accelerators
Physicists suggest harnessing the gravitational pull of black holes to create ferocious particle accelerators. The trick? Carefully set everything up so the particles don't get lost forever.
A mini fractal universe may lie inside charged black holes (if they exist)
In one upside-down, hypothetical version of the universe, a bizarre type of black hole could exist that is stranger than an M.C. Escher sketch: charged black holes.
Black holes so big we don't know how they form could be hiding in the universe
Black holes can get big … really big. But just how big? It's possible they could top out at over a trillion times more massive than the sun.
Black hole 'hair' could be detected using ripples in space-time
Hair may record the information swallowed by the gravitational monsters.
Could the universe collapse into a singularity? New study explains how.
All you need is some string.
What's the most amazing thing about the universe?
A few scant equations can explain a variety of phenomena in our universe, over vast gulfs of space and time. Here's a taste of just how powerful modern physics can be.
