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Why is mercury a liquid?Mercury is a metal, yet it has some weird physical properties, including being a liquid at room temperature.
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Tractor beams inspired by sci-fi are real, and could solve the looming space junk problemResearchers are developing a real-life tractor beam, with the goal of pulling defunct satellites out of geostationary orbit to alleviate the space junk problem.
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Are free radicals really that bad for you?Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that are missing an electron. They get a bad rap, but could they actually have any benefits?
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Scientists watch a single electron move during a chemical reaction for first time everFor the first time, scientists visualized how electrons behave during a chemical reaction, which could help reduce unwanted byproducts in future chemistry.
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Why can't we walk through walls if atoms are mostly empty space?Most of an atom is empty space, so why does some matter feel solid? Two physics principles explain why.
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Lightning on Earth is sparked by a powerful chain reaction from outer space, simulations showA new model may have finally solved where storm clouds get their missing energy.
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Where do atoms come from? A physicist explains.Almost everything on Earth is made up of atoms, but where do these fundamental building blocks come from?
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Did light exist at the beginning of the universe?Was it dark after the Big Bang, or did light shine immediately?
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Why isn’t an atom’s nucleus round?The nuclei of atoms are often portrayed as round in textbooks, but it turns out they're rarely spherical.
