Physics

From the forces that keep athletes twirling and sliding, to the weird laws governing the world of the very small, to the far-out concepts of time travel and alternate universes, physics covers a lot of interesting territory. Here, Live Science keeps you abreast of all the fascinating physics discoveries.Physics

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An artistic rendering of the XMM-Newton (X-ray multi-mirror mission) space telescope. A study of archival data from the XMM-Newton and the Chandra X-ray space telescopes found evidence of high levels of X-ray emission from the nearby Magnificent Seven neutron stars, which may arise from the hypothetical particles known as axions.

Mystery particle may explain extreme X-rays shooting from the 'Magnificent 7' stars

By Stephanie Pappas published

Particles called axions may be the reason the 'Magnificent 7' cluster of neutron stars emits extreme X-rays.

Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the universe.

Now-dead radio telescope finds bizarre venomous-spider star

By Rafi Letzter published

Data from the now-destroyed Arecibo radio telescope has revealed a bizarre new type of hybrid venomous-spider star.

NASA's first Space Launch System core booster ignites its four main engines at the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on Jan. 16, 2020. Expected to last 8 minutes, the test lasted just over 1 minute.

Critical engine test for NASA's Space Launch System megarocket shuts down earlier than planned

By Amy Thompson published

NASA fired up the core stage of its massive new megarocket Saturday (Jan. 16) in a critical test that appeared to shut down early.

This image shows liquid hydrogen in the rocket core stage of the Space Launch System as it is safely vented and burned as it naturally warms and boils off during a rehearsal of a countdown to hot fire of the stage’s engines on Dec 20, 2020.

Watch NASA test the world's most powerful rocket ever on Saturday

By Rafi Letzter published

NASA is going to light up the most powerful rocket it's ever built Saturday (Jan. 16), though it won't go anywhere.

An image shows a newly discovered magnetar spinning unbelievably quickly through the Milky Way.

This might be the fastest magnetar in the whole galaxy

By Rafi Letzter published

A rapidly twirling, ultramagnetic 500-year-old infant has been spotted zipping at never-before-seen speeds through the Milky Way. It belongs to a super-rare flavor of super-rare star.

Bumblebee gravity could be proven true if scientists find that a black hole’s shadow is smaller than existing physics theories would predict.

'Bumblebee gravity' could explain why the universe is expanding so quickly

By Paul Sutter published

Bumblebee gravity could explain dark energy — if it's proven true.

The Space Launch System sits in the middle of NASA's heavy-duty B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

NASA will soon fire up the most powerful rocket ever built

By Rafi Letzter published

NASA plans to ignite an absolutely mammoth rocket on Jan. 17, the largest it's built since the Apollo program

An image shows a water droplet hanging from a fern frond. Hydrogen bonds bind water molecules to each other, giving the droplet its characteristic shape. But they're easily broken. Researchers recently discovered a form of hydrogen bond so strong it's comparable to the covalent bonds binding hydrogen and oxygen together into water molecules within the droplet.

New type of ultra-strong chemical bond discovered

By Rafi Letzter published

Similar to the bonds found in water, but way more powerful, this new bond could offer deep insight into the true workings of chemical reactions.

The earth

9 epic space discoveries you may have missed in 2020

By Rafi Letzter published

Medical discoveries dominated the news in 2020, but even under pandemic conditions, astronomers discovered amazing things in space in 2020.

Cosmic strings, string theory, abstract background.

The 10 biggest physics stories of 2020

By Jeanna Bryner published

From a colossal explosion to mystery burps deciphered, here were some of the top stories in physics in 2020.

The galaxy DF4 (center). was originally a big problem for dark matter researchers, having little dark matter at all. But in 2020 astronomers cracked its mystery.

6 ways the hunt for dark matter changed in 2020

By Rafi Letzter published

This year saw a possible first detection of solar axions, and the possible death of the sterile neutrino.

The strange bright spots of Occator Crater on the dwarf planet Ceres are unmistakable in this spectacular photo by NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on Oct. 17, 2016 and released on Nov. 18 as Dawn moves into a higher orbit.

Mysterious asteroid the size of a dwarf planet is lurking in our solar system

By Rafi Letzter published

There's a giant asteroid somewhere out there in the solar system, and it hurled a big rock at Earth that left behind meteorites unlike any scientists had ever seen.

An image shows Jupiter and Saturn in the sky on Dec. 21 during the "Great Conjunction" event.

Stunning telescope image of Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction will amaze you

By Rafi Letzter published

A telescope close-up reveals the strange beauty of the Great Conjunction.

Venus and Jupiter hang over a frozen United Kingdom during a previous apparent conjunction of planets.

Could the Christmas Star visible tonight actually be the Star of Bethlehem?

By Rafi Letzter published

Did the biblical "Star of Bethlehem" come back in 2020? It wouldn't be crazy to think so. But it's not the only possibility.

The milky way

The Milky Way is probably full of dead civilizations

By Rafi Letzter published

If there are other intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way, they are probably much closer than we are to the galactic center, and fairly young.

arches of chaos close-up

Invisible 'arches of chaos' span the solar system

By Rafi Letzter published

Scientists have mapped the "arches of chaos:" a vast network of arching structures filling the solar system that could one day aid space travel.

Abstract concept of string theory.

Physicists attempt to unify all forces of nature and rectify Einstein's biggest failure

By Paul Sutter published

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.

'Alice and the Cheshire Cat', c1910. From Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.

Physicists give Schrodinger's cat a cheshire grin

By Mike McRae published

Physicists have shown how a particle might show its face in a corner of an experiment without needing its body anywhere in sight, like a grin without a cat.

An illustration shows a message embedded in the cosmic microwave background.

Did the universe's creator hide a message in the cosmos?

By Rafi Letzter published

Did the creator of the universe leave a hidden message in the cosmos for intelligent life? If so, scientists have yet to find it. But at least one is still trying.

An artist's impression shows what the surface of Earth might have looked like during the Hadean (4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago).

Earth spent 500 million years creating and eating dead continents

By Rafi Letzter published

For more than a billion years, Earth covered itself in new continents. New research shows that those continents were quickly swallowed up again but their deaths fertilized life on the surface.