Theoretical physicists from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology detail a new mathematical description of how dark matter particles behave, which could help narrow the search for them. Now that it looks like the hunt for the Higgs boson is over, particles of dark matter are at the top of the physics “Most [...]

Scientists have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, establishing the pathway that shows how the toxic species that cause cell death, the oligomers, are formed. Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain [...]

New data from Europe’s Planck satellite challenges our understanding of the Universe, suggesting that Universe may be different on scales larger than those we can directly observe. Planck refines our knowledge of the Universe’s composition and evolution New maps provide excellent evidence for our standard model of cosmology Planck dates Universe at 13.82 billion years [...]

Asteroid 1998 QE2, which is believed to be about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) in size, is set to sail past Earth at a distance of roughly 3.6 million miles (5.8 million kilometers) away, its closest approach to Earth for at least the next two centuries. On May 31, 2013, asteroid 1998 QE2 will sail serenely [...]

By using a collection of authentic PAH spectra, coupled with algorithm-driven, blind-computational analyses, astrophysicists are able to interpret previously unknown infrared emissions from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), finding that PAHs changed significantly in size, electrical charge and structure, to adjust to different environments. Scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, now have the [...]

In a newly published study, researchers from the University of Vienna detail a new model of a quantum computer, the boson sampling computer. Harnessing the unique features of the quantum world promises a dramatic speed-up in information processing as compared to the fastest classical machines. Scientists from the Group of Philip Walther from the Faculty [...]

A newly published study provides the first experimental evidence that the Earth’s inner core has rotated at a variety of different speeds and suggests that the Earth’s solid inner core rotates at a different rate than the mantle. We all know that the Earth rotates beneath our feet, but new research from ANU has revealed [...]

A newly published study details the how physicists discovered the first direct evidence of pear shaped nuclei in exotic atoms, a finding that could help explain why the Big Bang created more matter than antimatter. Ann Arbor — An international team of physicists has found the first direct evidence of pear shaped nuclei in exotic [...]

Using the National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope, astronomers detected a never-before-seen cluster of hydrogen clouds strewn between two nearby galaxies, Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33). In a dark, starless patch of intergalactic space, astronomers have discovered a never-before-seen cluster of hydrogen clouds strewn between two nearby galaxies, Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33). The researchers [...]

Using ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, scientists have detected and analyzed a variety of simple molecules at the center of Milky Way, allowing them to probe some of the fundamental properties of the interstellar gas surrounding the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. ESA’s Herschel space observatory has made detailed observations of [...]

According to a newly published study from Caltech astrophysicist Anthony Piro, a new kind of cosmic flash may reveal the birth of a black hole. When a massive star exhausts its fuel, it collapses under its own gravity and produces a black hole, an object so dense that not even light can escape its gravitational [...]

Using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, scientists from the University of Iowa have discovered how the magnetosphere around Saturn changes with the planet’s seasons, providing an important clue for solving a riddle about the planet’s naturally occurring radio signal and helping scientists better understand variations in Earth’s magnetosphere and Van Allen radiation belts. A University [...]