Physics – latest in science and technology | New Scientist

Quantum entanglement is key to solving 250-year-old maths problem

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Analysis of a mathematical puzzle that Leonhard Euler deemed unsolvable in the 1700s reveals that the crucial ingredient for cracking it after all is quantum entanglement

How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm

Jacklin.Kwan@newscientist.com — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:08:24 +0000

Our sun is capable of storms far bigger than we’ve ever recorded. Studying the world’s oldest trees suggests we could be due one of these gargantuan events soon

Rainbows can be made from sounds – and we’ve created the best ones yet

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:30:22 +0000

Two research teams have independently created devices within which sound waves could be separated by frequency, creating the most complete sound rainbows yet

The proton is more quantum than we thought

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:29:49 +0000

Our understanding of the internal structure of protons is largely based on classical physics, but data compiled from accelerator experiments has uncovered quantum behaviour that has never been seen before

Could we eliminate any particles from the standard model of physics?

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The standard model of physics is one of the most successful scientific theories in existence, but do we need it all? Columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explores whether it’s carrying any excess baggage

The paradox that breaks the laws of physics | John Goold

Emily Bates — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Could a “demon” break one of the most fundamental laws of physics? Maxwell’s demon has puzzled physicists for more than 150 years. What began as a thought experiment about heat and entropy is now part of our understanding of information, computation and the laws of thermodynamics. Physicist John Goold explains the paradox and what the demon reveals about the relationship between entropy, measurement and the quantum world.

Read more

The biggest mysteries in physics may have one answer

The once-impossible black holes that could break thermodynamics

Jacklin Kwan — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The laws of physics seemed to forbid a strange variety of black holes that could have zero temperature. Columnist Jacklin Kwan explores research that shows these strange behemoths can really exist – and how they could test the limits of thermodynamics

The biggest mysteries in physics may have one answer

Emily Bates — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Could our universe have more dimensions than the three of space and one of time that we experience?

Recent results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) have renewed interest in whether our current picture of the universe is complete. Some theories suggest that extra dimensions could help explain three of the greatest mysteries in physics: the nature of dark energy; the invisible influence of dark matter; and why gravity is so much weaker than the other fundamental forces.

From string theory to braneworlds, the search for extra dimensions pushes the boundaries of science and could reveal that the reality we experience isn’t all there is.

Read more

Does dark energy stem from a thermodynamic theory of space-time?

Strange paraparticles could be reality’s missing ingredient

Miriam Frankel — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Neither matter nor force, paraparticles would be something else entirely. Fresh hints that they exist are raising hopes that they could explain reality at its deepest level

Can consciousness be quantum? We may now have an answer

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

A mathematical analysis suggests that the notion of agency, which is a prerequisite for consciousness, cannot be purely quantum in nature