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AI's black box problem: discovering physics we don't understand – Physics World
19+ min ago (1673+ words) From finding new particles to creating new materials, artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of physics, but what happens if it produces answers that we do not – or cannot – fathom? Claire Malone investigates In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to…...
Metasurface grating gives solar telescopes a boost – Physics World
2+ hour, 24+ min ago (395+ words) Isabelle Dumé is a contributing editor to Physics World. She has more than 10 years of experience in science writing and editing in condensed-matter physics relating to technology/nanotechnology/biotechnology, astronomy and astrophysics, energy and the environment, biology and medicine. She…...
Powerful cosmic winds may have destroyed galaxies in the early universe – Physics World
4+ day, 2+ hour ago (321+ words) One of the JWST’s most surprising discoveries is that when the universe was between one and two billion years old, it already contained large numbers of massive galaxies. Astronomers think these galaxies may have acquired most of their mass in…...
Does the Bullet Cluster contain a lot less dark matter than we thought? – Physics World
5+ day, 19+ hour ago (563+ words) The Bullet Cluster of galaxies might only have half as much dark matter than scientists thought, or perhaps even none at all, according to a new look at observations of this immense collision of galaxies from the James Webb Space…...
Vera C. Rubin Observatory kicks off 10-year quest to map the cosmos – Physics World
1+ week, 6+ day ago (357+ words) A major astronomy facility in the Andes has begun a 10-year survey of the Southern sky with the aim of creating the most comprehensive, cinematic record of the universe ever made. Based in Cerro Pachón in the Andes, the Vera…...
Quiz of the week: how do scientists hope to protect Earth from dangerous solar storms? – Physics World
2+ week, 3+ day ago (179+ words) Please note that your choices apply across all our subdomains. Once you give consent, a floating button will appear at the bottom of your screen, allowing you to change or withdraw your consent at any time. We respect your choices…...
Cosmic crisis averted as supernovae put dark energy back on track – Physics World
3+ week, 4+ min ago (299+ words) Through fresh analysis of supernovae data, a team of astronomers has discredited a recent study that suggested that dark energy has weakened since the early universe. Led by Phil Wiseman at the UK’s University of Southampton, the team showed that…...
Ken'ichi Nomoto and Stanford Woosley share the 2026 Shaw Prize in Astronomy – Physics World
3+ week, 22+ hour ago (298+ words) I am an online editor of Physics World. I did a PhD in condensed-matter physics at McMaster University in Canada. I am still fascinated by what is an extremely rich and varied subject that I believe is ignored by the…...
Quiz of the week: what’s the secret to the Venus flytrap’s swift closure? – Physics World
3+ week, 3+ day ago (215+ words) Quiz of the week: what’s the secret to the Venus flytrap’s swift closure? Physics World - Enter password Show password Password field is now showing your password - Access more than 20 years of online content - Manage which e-mail newsletters you want to…...
Soviet institutes, Martian neighbours, Whovian science, stellar patterns and dystopian predictions: micro reviews of recent books – Physics World
3+ week, 6+ day ago (80+ words) In the latest of our series of bite-sized reviews, Physics World editors give their verdicts on new science titles Soviet Scientific Institutes By Eric Lusito Meet the Neighbours: Life on Mars and How to Find It By Steven A Benner…...