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From Einstein’s Theory to Gravity’s Chirp

February 18, 2016

The path from a revolutionary set of equations to the detection of gravitational waves was strewn with obstacles and controversy, explains the physicist Daniel Kennefick — and the struggle continues.

Gravitational Waves Discovered at Long Last

February 11, 2016

Ripples in space-time have been detected a century after Einstein predicted them, launching a new era in astronomy.

Scientists Debate Signatures of Alien Life

February 2, 2016

Searching for signs of life on faraway planets, astrobiologists must decide which telltale biosignature gases to target.

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Taming Superconductors With String Theory

January 21, 2016

The physicist Subir Sachdev borrows tools from string theory to understand the puzzling behavior of high-temperature superconductors.

Quantum Weirdness Now a Matter of Time

January 19, 2016

Bizarre quantum bonds connect distinct moments in time, suggesting that quantum links — not space-time — constitute the fundamental structure of the universe.

String Theory Meets Loop Quantum Gravity

January 12, 2016

Two leading candidates for a “theory of everything,” long thought to be incompatible, may be two sides of the same coin.

Time’s (Almost) Reversible Arrow

January 7, 2016

The irreversibility of time may be a clue as to what makes up the universe’s dark matter.

A Fight for the Soul of Science

December 16, 2015

If a theory can’t be tested, is it still science?

‘Outsiders’ Crack 50-Year-Old Math Problem

November 24, 2015

Three computer scientists have solved a problem central to a dozen far-flung mathematical fields.

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