PHYSICS

Rosemary Fowler (seated) receives her doctorate from Sir Paul Nurse, chancellor of the University of Bristol, at a ceremony at Darwin College, Cambridge, UK.

A 98-Year-Old Physicist Finally Got Her Ph.D., 75 Years After Her Major Discovery

Rosemary Fowler discovered a type of subatomic particle, the kaon—but left the university before earning her doctorate.

Lightning strikes over the Freedom Tower (a.k.a. One World Trade Center) in New York City.

Did Ben Franklin Really Invent the Lightning Rod?

Ben Franklin’s famous experiment with the kite and key gave him a better understanding of the nature of electricity. But did that event lead to the lightning rod?

Wetness is a battle between cohesive and adhesive forces.

Is Water Wet? The Answer is Surprisingly Elusive

It depends on the properties of water, the definition of wetness, and whether you can trust when your senses inform you if something is wet or not.

Leona Libby, the Pioneering Nuclear Physicist Who Helped Build the Atomic Bomb

To win a nuclear arms race, Leona Libby hid a pregnancy and brushed off being irradiated.

A galaxy cluster surrounded by blue-toned cosmic microwave background radiation left over from the Big Bang.

8 Mind-Blowing Facts About the Big Bang

The birth of our universe happened at least 13 billion years ago—and you may have seen it on TV.

Watch an Early Silent Film About the Theory of Relativity

In 1923, filmmakers attempted to demonstrate Einstein's theory of relativity with pistols.

The position he's in could actually increase his chances of surviving a high fall.

How Far Can You Fall and Still Survive?

How and where you land is one of the major factors in whether you get up from the ground or go 6 feet further into it

Some string theorists predict at least 10 dimensions, most of which humans can’t perceive.

How Many Dimensions Are There in the Universe?

According to string theory, there are at least 10 dimensions of space, most of which are impossible for humans to perceive.

Scientists who worked on the Chicago Pile-1, a component of the Manhattan Project. Leo Szilard is pictured in the middle row in the trench coat.

“I Will Have Nothing to Do with a Bomb!”: The Scientists Who Opposed the Manhattan Project

Before J. Robert Oppenheimer had a change of heart, some of his fellow scientists opposed the U.S. government’s plan to make and deploy an atomic bomb.

10 Fascinating Facts About J. Robert Oppenheimer

The enigmatic physicist at the center of Christopher Nolan's newest film may have come to regret being known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.”

A neutrino has interacted with an ice molecule, producing a muon that moves at relativistic speed in the ice, leaving a trace of blue light behind it.

10 Freaky Facts About Neutrinos, the Weirdest Particles in the Universe

Trillions of neutrinos zoom through you every second. Here's what you should know about these mysterious, nearly mass-less subatomic particles.

A photograph on display at the Bradbury Science Museum at Los Alamos National Laboratory shows the first thermonuclear test on October 31, 1952.

9 Explosive Facts About the Manhattan Project

America’s greatest physicists assembled under the Manhattan Project to create the deadliest weapon the world had ever seen—an atomic bomb.

There have been major advancements in Oreo science.

Plot Twist: Science Has Figured Out If You Can Split an Oreo Cookie Perfectly

Researchers at MIT looked at "postmortem crème distribution" to see if two Oreo wafers can have an equal amount of filling after being twisted.

11 Radiant Facts About Marie Curie

Marie Curie, who was born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, is still the only person to receive Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.

19 Brilliant Facts About Albert Einstein

Once a simple patent clerk, Albert Einstein changed the world with his theories of special and general relativity.

How Do Airplanes Stay in the Air? Watch and See

If you can’t wrap your head around the physics of air travel, this video will illustrate it for you.

Frequent Misconceptions About Physics

In this episode of Misconceptions, Justin Dodd breaks down some common misunderstandings about physics.

When Marie and Pierre Curie Investigated a Psychic Medium

Marie and Pierre Curie admitted to not fully understanding the source of radioactivity. Could a psychic medium named Eusapia Palladino reveal some clues?

Stephen Hawking at Cambridge's Emmanuel College in 2013.

Cambridge University Is Hiring an Archivist to Catalog 160 Boxes of Stephen Hawking’s Work

After Stephen Hawking’s death, Cambridge University announced plans to house his whole archive. Now, they need someone to help them organize it.

'Clang, clang, clang' went the cookie tray.

The Reason Why Baking Sheets Clang in the Oven—And How to Avoid It

Metal expands, which you can’t exactly prevent—but certain baking sheets weather the storm better than others.

Watch Albert Einstein Explain His Theory of Relativity in Historic Footage

In this historic footage, you can watch Albert Einstein describe the scientific equation that made him famous.

See How Many Balloons It Would Take to Lift the House from Pixar's Up

Using a computer simulation, this video visualizes the many millions of balloons that would be needed to lift the house from Pixar's 'Up' in real life.

Does Putting a Penny in the Microwave Really Make It Shrink?

Putting metal in the microwave is never a good idea—especially if you're inspired by a viral social media hoax.

YouTube's Physics Girl snuffs out a candle with carbon dioxide.

20 Boredom-Busting Science Experiments You Can Do at Home, Courtesy of YouTube’s Physics Girl

From spinning eggs to DIY slime, these at-home science experiments help you stay busy and learn a few things, too.