%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20684.6%2068.1%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%20684.6%2068.1%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cg%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M444.1%2C29.3h-17.4v14.5h17.4V29.3z%20M36.4%2C68.1l29.3-50.8V0H50.4L32.9%2C36.8L15.5%2C0H0v68.1h16.7V45.8l12.4%2C22.3H36.4z%0A%09%09%20M49.1%2C68.1h16.6V23.4L49.1%2C52.1V68.1z%20M76.6%2C68.1h45V53.8H93.3V41.6h21V27.1h-21V14.8h28.3V0.1h-45V68.1z%20M175.6%2C68.1h17.3v-68%0A%09%09h-16.5v40.3L150%2C0.1h-17.6v68h16.7V27.7L175.6%2C68.1z%20M235.8%2C14.8h15.4V0.1h-47.4v14.7H219v53.2h16.8V14.8z%20M290.3%2C45.9h-17.1%0A%09%09l7.5-15.6h2L290.3%2C45.9z%20M298.7%2C68.1h18l-32.2-68h-5.7l-32%2C68h18l3.3-7.1h27.1L298.7%2C68.1z%20M325.2%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1h-16.7%0A%09%09V68.1z%20M423.7%2C14.8h27.2V0.1H407v68h16.7V14.8z%20M462%2C68.1h46.2V53.8h-29.6V0.1H462V68.1z%20M564.8%2C34.1c0%2C10.7-7.2%2C19.2-18.5%2C19.2%0A%09%09c-11.4%2C0-18.5-8.5-18.5-19.2s7.1-19.2%2C18.5-19.2C557.6%2C14.9%2C564.8%2C23.4%2C564.8%2C34.1%20M580.6%2C34.1c0-19-14.2-34-34.3-34%0A%09%09c-20.2%2C0-34.3%2C15-34.3%2C34c0%2C19%2C14.1%2C34%2C34.3%2C34C566.4%2C68.1%2C580.6%2C53.1%2C580.6%2C34.1%20M604.8%2C20.5c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2%0A%09%09c4.4%2C0%2C6.6%2C3%2C6.6%2C6.6h14.7C631.8%2C9.1%2C625.1%2C0.1%2C611%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8%0A%09%09c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6%0A%09%09c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8C610.6%2C26.1%2C604.8%2C25.3%2C604.8%2C20.5%20M670%2C20.9h14.7C683.8%2C9.1%2C677.1%2C0.1%2C663%2C0.1c-12%2C0-21.7%2C9.3-21.7%2C20.6%0A%09%09c0%2C10.9%2C5.9%2C15.9%2C16.7%2C19.8c5.2%2C1.8%2C11.5%2C3.2%2C11.5%2C8c0%2C3.3-2.4%2C5.5-6.4%2C5.5c-3.6%2C0-6.6-3-6.6-6.7h-15.2c0%2C11.5%2C7.9%2C20.8%2C21.8%2C20.8%0A%09%09c12%2C0%2C21.6-9.3%2C21.6-20.6c0-10-5.3-16.4-16.7-19.8c-5.4-1.6-11.3-2.4-11.3-7.2c0-4.1%2C3.3-6.2%2C6.7-6.2C667.7%2C14.4%2C670%2C17.3%2C670%2C20.9%0A%09%09%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
What Is a Scientific Theory?
A theory in science is very different from a theory in everyday conversation.
PHYSICS
An Ancient Book Blasted with High-Powered X-Rays Reveals Text Erased Centuries Ago
The particle accelerator revs electrons to nearly the speed of light.
How to Make a Sled Go Faster, According to Science
Can science help you sled faster? Yes, it can. And even better, everything you need is already in your house.
Impossible Figure Skating Moves from the Movies
Hollywood has taken a few liberties on the ice—and the judges are not impressed.
7 Science-Approved Tips for Walking Across Ice
According to a physicist, a glaciologist, and kinesiologist.
The North Face's New Geodesic Dome Tent Will Protect You in 60 mph Wind
An essential item for the extreme camper.
MIT Scientists Are Building Biomedical Research Labs Out of LEGO Blocks
The plastic toys are opening doors to cheaper, modular scientific tools.
Listen to a House Plant Play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'
New technology from MIT can turn anything into a "visual microphone."
The Thermodynamic Genius of the Classic Drinking Bird Toy
The kitschy desk ornament's mechanism confounded Albert Einstein.
Why Does My Shower Curtain Liner Attack Me?
It cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be bargained with. It's coming for you.
Here's What Actually Happens When You're Electrocuted
There's a reason why "electrocution" sounds like "execution."
Why Your Radiator is So Loud, According to Science
No, it's not a tiny man with a hammer.
6 Priceless Documents That Reveal Key Moments Early in Einstein's Career
Mental Floss spoke to ETH Zurich archivist Michael Gasser about the papers—including one letter in which Einstein calls his good friend a "frozen whale."
The Top 10 Science Stories of 2017
Science can't stop, won't stop.
Researchers Pore Over the Physics Behind the Layered Latte
Fluid dynamics has never tasted so good.
Why Your Christmas Lights Always Get Tangled, According to Science
We turned to mathematicians, physicists, and engineers to find out why the lights are so frustrating—and how to improve them.
Newly Discovered 350-Year-Old Graffiti Shows Sir Isaac Newton's Obsession With Motion Started Early
Conservators used light imaging techniques to spot a tiny windmill sketch that's invisible to the naked eye.
The Fascinating Device Astronauts Use to Weigh Themselves in Space
When conventional scales don't work, they use this instead.
What Is Infinity?
Let's try to wrap our heads around it.
What Causes Turbulence?
It's a lot less scary than it feels.
20 Years Later, James Cameron Is Using Physics to Defend Jack's Death in Titanic
The director claimed that he tested the board itself to gauge its buoyancy.
7 Fascinating Facts About the Sun
Get ready to feel small: The sun is 99.8 percent of the mass of the solar system. Here are more colossal facts about our star.
Einstein's Handwritten Note on Happiness Just Sold for $1.3 Million
He wrote it to tip a hotel bellboy and told him "will probably be worth more than a regular tip."
Stephen Hawking's Ph.D. Thesis Is Now Available Online, and It's Crashing Cambridge's Servers
It was downloaded 60,000 times in 24 hours.