The shape of gold nanostructures changes depending on how they are imaged. This electron-microscope image shows a nanosized cube wrapped in a gold layer. The tiny package is the result of reactions ...

A pattern of surface waves bestowed with fivefold symmetry hosts topological structures. Soon after quasicrystals made their debut in 1984, physicists realized that the ordered, nonrepeating ...

A new technique for generating solid fibers from a liquid jet is easier to model—and thus easier to control—than past methods. Transformed by light. These seven photos show a liquid streaming downward ...

A decades-old neutrino mystery might be solved not by undiscovered physics but by improved calculations.

A proposed lab-based quantum sensor could precisely measure within seconds the warping of spacetime caused by Earth’s rotation. Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicts that Earth’s rotation ...

A hallmark property of unconventional superconductivity has been discovered in a type-I superconductor, whereas it’s normally observed only in type-II materials. Superconductors can be broadly ...

Increasing the charging rate of a quantum battery leads to unavoidable fluctuations in the total energy stored. A quantum battery exploits quantum correlations between its component cells to achieve ...

Chess grandmasters move toward a less complex game faster than AI players, suggesting different approaches for balancing short- and long-term prospects. Game of trade-offs. Chess players need to ...

A carbon nanotube foam springs back to its initial state, regardless of the speed of the compression, a property that could lead to a new type of shock absorber. Perfect padding. Vertically aligned ...

A crystal with special geometric properties can be optically driven to produce an output beam with any desired polarization. Researchers have developed a method for controlling the polarization of ...