physics
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Gravitational Wave Detectors May Have Spotted A Neutron Star Colliding With A Black Hole
A pair of objects, each more massive than the Sun but only as wide as a city, have once again produced ripples in spacetime that were picked up by sensitive gravitational wave detectors on Earth. But this time, scientists think they may have measured something even weirder the usual.
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The Quest For The Most Elusive Material In Physics
Zack Geballe spent months screwing together pairs of polished diamonds at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Geophysical Laboratory. Theory predicted that squeezed between the diamonds’ tips could be one of the most miraculous substances of modern physics — a material that, at near room temperature, could transport electricity without losing power. He just needed to…
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Why Twisted Graphene Is One Of The Most Exciting Physics Stories Of The Year
Just a year ago, scientists presented results that seemed almost too good to be true: Carbon sheets only a single atom thick, called graphene, took on a pair of important physical properties when they were twisted at just the right “magic” angle relative to one another. If the atmosphere this month at the world’s largest…
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The UK Royal Mint Is Putting A Black Hole On A Coin To Honour Stephen Hawking
The United Kingdom’s Royal Mint will honour the work of Stephen Hawking with a commemorative coin featuring the physicist’s name above concentric circles representing a black hole. It looks pretty awesome.