Twisting up atoms through space and time

One of the most exciting applications of quantum computers will be to direct their gaze inwards, at the very quantum rules that make them tick. Quantum computers can be used to simulate quantum physics itself, and perhaps ...

Could climate change shut down the Gulf Stream?

The 2004 disaster movie "The Day After Tomorrow" depicted the cataclysmic effects—superstorms, tornadoes and deep freezes— resulting from the impacts of climate change. In the movie, global warming had accelerated the ...

What is the largest desert on Earth?

When you hear the word desert, what comes to mind? Chances are, you'd think of sun, sand, and very little in the way of rain. Perhaps cacti, vultures, mesas, and scorpions come to mind as well, or possibly camels and oases? ...

What lies beneath: Venus' surface revealed through the clouds

Using observations from ESA's Venus Express satellite, scientists have shown for the first time how weather patterns seen in Venus' thick cloud layers are directly linked to the topography of the surface below. Rather than ...

Light unbound: Data limits could vanish with new optical antennas

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a new way to harness properties of light waves that can radically increase the amount of data they carry. They demonstrated the emission of discrete twisting ...

Rats have an imagination, new research finds

As humans, we live in our thoughts: from pondering what to make for dinner to daydreaming about our last beach vacation. Now, researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus have found that animals also possess an imagination.

When sand-slithering snakes behave like light waves

Desert snakes slithering across the sand at night can encounter obstacles such as plants or twigs that alter the direction of their travel. While studying that motion to learn how limbless animals control their bodies in ...

A person's true feelings can be revealed in language patterns

What someone says out loud about a group of people and how they actually feel about them aren't always the same thing, but a person's true sentiments about other groups of people can be revealed by the language patterns they ...

New astrobiology research predicts life 'as we don't know it'

The search for alien life has been restricted to using life on Earth as the reference, essentially looking for "life as we know it" beyond Earth. For astrobiologists looking for life on other planets, there are simply no ...

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