Meet The Queer Woman Who Proved Einsteins Theory About Gravitational Waves

Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime—almost a century ago. But until recently there was no way to observe them. B...

How We Entered A New Era Of Astronomy

Last week, a new era of astronomy began as Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory executive director David Reitze stood before a packed room at the National Pr...

Gravitational Waves Have Been Detected, A Century After Einstein Predicted Them

The results are in, and the rumors are true. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), based jointly in Louisiana and Washington, has directly detecte...

What Is a Gravitational Wave Detector, and Why Do We Want to Send One to Space?

Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime. They’re a prediction of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, but while we’ve seen indirect eviden...

Physicists Open A Tabletop Magnetic 'Wormhole'

A team of Spanish researchers has successfully constructed a magnetic “wormhole,” according to an open-access paper published this week in Scientific Reports. W...

Techno-Visionaries And The Philosopher’s Stone

“I think that novels that leave out technology misrepresent life as badly as Victorians misrepresented life by leaving out sex.”

– Kurt Vonnegut Read More

Emmy Noether Revolutionized Mathematics — And Still Faced Sexism All Her Life

Emmy Noether was one of the most brilliant and important mathematicians of the 20th century. She altered the course of modern physics. Einstein called her a genius. Yet tod...