Dozens of times over the last decade NASA scientists have launched laser beams at a reflector the size of a paperback novel about 240,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) away from Earth. They announced ...

Physicists are learning to carve laser beams into intricate shapes that can grab hold of electrons and push them with a precision that once sounded like science fiction. Instead of simply blasting ...

Scientists have found a competitor to the lightning rod — one of the most tried and true methods of controlling where lightning strikes. The new method is far more expensive, but it allowed scientists ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. There’s a reason lightning rods haven’t changed much since ...

In a discovery that challenges conventional optics, scientists have managed to make a laser beam cast its own shadow—a feat previously thought impossible, as light typically passes through other light ...

Muons are unstable subatomic particles that spontaneously and rapidly transform into other particles via a process known as ...

The properties of dense helium (He) — which happens to be a principal constituent of giant gas planets like Jupiter — at thermodynamic conditions between those of condensed matter and high-temperature ...

Researchers have developed a method that could one day be used to build roads on the moon. The novel approach, described in a proof-of-concept study published in the journal Scientific Reports, would ...

The ZEUS laser facility at the University of Michigan has roughly doubled the peak power of any other laser in the U.S. with its first official experiment at 2 petawatts (2 quadrillion watts). At more ...