More from Rahul Rao (Page 3)

Fermilab's Collider Detector.

Particle Physics

This subatomic particle’s surprising heft has weighty consequences

New York city street grid vs. London street grid in thin colorful lines on black

A popular mobile game is teaching scientists how we navigate our worlds

Terahertz laser setup with green lights and silver machinery in a dark room

You’ve probably never heard of terahertz waves, but they could change your life

Rare platinum ore nugget on a black background

Manipulating atomic motion could make metals stronger and bendier

A dripping faucet

Headed back to the office? Make sure your building has flushed out its water.

San Andreas fault's Soda Lake.

Earthquake models get a big shakeup with clues buried in the San Andreas fault

Silver pocket watch being swung on a chain on a black background to symbolize a time crystal

Time crystals just got a little easier to make

An atomic clock at the National Institute of Standards and Technology's JILA.

The most precise atomic clocks ever are proving Einstein right—again

Two chemists pulling apart an old computer in a rare earth metal recycling experiment

Inside the high-powered process that could recycle rare earth metals

Three excited kids in robotics class printing robot toys on a 3D printer

The future might be filled with squishy robots printed to order

Scientists found a fleeting particle from the universe’s first moments

Particle Physics

Scientists found a fleeting particle from the universe’s first moments

The JWST rocket launch.

Space Telescope

NASA’s James Webb telescope is about to arrive at an exceptional point in space

Whirlpool of water to represent a quantum tornado from a physics experiment

How the world’s first ‘quantum tornadoes’ came to be

Ukraine’s Dnieper River

Ancient rocks hold the story of Earth’s first breath of oxygen

Earth viewed from space.

A seismic mystery deep within Earth hints at the moon’s origins

JWST's sunshield in a cleanroom.

Space Telescope

NASA’s James Webb telescope is unfurling a super-thin shield to save it from the sun

This material uses a physics trick to keep roofs cool in summer and warm in winter

This material uses a physics trick to keep roofs cool in summer and warm in winter

Physicists close in on the exceedingly short life of the Higgs boson

Particle Physics

Physicists close in on the exceedingly short life of the Higgs boson

siliicon droplets

Physicists just gifted us ‘quantum spin liquid,’ a weird new state of matter

cinnabar vermilion

These skeletons might be evidence of the oldest known mercury poisonings

Get this: Fungus can make trash smell like strawberries

Get this: Fungus can make trash smell like strawberries

Physicists want to create energy like stars do. These two ways are their best shot.

Physicists want to create energy like stars do. These two ways are their best shot.

an abstract image of light bending

When light flashes for a quintillionth of a second, things get weird

X-rays are revealing new clues about a shipwreck from 1545

X-rays are revealing new clues about a shipwreck from 1545

Strange, dark, and hot ice could explain Uranus and Neptune’s wonky magnetic fields

Strange, dark, and hot ice could explain Uranus and Neptune’s wonky magnetic fields

reused concrete bridge

This Swiss bridge proves it’s possible to reuse concrete

art illustration of the sun

What happens when the sun burns out?

Researchers are using gassy, explosive bacteria to destroy cancer cells

Researchers are using gassy, explosive bacteria to destroy cancer cells

man wiping his nose with a tissue

A comprehensive guide to coronavirus symptoms

A closeup of a bunch of red maple seed, still red and green and unripe.

Floating whirligig microchips could help us monitor nature without leaving a trace

A frog in a dark pond with its vocal sac filled up with air.

The next generation of skincare might come from frog foam

The technology behind Shrinky Dinks can make better robots

The technology behind Shrinky Dinks can make better robots

A red and brown ant on a green leaf.

Surprise: Ants have teeth. Here’s how they keep them sharp.

ocean wave crashing

This yellow floatie can churn the power of the sea into electricity

We finally have a working supersolid. Here’s why that matters.

We finally have a working supersolid. Here’s why that matters.

What the heck is a time crystal, and why are physicists obsessed with them?

What the heck is a time crystal, and why are physicists obsessed with them?

Scientists genetically engineered prehistoric proteins to detect diseases

Scientists genetically engineered prehistoric proteins to detect diseases

The world’s worst conductor could be a game changer in the climate crisis

The world’s worst conductor could be a game changer in the climate crisis

A fibrous black diamond.

Diamonds contain remnants of Earth’s ancient atmosphere

view of yosemite valley from the valley floor

Why is watching Bob Ross paint so dang soothing? We decided to investigate.

Firefighters battle a fire while climbing on a roof.

A new microwave scanner can track moving objects through walls, Superman-style

Plexiglass barriers shield cashier stations in grocery store checkout lanes.

This new plexiglass coating could grab viral droplets from the air

Estuaries could power us to a low-carbon future

Estuaries could power us to a low-carbon future

We finally know what sparks the Northern Lights

We finally know what sparks the Northern Lights

A man looks through the cooling mechanism of a quantum computer.

What the heck is a quantum network?

A scientist looks through a microscope.

This may be the highest resolution microscope we’ll ever get

How shape-shifting magnets could help build a lower-emission computer

The quest to build a cozier LED lightbulb

The quest to build a cozier LED lightbulb

An empty TV frame overlooks a forest growing in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Ultra-powerful X-rays are helping physicists understand Chernobyl

An artist's illustration depicting Voyager 1 in interstellar space

How the most distant object ever made by humans is spending its dying days

people wearing masks walking down a street

Most states will open vaccinations to all adults by mid-April

muon ring at fermilab

Particle Physics

Inside the discovery that could change particle physics

exploring moon caves

We could live in caves on the moon. What would that be like?

Traveler sits on suitcase in airport.

Fully vaccinated people can safely travel, the CDC says

an atom interferometer

Researchers just linked three atomic clocks, and it could change the future of timekeeping

Countries resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after new data shows it’s safe

a decapitated slug still alive

The process sea slugs use to regrow severed body parts is surprisingly common

COVID-19 vaccines

Returning to normal life is going to be a slow and steady process

Treefrogs have noise-cancelling headphones built into their ears

Masks, well-ventilated classrooms, and other precautions are key to reopening schools

Like humans, naked mole-rats have regional accents

Mars' surface, in high-resolution and color, as captured by the Hazcams on NASA's Perseverance rover.

See Mars through Perseverance’s eyes

COVID-19 vaccine vials

Why COVID cases are falling around the world

a vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Facing COVID-19 variants, vaccine makers are weighing how to tweak their designs

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