Physics & mathematics
Whether it's the forces that keep athletes twirling, the weird laws governing the quantum realm, or the far-out ideas of time travel and alternate universes, physics and mathematics cover a lot of interesting territory. Our team of expert science writers and editors are here to demystify these concepts with clarity and accuracy, keeping you up to date with the latest physics news, discoveries, articles and features.
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![On a navy blue background is the book cover of 'The One Thing You Need to Know: 21 Key Scientific Concepts of the 21st Century' by Marcus Chown. It's a navy blue cover, with a yellow swirly ring in the middle. There are numbers in yellow and green dotted around the background. Text in white at the top is the author's name, Marcus Chown. The capital white text inside the ring is the title which reads 'The one thing you need to know.' At the bottom in a mix of yellow and white text it reads 'The simple way to understand the most important ideas in science.'](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ssvbswc7cwtFYYroK7oQQP-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ssvbswc7cwtFYYroK7oQQP-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ssvbswc7cwtFYYroK7oQQP-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ssvbswc7cwtFYYroK7oQQP-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ssvbswc7cwtFYYroK7oQQP-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ssvbswc7cwtFYYroK7oQQP-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
'The most magical equation in physics': How Paul Dirac accidentally revealed the strange world of antimatter
By Marcus Chown published
In this extract from the book 'The One Thing You Need to Know', author Marcus Chown explains how the Dirac Equation came to be.
![A supercooled superconductor floats above a magnet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wBwgjWqefC5u8Bk2vZDdwN-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wBwgjWqefC5u8Bk2vZDdwN-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wBwgjWqefC5u8Bk2vZDdwN-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wBwgjWqefC5u8Bk2vZDdwN-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wBwgjWqefC5u8Bk2vZDdwN-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wBwgjWqefC5u8Bk2vZDdwN-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Did scientists really create a room temperature superconductor? Not so fast, experts say.
By Ben Turner published
The research, which has not been peer-reviewed, has sparked viral attempts at imitation around the world.
![A bright, orange circle in the center of a ring of light. Four bright white spots form a cross shape on the circle's perimeter](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDL9CvzPvQHrDLnRCb5i5m-320-80.png 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDL9CvzPvQHrDLnRCb5i5m-450-80.png 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDL9CvzPvQHrDLnRCb5i5m-650-80.png 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDL9CvzPvQHrDLnRCb5i5m-970-80.png 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDL9CvzPvQHrDLnRCb5i5m-1024-80.png 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uDL9CvzPvQHrDLnRCb5i5m-1200-80.png 1200w)
Rare 'Einstein cross' warps light from one of the universe's brightest objects in this stunning image
By Ben Turner published
Einstein predicted the existence of these crosses back in 1915. Now, they are used to study distant galaxies.
![Quantinuum's H2 quantum processor, on which the non-abelian anyons were created.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VM49hCkhiL5Y46ELkJnVm6-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VM49hCkhiL5Y46ELkJnVm6-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VM49hCkhiL5Y46ELkJnVm6-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VM49hCkhiL5Y46ELkJnVm6-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VM49hCkhiL5Y46ELkJnVm6-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VM49hCkhiL5Y46ELkJnVm6-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Bizarre particle that can remember its own past created inside quantum computer
By Ben Turner published
Non abelian-anyons' recollection of their past has enabled physicists to weave them into complex entangled designs with new behaviors.
![A wispy red bubble of matter on a dense background of stars. A Hubble image of a supernova.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjtyEHJm4t4XmamfjXoqhH-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjtyEHJm4t4XmamfjXoqhH-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjtyEHJm4t4XmamfjXoqhH-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjtyEHJm4t4XmamfjXoqhH-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjtyEHJm4t4XmamfjXoqhH-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjtyEHJm4t4XmamfjXoqhH-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Invisible supernovas called 'bosenovas' may be exploding all around us, new research suggests
By Paul Sutter published
What happens when an invisible star dies? It erupts in an invisible explosion, of course. New research describes how these unseen 'bosenovas' may behave.
![A galaxy with an exceptionally bright, stretched-out disk of light around it](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AzMWgF4VSz9sVfT9dCuPTG-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AzMWgF4VSz9sVfT9dCuPTG-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AzMWgF4VSz9sVfT9dCuPTG-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AzMWgF4VSz9sVfT9dCuPTG-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AzMWgF4VSz9sVfT9dCuPTG-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AzMWgF4VSz9sVfT9dCuPTG-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Bizarre 'relic galaxy' is missing a key component of the universe, and scientists are stumped
By Robert Lea published
A massive galaxy far from Earth seems to be entirely devoid of dark matter, contrary to all accepted cosmological models.
![A large sandcastle on a beach with the sea in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxTbGMRG3auF5sRP5GhtaP-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxTbGMRG3auF5sRP5GhtaP-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxTbGMRG3auF5sRP5GhtaP-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxTbGMRG3auF5sRP5GhtaP-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxTbGMRG3auF5sRP5GhtaP-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxTbGMRG3auF5sRP5GhtaP-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
How do sandcastles stay together?
By Charles Q. Choi published
How can you get the right mixture of sand, water and air for your sandcastle?
![Robert Patrick as the sinister self-healing T-1000 in the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAguS7mpYtWFWpNxzKEAAR-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAguS7mpYtWFWpNxzKEAAR-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAguS7mpYtWFWpNxzKEAAR-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAguS7mpYtWFWpNxzKEAAR-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAguS7mpYtWFWpNxzKEAAR-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAguS7mpYtWFWpNxzKEAAR-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Scientists observe metal repairing itself for the first time. Could Terminator robots be on the horizon?
By Ben Turner published
Microfractures in nano-size copper and platinum have been observed healing themselves from repeated tugs.
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