physics

Probing the universe's mysteries, Stephen Hawking proved the power of the human spirit

By Miles O'Brien

Stephen Hawking overcame the loss of his working limbs and voice to become the best-known theoretical physicist of his era, upending the scientific consensus that nothing escapes the intense gravity of black holes. Earning countless honors, he used his fame…

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The magic (and math) of skating on thin ice without falling in

By Julia Griffin

When skating on less than two inches of frozen water, plan ahead, be prepared and make sure it is the right kind of ice.

These tiny satellites, equipped with ion thrusters, could change how we explore space

By Nsikan Akpan

An engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wants to explore the cosmos with CubeSats and ion engines inspired by static electricity.

Thanks to a particle accelerator, we can see inside this ancient mummy

By Fedor Kossakovski

On Monday, a team of scientists carted the mummy of a five-year-old girl off for a 24-hour session with a particle accelerator.

Answering the question that won me the Ig Nobel prize: Are cats liquid?

By Marc-Antoine Fardin, The Conversation

A liquid is traditionally defined as a material that adapts its shape to fit a container. Under certain conditions, cats seem to fit this definition.

2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to 'cool' 3D pictures of bioarchitecture

By Nsikan Akpan

Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson have won the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a way to image biomolecules at cold temperatures.

WATCH: Total eclipse crosses the continental U.S.

By Nsikan Akpan

For those unable to visit a spot on the 3,000-mile-long, 70-mile-wide path of totality, you’re in luck. In partnership with NOVA, NewsHour will be streaming the solar eclipse event all afternoon.

5 things you should remember as you prepare for the great solar eclipse

By Nsikan Akpan, Julia Griffin

If you plan to join the 5,000-year-old tradition of eclipse watching next Monday, here are five things you need to remember.

This ancient asteroid family reveals clues about the birth of the solar system

By Roni Dengler

An international team has tipped the debate on the origins of the solar system with the discovery of one of the oldest known asteroid families.

These stairs recycle your energy so they're easier to climb

By Roni Dengler

Researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University have built energy-recycling stairs that store a user’s energy during descent and return energy to the user during ascent.