Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a thriving research program with exotic atoms that won’t solve the energy crisis but stretches the boundaries of physics. The post Is There Anything Left in the Dream of Cold Fusion? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

For decades, astronomers treated the interstellar medium as a static backdrop to the goings-on of the universe. Now, a wave of 3D mapping is bringing the interstellar medium’s dynamic nature into focus. The post A New Map of ‘Empty’ Space Challenges a Tranquil Picture of the Galaxy first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Astrophysicist Shep Doeleman explains how capturing the first image of a black hole required a telescope the size of the world, and why the next goal is to create a movie. The post How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

By probing its molecular structure, biologists are uncovering how a tangle of unstructured proteins turns into a strong, flexible fiber. The post How Spiders Spin ‘Silk Dope’ Into Nature’s Toughest Material first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A new topological model connects a centuries-old voting paradox to a surface with no distinct inside or outside. The post How Voting Is Like a Klein Bottle first appeared on Quanta Magazine