The Promises—and Perils—of Ocean Desalination
Sean Bothwell can understand why people think desalination is a silver bullet. When he was a kid living in California’s Orange County, the ocean was always close by. It didn’t…
Physicists Create Photonic Time Crystal That Amplifies Light
A team of researchers designed a two-dimensional photonic time crystal that they say could have applications in technologies like transmitters and lasers. What Is Carbon Capture? With Gizmodo’s Molly Taft…
Physicists Recreate Classic ‘Double-Slit’ Experiment Using Time Instead of Space
A team of physicists has recreated a classic experiment in particle physics with a dimensional twist, by performing it in time instead of just space. In the process, they showcased…
Bent Light in Deep Space Reveals One of the Biggest Black Holes Ever Detected
Holy smokes. A group of astronomers have found a black hole containing (checks notes) 30 billion times the mass of our Sun. That’s more than seven times the size of…
What to Know About Philly’s Tap Water After Chemical Spill
Residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are currently grappling with uncertainty and anxiety surrounding their tap water. On Friday night, more than 8,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals spilled into Otter Creek (also…
Webb Telescope Spots a Planet With ‘Gritty’ Clouds Just 40 Light-Years Away
The Webb Space Telescope just turned its infrared gaze at an exoplanet and found dense clouds swirling in the atmosphere of this quirky world. CC Off English The planet—VHS 1256b—has…
How Plant Quantum Electronics Could Make Better Renewable Energy
What if we could mimic how plants, algae, and bacteria harvest sunlight to create better solar panels? New research published Wednesday in Nature explores the molecular nitty-gritty of photosynthesis, and…
A NASA Telescope on the Moon’s Far Side Would Explore the Universe’s ‘Dark Ages’
In a bid to understand even more about our mysterious and massive universe, NASA is partnering with the Department of Energy on an ambitious lunar project. The two agencies announced…
Newest Webb Image Is a Stunning View of a Star’s Penultimate Stage
The Webb Space Telescope has produced a stupendous view of a Wolf-Rayet star, an extraordinarily bright object in the sky that (you may want to sit down) will soon die.…
The Worst U.S. Chemical Disasters Caused by Train Derailments
Officials examine a derailed car in Paulsboro on November 30, 2012.Photo: Mel Evans (AP) The accident most similar to what’s happening now in Ohio occurred in November 2012, when a…