In depth: Astronomy, astrophysics & cosmology

Human spaceflight: science or spectacle?

Nov 2, 2009 2 comments Opinion

The big debate: David Clements and Ian Crawford spar over whether human spaceflight is worth the effort

Prince of darkness

Oct 13, 2009 5 comments Feature

Nuclear astrophysicist Alex Murphy shares his views on the nature of dark matter and gets excited over the forthcoming restart of the ZEPLIN III detector

Of gluons, atoms and strings

Sep 1, 2009 Feature

An unusual alliance between physicists who study ultrahot plasmas and ultracold atoms is yielding intriguing results – and may even lead to an experimental test for string theory, as Barbara Jacak reveals

Voyager heads for interstellar space

Aug 25, 2009 1 comment Feature

Richard Corfield celebrates the 20 year anniversary since NASA's Voyager mission left the solar system and began the second leg of its epic journey — an exploration of interstellar space

Chamber simulates space on Earth

Jul 31, 2009 Feature

Stan Grisnik describes how NASA’s huge craft-testing facility can recreate the vacuum conditions of space.

Darwin’s legacy

Jul 1, 2009 13 comments Feature

Born 200 years ago, Charles Darwin is rightly celebrated for his work explaining the origin of species. But in setting a new standard for what an explanation of nature should be like, he also had a huge impact on physics and cosmology, as Leonard Susskind explains

The call of the wild

Jul 1, 2009 1 comment Opinion

Robert P Crease talks to a former string theorist who found what he wanted in science when he applied the tools of physics to fundamental questions in biology

Is there really no place like home?

Jun 2, 2009 5 comments Review

The unique universe

Jun 2, 2009 39 comments Feature

Many cosmological theories not only see our universe as one of many but also claim that time does not exist. Lee Smolin argues against the timeless multiverse

The power of robotics

Jun 2, 2009 2 comments Opinion

Robotics competitions supply a vital missing link in science and engineering education, says Robert P Crease

Web life: Hyperphysics

May 1, 2009 1 comment Review

Doing science in the open

May 1, 2009 12 comments Feature

Online networking tools are pervasive, but why have scientists been so slow to adopt many of them? Michael Nielsen explains how we can build a better culture of online collaboration

In search of the black swans

Apr 1, 2009 14 comments Feature

The publish-or-perish ethic too often favours a narrow and conservative approach to scientific innovation. Mark Buchanan asks whether we are pushing revolutionary ideas to the margins

Stars in his eyes

Mar 18, 2009 Feature

Inspiring public interest in the night sky is one of the key objectives of the International Year of Astronomy. You can be sure then that the Public Astronomer of the UK – Marek Kukula – is experiencing a very high workload right now. Physics World reporter James Dacey managed to steal a bit of time from Kukula's schedule to find out about his job, his interests, and his thoughts on the future of astronomy.