The Milky Way’s last meal
Wandering stars could be remains of a small galaxy absorbed long ago
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Author archive
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How to build your own rocket
When I was first asked to review A Tribble’s Guide To Space, I thought – wrongly as it turned out – that the book was a send-up. Star Trek enthusiasts may recall that in one episode, entitled The Trouble with Tribbles, a Trader called Cyrano Jones brought a small furry animal aboard the Starship Enterprise. […]
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On the road to two-proton radioactivity
Radioactivity is the transformation of an atomic nucleus by one of several mechanisms. Henry Becquerel observed alpha particles: helium-4 clusters consisting of two protons and two neutrons ejected from heavy nuclei. Meanwhile, in beta decay, a neutron transforms into a proton by emitting an electron and an antineutrino. Gamma radioactivity rearranges the structure of the […]
Wanted: teachers young or old
Paula Gould reports on why the recruitment of physics teachers in England and Wales has slumped to an all-time low
Organic magnetism finally demystified
In the January issue of Physics World, Kazuyoshi Tanaka of the Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan, describes how Bakhyt Narymbetov of the Institute for Molecular Science in Okazaki, Japan, and co-workers have succeeded in differentiating two distinct magnetic phases in a carbon-60 compound (B Narymbetov et al. 2000 Nature 407 883).
Extrasolar planets
Andrew Collier Cameron explains how astronomers are searching for an Earth-like planet outside our solar system that could harbour life
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Sensors reveal the secrets of car tyres
The best place for these sensors is in the tyres themselves because this is where all the external forces on the car, with the exception of wind resistance and gravity, are felt. In the January issue of Physics World, Franz Dollinger of Siemens Corporate Technology in Munich, Germany, explains how his team collaborated with the […]
Welcome to 2001
Indeed, it is now possible to study for a degree in science and science fiction. Rest assured that this degree course at the University of Glamorgan in the UK does not involve watching videos and reading SF novels all day (note that science-fiction buffs do not approve of the term “sci-fi”). Rather the course involves […]
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Sound waves deliver a faster pint
With millions of litres of beer and lager sold every day, brewing is big business. One of the main aims of the industry is to increase production by reducing the time needed to turn the barley, hops, yeast and water into a refreshing pint. Now a team of physicists and engineers at EA Technology in […]
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Star high-school students find pulsar
Using data from the Chandra satellite, the young scientists pinpointed an X-ray source in the supernova remnant known as IC443 and asked the National Radio Astronomy Laboratory for data from the VLA to back up their find. The radiowave data confirmed that a point-like source exists in the remnant, supporting the team’s suspicion that the […]
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