Culture, history and society
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Physics books that captured the imagination in 2021
Some of the year’s best popular-science books and a Stephen Hawking quiz
Two scientists’ debate over whether the universe had a beginning – and how the elements were created
Laura Hiscott reviews Flashes of Creation: George Gamow, Fred Hoyle, and the Great Big Bang Debate by Paul Halpern
Opinion and reviews
US-China quantum rivalry creates harmful barriers to progress
Yangyang Cheng examines a historical precedent for the technological competition between the US and China in quantum physics
So you think the history of science is easy?
Robert P Crease explains why the history of science is harder and more complicated than you might realize
Frames of reference in science and culture, and how they influence progress
Immanuel Adewumi reviews The Disordered Cosmos: a Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
How nuclear information has been hidden – and brought to light
Margaret Harris reviews Restricted Data: the History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States by Alex Wellerstein
Thinking outside of the box – but not too far from it
Philip Moriarty reviews Fear of a Black Universe: an Outsider’s Guide to the Future of Physics by Stephon Alexander
Competitive not cut-throat: what baseball’s Ted Williams tells us about physicists’ instincts
Physicists are competitive, but that doesn’t make them cut-throat, argues Robert P Crease
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Read article: Entangling a live tardigrade, radiation warning on anti-5G accessories
Entangling a live tardigrade, radiation warning on anti-5G accessories
Excerpts from the Red Folder
Read article: Meet the winners of the Physics World 2021 Breakthrough of the Year award
Meet the winners of the Physics World 2021 Breakthrough of the Year award
In this podcast we talk about the prizewinning entanglement of macroscopic drumheads
Read article: Quantum entanglement of two macroscopic objects is the Physics World 2021 Breakthrough of the Year
Quantum entanglement of two macroscopic objects is the Physics World 2021 Breakthrough of the Year
This year’s award is shared by two independent teams
Read article: Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2021: a lively round-up of the year’s best physics results
Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2021: a lively round-up of the year’s best physics results
In this podcast we chat about our eclectic shortlist
Read article: Physics World announces its finalists for the 2021 Breakthrough of the Year
Physics World announces its finalists for the 2021 Breakthrough of the Year
A "significant step" towards controlled nuclear fusion, entangled macroscopic drumheads and a theory-defying muon result are on our shortlist of the year's best work
Read article: Physics points the way to COVID-safe singing
Physics points the way to COVID-safe singing
Specialist face masks and better ventilation could help prevent choral super-spreading events with minimal effect on sound quality
Read article: How physics can help COVID-proof everyday life
How physics can help COVID-proof everyday life
Fluid dynamics experts weigh in on masks, ventilation and other measures to stop airborne viruses
Read article: Focused sound knocks over LEGO figures, tracking snow using infrared light
Focused sound knocks over LEGO figures, tracking snow using infrared light
Excerpts from the Red Folder
Read article: Cutting through the quantum hype, why the Stark effect should be renamed
Cutting through the quantum hype, why the Stark effect should be renamed
We talk about the “German Physics” movement of the 1930s and the quantum-computing industry
Read article: Could a conventional chair be a quantum measuring device?
Could a conventional chair be a quantum measuring device?
Roberto Merlin on explaining the quantum measurement problem, and how a particle distinguishes a Geiger counter from a chair
Read article: Materials science conserves 500-year-old warship, new gravitational-wave discoveries by LIGO–Virgo
Materials science conserves 500-year-old warship, new gravitational-wave discoveries by LIGO–Virgo
In this podcast we chat with the chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust and LIGO–Virgo physicists at Cardiff University
Read article: Learned societies propose ‘International Year of Quantum Science and Technology’ in 2025
Learned societies propose ‘International Year of Quantum Science and Technology’ in 2025
Physicists advocate for a UNESCO International Year of Quantum Science and Technology to be held in 2025
Read article: Clever aerodynamics makes owls silent hunters, why 2025 should be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
Clever aerodynamics makes owls silent hunters, why 2025 should be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
In this podcast we also chat about multiscale X-ray imaging and Pauli blocking
Read article: Theory of teapot dribbling is complete at last, solar panels host astonishing microorganisms
Theory of teapot dribbling is complete at last, solar panels host astonishing microorganisms
Excerpts from The Red Folder
Read article: Life beyond the Nobel: laureates tend to be serial risk-takers
Life beyond the Nobel: laureates tend to be serial risk-takers
Winning the Nobel prize brings unprecedented freedom to explore new ideas
#BlackInPhysics
#BlackInPhysics week is an event dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like
Read our coverage on Physics World
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- Optics and photonics | Conference SPIE Photonics West 2022 22—27 January 2022 | San Francisco, US
- Quantum | Virtual event Openness as a resource: accessing new quantum states with dissipation 31 January — 4 February 2022
- Medical physics | Workshop Perfusion MRI: From Head to Toe 4—7 February 2022 | Los Angeles, US
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