Natalie Wolchover

Give it up for 1/137.

The Swiss physicist Nicolas Gisin is using an old form of math to rethink the very basics of what we know about time.

Your bedroom mirror does the trick in the morning, but for scientists studying gravitational waves, even the tiniest of imperfections can make a huge difference.

AI excels at following human commands. That may be a problem.

Describing neutrino oscillations is notoriously tricky. The search for a shortcut led to unexpected places.

The object might be as massive as 100 suns—if it even exists.

The universe is expanding, but no one can agree on exactly how fast.

Black holes are somehow able to grow constantly without changing their size. Physics might finally be able to explain why.

“When you see that, you know you’re touching on something very, very deep and fundamental.”

H₂O is older than the sun, and could play a key role in helping planets grow.