Physics
The quantum world is mind-bogglingly weird
At the smallest scales, particles are ghostly and ill-behaved. No one understands them, but that doesn’t keep scientists from trying.
Current Issue
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
Rampaging vines are slowly strangling tropical forests
Called lianas,these vines are growing out of control. They may cause tropical forests to absorb less carbon dioxide — worsening climate change.
Explainer
Technically Fiction
Brain
Could the magic of memory manipulation ever become real?
Someday, technology might be able to help people better hold onto memories or forget bad ones.
Profile
Math
His love of math led to a career in quantum computing
James Whitfield began his career when quantum computing was still in its infancy. Today, he’s helping to make it more accessible to educators, researchers and others.
Features
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Here’s why scientists want a good quantum computer
These machines could tackle big problems in climate, medicine and more. But the tech is still in its infancy — and runs on truly strange physics.
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Rampaging vines are slowly strangling tropical forests
Called lianas,these vines are growing out of control. They may cause tropical forests to absorb less carbon dioxide — worsening climate change.
More Stories from the April 1, 2025 issue
- Earth
It’s electric! Long-sought new field found in Earth’s atmosphere
This ambipolar electric field is weak. Yet it’s still strong enough to control the evolution of Earth’s upper atmosphere — and maybe life as we know it.
- Brain
Ouch! The pain of pulled hair registers superfast
A hair pull is detected by a protein used to sense light touches. It also travels faster than most other types of pain.
- Animals
Giant rat border agents could help put a stop to wildlife poaching
African giant pouched rats have been trained to ferret out elephant ivory, pangolin scales and more. They could be put to work preventing smuggling.
- Chemistry
Experiment: How to keep fruit slices fresh
Let’s explore why fruit tends to brown over time and how to keep it looking fresh.
- Tech
A Jurassic Park-inspired method can safely store data in DNA
DNA can store all types of data. An amber-like material can now protect its information long-term — or release it on demand for short-term use.
- Space
This zombie star’s spiky filaments are baffling astronomers
The star's odd tendrils were somehow formed by a supernova that skywatchers saw way back in 1181.
