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Illustration of a giant toddler on a trike.

The freckled universe

05/06/25

Madeleine O’Keefe

There’s a new class of cosmic object in town. And it might just overturn our understanding of black holes and galaxy evolution.

01/06/14

Physicists harness the power of probability

What do the stock market, weather models and the discovery of the Higgs boson all have in common? They all are deeply indebted to statistics.

12/20/13

Santa at nearly the speed of light

This time of year, children who know their physics may start to question if Santa could possibly be real. As symmetry pauses for the holidays, we offer this thought experiment to put their hearts at ease.

12/18/13

The value of fundamental research

The winners and finalists of this year’s $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize convened to discuss strategies for elevating the public’s awareness and knowledge of theoretical physics.

Illustration of dark matter, visible matter, dark neutron, WIMP, dark electrons, neutrino, axion, grintino

12/17/13

Four things you might not know about dark matter

How much do you really know about dark matter? Symmetry looks at one of the biggest remaining mysteries in particle physics.

A NOvA near detector block in its new home 350 feet underground

12/12/13

Neutrino detector block

A close look at the assembly of the NOvA near detector reveals a massive yet meticulous process.

12/11/13

Exhibit brings the LHC to London

Visitors to London’s Science Museum can now take a simulated tour of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider.

Illustration of Day In the Life: Geoffrey West

12/10/13

The scale of things

Geoffrey West applies his ‘physics way of thinking’ to biology and urban life.

12/02/13

Baryonic acoustic oscillations

Scientists have found a way to study sound waves from the early universe to learn more about its history and contents.

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