Physics news, articles and features | New Scientist

Huge progress made in attempt to upgrade standard model of particles

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A challenging mathematical effort undertaken by a team of undergraduates has put bounds on a promising set of ways to break and upgrade the standard model of particle physics

Richard Feynman’s 80-year-old quantum postulate has now been validated

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Decades after it was posited as a foundational principle of quantum physics, Richard Feynman’s “path integral” has been directly measured in an experiment for the first time

How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm

Jacklin Kwan — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:08:24 +0000

Our sun is capable of storms far bigger than we’ve ever recorded. Studying the world’s oldest trees suggests we could be due one of these gargantuan events soon

Rainbows can be made from sounds – and we’ve created the best ones yet

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:30:22 +0000

Two research teams have independently created devices within which sound waves could be separated by frequency, creating the most complete sound rainbows yet

Could we eliminate any particles from the standard model of physics?

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The standard model of physics is one of the most successful scientific theories in existence, but do we need it all? Columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explores whether it’s carrying any excess baggage

The paradox that breaks the laws of physics | John Goold

Emily Bates — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Could a “demon” break one of the most fundamental laws of physics? Maxwell’s demon has puzzled physicists for more than 150 years. What began as a thought experiment about heat and entropy is now part of our understanding of information, computation and the laws of thermodynamics. Physicist John Goold explains the paradox and what the demon reveals about the relationship between entropy, measurement and the quantum world.

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The biggest mysteries in physics may have one answer

The once-impossible black holes that could break thermodynamics

Jacklin Kwan — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The laws of physics seemed to forbid a strange variety of black holes that could have zero temperature. Columnist Jacklin Kwan explores research that shows these strange behemoths can really exist – and how they could test the limits of thermodynamics

The biggest mysteries in physics may have one answer

Emily Bates — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Could our universe have more dimensions than the three of space and one of time that we experience?

Recent results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) have renewed interest in whether our current picture of the universe is complete. Some theories suggest that extra dimensions could help explain three of the greatest mysteries in physics: the nature of dark energy; the invisible influence of dark matter; and why gravity is so much weaker than the other fundamental forces.

From string theory to braneworlds, the search for extra dimensions pushes the boundaries of science and could reveal that the reality we experience isn’t all there is.

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Does dark energy stem from a thermodynamic theory of space-time?

Jupiter’s deepest mysteries were hidden in shadow. Now we can see them

Joshua Howgego — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0000

NASA researcher Heidi Becker has photographed sublime sights around Jupiter that have never been seen before, from its ghostly rings to the dark sides of its moons. And she does it all with an instrument that wasn't even designed for photography

New Scientist recommends Anish Kapoor’s show at the Hayward Gallery

Rowan Hooper — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:43:11 +0000

Viscera, voids and light-gobbling Vantablack conspire to disturb and amaze in Anish Kapoor’s new exhibition, which has heavy nods to the nature of reality, science and religion