Dozens of times over the last decade NASA scientists have launched laser beams at a reflector the size of a paperback novel about 240,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) away from Earth. They announced ...

Scientists have found a competitor to the lightning rod — one of the most tried and true methods of controlling where lightning strikes. The new method is far more expensive, but it allowed scientists ...

Cracking a 15 year physics mystery, researchers measured the precise size of a proton. In A Nutshell A team in Germany used an unprecedentedly precise laser measurement of hydrogen to pin down the ...

The properties of dense helium (He) — which happens to be a principal constituent of giant gas planets like Jupiter — at thermodynamic conditions between those of condensed matter and high-temperature ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. There’s a reason lightning rods haven’t changed much since ...

Lightning rods have been used to guide lightning strikes for centuries, but now scientists have demonstrated something a bit more advanced than a humble metal stick. Beaming a high-powered laser into ...

In a discovery that challenges conventional optics, scientists have managed to make a laser beam cast its own shadow—a feat previously thought impossible, as light typically passes through other light ...

Tubular laser beams can create what amount to fiber-optic cables made of thin air, researchers report in a study to appear in Physical Review X. Laser-heated air can efficiently transmit light signals ...

A new experiment has demonstrated something that sounds physically impossible – light itself casting a shadow. It turns out that if you manipulate a laser just right, then hit it side-on with another ...