Issues
From the Editor
Readers’ Forum
Search and Discovery
The theory of black hole formation shares the Nobel Prize in Physics
Roger Penrose proved that black holes could and should form in the universe. The topological picture he used in that proof has become foundational to general relativity.
Nobel Prize in Physics honors the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the heart of the Milky Way
By tracking the orbits of stars close to the galactic center, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez ruled out all possibilities besides a black hole.
Charpentier, Doudna win chemistry Nobel for development of CRISPR-Cas genome editing
Although less than a decade old, the technology is already shaking up research in cell biology and molecular biophysics.
Issues and Events
High radiation dose rates may improve cancer therapy
The ill-understood effect is gaining momentum and opening new avenues of research. CERN’s Compact Linear Collider and other particle accelerators are contributing.
Hydrogen-powered aircraft may be getting a lift
Cutting the weight of fuel tanks and continuing advances in fuel-cell technologies are key to making hydrogen competitive in aviation.
Articles
Exploring cultural heritage through acoustic digital reconstructions
Simulating the acoustics of destroyed or altered amphitheaters, cathedrals, and other architectural sites re-creates their sonic grandeur.
Ultrasound in air
Experimental studies of the underlying physics are difficult when the only sensors reporting contemporaneous data are human beings.
Ocean acoustics in the changing Arctic
Recent changes in ice cover and ocean stratification have been so large that acoustic measurements made during the Cold War no longer reflect current conditions.
Computational phonogram archiving
A general approach to analyzing audio files makes it possible to re-create the sound of ancient instruments, identify cross-cultural musical properties, and more.
Books
New Products
Obituaries
Harry Suhl
Quick Study
Making robots microscopic
Wirelessly powered and mass manufactured, the dust-sized robots can crawl, survive harsh environments, and be injected through a hypodermic needle.