Science

David Parker/Science Photo Library You might say it all started with a spot of hay fever. In June 1925, a young physicist named Werner Heisenberg retreated to the barren island of Helgoland in the North Sea, seeking respite from his allergies. There, he scribbled down equations that would light an intellectual fire in Europe, eventually forming the basis of an idea that shook our view of how reality works to the core. That idea was quantum theory. In recognition of the quantum centenary, the United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. There will be celebrations, exhibitions and conferences all over the world. This article is part of a special series celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of quantum theory. Re...

Growing up in Seychelles, a small island developing state with vast ocean territory and a deep reliance on marine ecosystems, Jeremy Raguain developed a strong passion for ocean conservation. Since graduating from Columbia University’s Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program in May 2024, he has taken on a critical role at the International Union for Conservation of Nature Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office. His work focuses on accelerating the ratification and implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, an international agreement that seeks to ensure the sustainable use and conservation of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. In this interview, Raguain shares insights o...

PACE, a light-based computer chip made by LightelligenceLightelligence Computers that use light rather than electricity to represent and manipulate data could slash the power demands of data centres and simultaneously speed up calculations. Two studies published today describe breakthroughs in running real-world problems on light-based computers, making the technology on the verge of commercial application, say researchers. Electronic computers, like those we all use today, historically followed Moore’s Law: the power of machines doubled every two years. But in recent years, progress has slowed as the miniaturisation of transistors hit fundamental physical limits. Researchers are working on numerous potential solutions, including quantum computing and photonic com...

Photo: Lukasz Kobus/European Commission As exciting as it is when certain records are bested, others are better left alone.  Case in point: Last year was the warmest year on record. Global temperatures in 2024 were 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above NASA’s 20th-century baseline (1951-1980), which tops the record set in 2023. The new record comes after 15 consecutive months of monthly temperature records. We need to do a lot more to stop that number from rising, because it’s affecting our day-to-day lives. For instance, there were 27 billion-dollar climate and weather disasters in the U.S. in 2024. (Meaning, of the several climate-related events in this country, 27 of them inflicted damages exceeding $1 billion.)  Many modern conveniences have created an excess...

On a large table draped with hundreds of cables, a maze of mirrors and lenses bounces and guides a thin beam of laser light. It culminates at a silvery capsule, which holds 40,000 strontium atoms cooled to within a whisker of absolute zero. This delicate edifice is an optical clock, one of the world’s most accurate timepieces. Instruments like this aren’t exactly designed to be portable – which makes it more than a little surprising that the operators of one such device at the German national metrology institute packed it into a trailer and sent it hurtling down a motorway. It was the start of a perilous journey: a bad jolt could disrupt the beat of its precise ticks. But it was necessary. That was because, in 2022, scientists globally agreed that we should start work...