discoveries

Hamilton Nolan · 09/12/13 01:40PM

The world's thinnest glass is just two atoms thick. You can't use it for shit.

Oh My God Particle: Physicists Confirm Observation of Higgs Boson

Maggie Lange · 03/14/13 08:42AM

Physicists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research confirmed today that they have discovered a subatomic particle that is a crucial building block of the universe. Called a Higgs boson, this particle will help to explain what gives matter in the universe size and shape. The existence of the particle was predicted in 1964 as a component of the most widespread model of the physical universe. The particle takes its proper name from Peter Higgs, the physicist who proposed its existence, but the boson particle has been popularly nicknamed the "God particle."

Unbreakable WWII Code Found on Long-Dead Pigeon

Mallory Ortberg · 11/24/12 01:29PM

Because sometimes life is every bit as exciting and riddled with mysteries as you had hoped it would be as a cunning, hopeful child, a man in southern England has discovered the remains of a homing pigeon carrying an encrypted message for a British intelligence agency while renovating his 17th-century fireplace. The man, David Martin, found the remains of the pigeon back in 1982 but the existence of the message remained a secret until earlier this month.

Scientists Discover Massive "Super-Jupiter" Planet

Mallory Ortberg · 11/19/12 10:11PM

Because space is just amazing, astronomers in Hawaii announced today that they've found a planet 170 light-years away from Earth that is more than thirteen times larger than the largest planet in our solar system (that's Jupiter, for those of you just tuning in). They've also managed to take a photo of its surface, which is a fairly rare occurrence, and the rest of us get to benefit from living in the really tremendous kind of era where anyone can just look at photographs taken in outer space over lunch at our desks.

Scientists Discover Pluto's Fifth Moon

Taylor Berman · 07/11/12 09:29PM

Perhaps because they still feel bad about taking away Pluto's official planet privileges in 2006, scientists using the Hubble Telescope discovered a fifth moon orbiting the former 9th planet. The moon, creatively titled S/2012 (134340) 1, or P5, is irregular in shape and roughly 6-15 miles across.

'Beautiful Feathered Tyrant' Too Fat to Fly

Caity Weaver · 04/05/12 12:37AM

A team of Chinese and Canadian scientists announced on Wednesday that farmers had discovered a new species of dinosaur as big as a T-rex, covered in feathers, in a small quarry in northeast China. The dinosaurs, found in a pack of three, are the largest feathered animal ever discovered – alive or extinct.

Science Locates the Elusive Fish Fart

Hamilton Nolan · 03/27/12 01:58PM

"Researchers hoping to better understand fish distributions by recording the sounds they make have picked up something unusual: barely-audible, cricket-like noises they think could be nighttime fish farts." In Tampa Bay, as you probably guessed.

Monster Cockroach Can Jump

Maureen O'Connor · 12/14/11 10:20AM

A team of scientists have discovered the horrible monster bug from all New Yorkers' nightmares. The "leaproach" is a cockroach capable of sailing short distances through the air and landing, possibly, on your face:

Meet Pluto's New Moon

Adrian Chen · 07/20/11 04:41PM

Astronomers using Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a new, 21 mile-wide moon orbiting Pluto. They're going to call it "P4" until they can come up with a better name for it.

Long Lost, Possibly Lickable Toad Found

Jeff Neumann · 07/14/11 07:15AM

The last time anyone saw a Sambas stream toad, also called the Bornean rainbow toad, was back in 1924 on the island of Borneo. Then last month, researchers from Sarawak Malaysia University found and photographed three of them living in trees in a remote forest on Borneo. How fascinating! And what an important discovery! But the most important question is, will licking one make you hallucinate?