Victoria Atkinson

Why do some crowds move in an orderly fashion while others devolve into a chaotic jumble? New research led by an MIT mathematician may finally crack the tricky crowd problem.

Are there mathematical ways to prove that pi is an irrational number that has no end?

A new smart fabric converts light into heat and can raise temperatures by more than 54 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) after just 10 minutes in the sun.

Scientists have found an elusive third form of magnetism that could help solve a longstanding puzzle about superconductors.

"Recycling" an already transplanted organ could help save lives, but the procedure comes with additional risks, physicians say.

Whether delivered in water or toothpaste, fluoride can help guard teeth against decay. But how?

Using a groundbreaking new technique, researchers have unveiled the first detailed image of a photon — a single particle of light — ever taken.

Does light behave more like a particle, or like a wave? Today we know the surprising answer. Here's why it took so long to get there.

Cats are quicker than babies to associate a picture of a word with its corresponding picture, new research shows.

Viruses and bacteria have been around for billions of years, but which came first?

David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper shared the Nobel prize in chemistry for work that revolutionized our understanding of protein structure.

Some cats chatter, oftentimes when they see prey. But why?

Antarctica is covered by a miles-thick ice sheet, but was that always the case? And when was the coldest continent ice-free?

A new reactor creates ammonia from polluted wastewater using electricity, and it's way more efficient than existing methods.

Scientists are working to develop a new filler for period products that they say could help prevent leaks.

There are plenty of harmful chemicals, but the devil is in the details when determining which is the most dangerous.

Scientists have revealed key properties of radioactive promethium, a rare earth element with poorly understood applications, using a groundbreaking new method.

Chinese researchers have found a way to make aqueous batteries more energy-dense, by adding bromide to the electrolyte solution

Using a clever laser technique, scientists have squished pairs of atoms closer together than ever before, revealing some truly mind-boggling quantum effects.

Scientists have detected a new, unusually large molecule never seen in space before. The 13-atom molecule, called 2-methoxyethanol, was detected in the Cat's Paw Nebula.

Goldene is the latest 2D material to be made since graphene was first created in 2004.

A four-atom molecule has broken the record for coldest large molecule.

The element bismuth can "float" between magnets due to magnetic levitation. What's the science behind this phenomenon?

Is there an evolutionary reason why cats have sparse fur near their ears?