‘Oumuamua: visitor from another star
'Oumuamua is the first confirmed interstellar object detected in our solar system – and it's baffling scientists. Andrew Glester explains
An unelementary affair: 150 years of the periodic table
Robert P Crease traces the history of the periodic table, 150 years after Dmitri Mendeleev drew the first version
Hidden pictures
The technique of hyperspectral imaging is helping to uncover paintings hidden beneath artworks, notably Picasso's Mother and Child by the Sea, as Stephen Ornes reports
Knit and stretch
Most physicists don't start their PhDs by watching YouTube videos. But that's what Samuel Poincloux did to begin investigating the physics of knitted fabrics
The future is flexible
Thin 2D semiconductors could lead to a new generation of flexible, wearable electronic devices – ideal for military and outdoor applications, as Nicola Townsend and Iddo Amit explain
Whizz-bang science
Everyone loves a great firework display, especially when it's New Year's Eve. Pierre Thebault explains the physics of fireworks and describes how pryrotechnicians are improving these spectacles
The quantum Y2K moment
Quantum computers threaten many of the encryption systems that keep online communications secure. Margaret Harris investigates plans to make the Internet "quantum-safe"
Playing games with quantum computers
Want to understand how quantum computers work and what they can do? Try developing games for them, suggests James Wootton
The search for silicon’s successor
In today's solar-PV market, silicon is king. Will later generations of materials ever steal its crown? Jon Major assesses their chances
Seeing through a glass, darkly
Solar windows could make buildings "greener", but past attempts to commercialize the technology have run into obstacles. Will the latest efforts succeed?
