The sketch of modern physics’ conundrum that we in the general public have a hazy picture of hasn’t changed for a hundred years. The cat is both kicking and has kicked, the electron is zipping around but we can’t know both where it is and how quick it is going, the particles are mysteriously linked in ways that appear faster than the speed of light, God does play dice, and so on. If Einstein couldn’t figure it out, what hope do we have?
Studying the physics of atomic particles takes a lot of room. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the biggest particle accelerator, is in a ring tunnel 27km (17 miles) long buried about two football fields deep underground. It serves as the factory, or artisanal manufacturer, of bespoke subatomic particles like quarks. But where is the design studio for these rare particle models? That would be the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics (...
Mathematician Ken Ribet is well known for a 1990 paper that paved the way, five years later, for a historic proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, one of the most famous unsolved mathematical problems of modern times.
But an oft-cited paper he wrote earlier in his career, in 1976, is dearer to his heart and has now earned him a coveted...
Ellin and Ned Purdom grew to appreciate astronomy later in life. Neither took astronomy courses in the 1970s while at UC Berkeley, where the two met. Now, they look forward to the Department of Astronomy’s Evening with the Stars lecture every year, and in February, the couple pledged $500,000 and a portion of their estate to advance student access and diversity in astronomy.
Since mountains move at a geological pace, are geologists ever in much of a rush? Maybe that depends on the scientist. Out of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, modern volcanology was born. Governments provided funding to develop forecasts for eruptions. Igneous petrology, the specialization focused on rock...
Particle physics research is spinning its wheels, trying to gain traction on a very basic problem. Thirteen billion years ago, the Big Bang produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Theory holds that every particle has an antimatter companion that is virtually identical to itself, but with the opposite charge. But there are a lot more ‘ordinary’ particles than antiparticles – you reading this right now is clear evidence – so where is all the missing antimatter?
Theoretical physicists float a bunch of possible explanations for this...
The search for the universe’s dark matter could end tomorrow — given a nearby supernova and a little luck.
The nature of dark matter has eluded astronomers for 90 years, since the realization that 85% of the matter in the universe is not visible through our telescopes. The most likely dark matter...
The College of Letters and Science Division of Math and Physical Sciences hosted a new installment of its Math on Tap lecture series on Friday, October 11, showcasing Mathematics Assistant Professor Hannah Larson. Larson, a recipient of the prestigious ...
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today this year’s recipients of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications, given by the National Academies in partnership with Schmidt Sciences. These prestigious awards recognize science journalists, research scientists, and science communicators who have developed creative...
UC Berkeley alumnus Gary Ruvkun has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Ruvkun, a 1973 graduate with a B.A. in biophysics, shares the prize with Victor Ambros, a professor at the UMass Chan Medical School, for their discovery of microRNA and and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. MicroRNA are tiny pieces of genetic information that play critical roles in helping cells regulate gene expression and control what types of proteins they produce.
The work from Ruvkun and Ambros has influenced scientists worldwide, guiding research for diseases such...
Mathematician Ken Ribet is well known for a 1990 paper that paved the way, five years later, for a historic proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, one of the most famous unsolved mathematical problems of modern times.
The search for the universe’s dark matter could end tomorrow — given a nearby supernova and a little luck.