Star Trek's Warp Drive Leads to New Physics

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July 16, 2021

Physics Star Trek's Warp Drive Leads to New Physics Researchers are taking a closer look at this science-fiction staple—and bringing the idea a little closer to reality By Robert Gast,Spektrum

Neuroscience The Neuroscience of Taking Turns in a Conversation Research in birds suggests that when one partner speaks, the other partner's brain is inhibited from talking over them By Melissa J. Coleman,Eric Fortune

Policy & Ethics What You Know about Trump's Assault on Science Was Just the Tip of the Iceberg Help us reveal the rest By Dana Gold,Lauren Kurtz

Public Health COVID Risks at the Tokyo Olympics Aren't Being Managed, Experts Say Current prevention measures may not be enough to prevent an outbreak By Maddie Bender

Biology Wolves Raised by Humans Can't Understand People like Dogs Can Dog puppies are 30 times more interested in unknown humans than young wolves, confirming an evolutionary hypothesis By Tess Joosse

Space How to Tell if Extraterrestrial Visitors Are Friend or Foe They'll most likely be robotic and guided by AI—so we'll need our own AI to figure them out By Avi Loeb

Medicine Mix-and-Match COVID Vaccines: The Case Is Growing, but Questions Remain Studies suggest mixing vaccines provokes potent immune responses, but scientists want answers on real-world efficacy and rare side effects By Dyani Lewis,Nature magazine

Biology A New Era of Designer Babies May Be Based on Overhyped Science Genetic testing with IVF is being marketed as a means to choose a healthy embryo, despite questions about the soundness of the technology By Laura Hercher

Climate Cities along the Great Lakes Face Rising Water and Costs Climate change could cost municipalities $2 billion in damages through 2025 By Daniel Cusick,E&E News

Biology Galileo and the Pope Fell Out over a Story about a Cicada The legendary scientist used the insects' songs as a metaphor for his theories about the universe. It didn't go well By Nuno Castel-Branco

Physics China Is Pulling Ahead in Global Quantum Race, New Studies Suggest The competition between the U.S. and China over development of quantum technology has implications for both the future of science and the two countries' political relations By Daniel Garisto

Public Health Is Your Office Safe from COVID? What to Know Now That Your Boss Wants You Back Workers are anxious because the coronavirus is still infecting people. Here are ways to evaluate the safety of a shared work space By Christie Aschwanden

FROM THE STORE Special Editions Volume 30, Issue 3s

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BRING SCIENCE HOME The Physics of Baseball: How Far Can You Throw? Throwing a ball at which angle do you think will make it go the farthest? Credit: George Retseck Have you ever seen a long, game-winning pass in a football game, a baseball player throw in a ball from way out in the outfield or a soccer goalie punt a ball all the way down the field? All of these actions involve a player trying to throw or kick a ball as far as possible. There is some science behind these throws and kicks. And sometimes it is all about the angle. The angle can affect just how far a throw or a kick can carry a ball. Should you make a shallow throw (straight out, parallel to the ground), a steep throw (throwing the ball high up in the air) or something in between? Try this sports science project to find out!

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