American Physical Society

The American Physical Society (APS) is a nonprofit organization that brings together members to promote the understanding and advancement of physics.

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From Mudskippers to Jellyfish, Aquatic Animals Inspire Robot Designs

Apr 19, 2024 | aps.org | Sophia Chen

Simon Anuszczyk, an aeronautics engineering graduate student at Caltech, and his adviser, Caltech engineer John Dabiri, have developed an electronic system that affixes to real jellyfish and makes them swim faster. That’s right: They created a jellyfish cyborg. Jellyfish move by contracting their umbrella-shaped bells, propelling water in the opposite direction.
This Month in Physics History

Apr 11, 2024 | aps.org | Kendra Redmond

May 1, 1953: In AD-X2 Controversy, Allen Astin and APS Defend Federal Science Against Political InterferenceAstin upheld his agency’s rigorous consumer testing results — and was fired for it. Then the nation’s scientists found out. By Kendra Redmond | April 12, 2024Credit: NISTPhysicist Allen Astin, left, and businessman Jess Ritchie. In a protracted dispute, Astin became the unwitting face of government science.
Satellite Events Connect Physicists Around the World to the March Meeting

Apr 11, 2024 | aps.org | McKenzie Prillaman

Sites in seven countries expanded opportunities to participate and collaborate. By McKenzie Prillaman | April 12, 2024Credit: Hassan Shahzad/The National Centre for PhysicsA trio of attendees at the March Meeting satellite site in Islamabad, Pakistan, show off attendance certificates. Many physicists know that the APS March Meeting took place in Minnesota this year. Fewer might have realized that the meeting also took place nearly 8,000 miles away — in the Philippines.
March Meeting Brings Squishy Science to Minneapolis Families

Apr 11, 2024 | aps.org | Kendra Redmond

An afternoon of physics — and, well, cotton candy. By Kendra Redmond | April 12, 2024Credit: Left: Andrew B. Croll; center and right: Kendra RedmondChildren — and grown-ups — of all ages enjoyed Squishy Science Sunday at the March Meeting, including the author’s kids (center). Cries of "Ew!" and "Slimy!" aren't the responses most APS meeting presenters hope to receive, but Squishy Science Sunday volunteers accepted the feedback with a grin.
Imprisoned Physicist Narges Mohammadi, 2023 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Honored at APS March Meeting

Apr 11, 2024 | aps.org | Kendra Redmond

Mohammadi, currently a prisoner of conscience in Iran, has fought for decades for democracy and human rights. By Kendra Redmond | April 12, 2024Credit: Voice of America/Public domainMohammadi, a physicist by training, has spent decades advocating for human rights in Iran. As a crowd of March Meeting attendees from around the world gathered in a Minneapolis auditorium to honor the 2023 Nobel laureates, Narges Mohammadi remained in Iran, behind bars.
Mess Around With Liquid Nitrogen. Go Viral. Repeat.

Mar 15, 2024 | aps.org | Sophia Chen

Video credit: Texas A&M UniversityErukhimova’s demonstrations attract millions of viewers on social media. What outreach programs do you currently put on? We put on the annual Texas A&M Physics and Engineering Festival, along with physics shows for K-12 students. We run programs for high school physics teachers. We make physics videos for middle and high school students. We bring our demonstrations to places where people already are, from cultural festivals to football games.
This Spring, the Cicadas Are Gathering Like It’s 1803

Mar 15, 2024 | aps.org | Sophia Chen

“We have a pretty good idea of how they count the years,” says Kritsky. They keep the tally by tracking the seasonal warming of xylem, the nutritious fluid in trees that cicada nymphs feed on. But this tally is imperfect. In the winter between 2006 and 2007, trees in southwestern Ohio began growing leaves and flowers early in an unseasonably warm December and January, before freezing temperatures killed off the budding foliage in February.
Opinion: The Steep Price of Free Science Access

Mar 15, 2024 | aps.org | Robert Rosner

Governments and funding agencies have promised the public unfettered open access to research. Scientists could foot the bill. By Robert Rosner | March 15, 2024Conducting high-quality research is expensive. Salaries and stipends must be paid. Equipment must be purchased and maintained. Reams of data must be collected and analyzed, sometimes by costly supercomputers.
Building a Quantum Workforce Doesn’t Just Mean Graduating More Ph.D.s

Mar 14, 2024 | aps.org | McKenzie Prillaman

To bring millions of new technology workers into the fold, nations must cast a wide net. By McKenzie Prillaman | March 15, 2024Credit: Elisa SeppänenPanelists speak at the “Narrowing the Quantum Divide” event in Washington, D.C.Science stands at the verge of a new quantum revolution. The first one created the field of quantum physics, whose 100-year anniversary will be celebrated in 2025, dubbed the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.
An Inexpensive, DIY Setup Recycles Precious Liquid Helium in the Lab

Mar 14, 2024 | aps.org | Katherine Bourzac

At the APS March Meeting, researchers showed off a system for small labs to conserve helium used to cool sensitive equipment. By Katherine Bourzac | March 15, 2024Credit: Liya Bi / UCSDParts of the helium recovery system that Shaowei Li’s team designed, which cost them about $100,000 — a steep cut from the multiple millions a larger commercial system would cost. Helium may be the second-most abundant element in the universe, but on Earth it’s a finite, nonrenewable resource.