APS News

People & History

Allis Prize Highlights the Importance of Ionized Gases to Modern Life
Although plasmas are used throughout electronics research and manufacturing today, it took decades for their industrial potential to be realized.
Imprisoned Physicist Narges Mohammadi, 2023 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Honored at APS March Meeting
Mohammadi, currently a prisoner of conscience in Iran, has fought for decades for democracy and human rights.
This Month in Physics History
May 1, 1953: In AD-X2 Controversy, Allen Astin and APS Defend Federal Science Against Political Interference
Mess Around With Liquid Nitrogen. Go Viral. Repeat.
Tatiana Erukhimova, physicist and APS Nicholson Medal winner, reaches millions of people worldwide with her physics demonstrations.
This Month in Physics History
April 20, 1972: George Carruthers’ Ultraviolet Telescope Lands on the Moon
Leaders of Eight Physics Societies Convene in Washington
At the APS Annual Leadership Meeting, the heads of physics societies throughout the Americas discussed their visions for the future.
What Comes After Football? Astrophysics.
After an injury derailed his athletic career, Dakotah Tyler pivoted to exoplanets.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Whose 1967 Discovery of Pulsars Landed Her Supervisor a Nobel, Tells Young Physicists, “Don’t Second-Guess Yourself”
CUWiP’s 2024 keynote speaker addressed thousands of attendees across the U.S.
This Month in Physics History
March 27, 1800: William Herschel Proposes the Existence of Invisible Light
Young-Kee Kim, 2024 APS President, on Partnerships at Home and Abroad
An interview with Kim, an experimental physicist with big plans for APS.
At Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, Life is Radio Silent — by Design
APS’s newest Historic Site celebrates 65 years since its first radio telescope came online.
This Month in Physics History
February 1907: Bertram Boltwood Estimates Earth is at Least 2.2 Billion Years Old
Physicist Stuart Parkin, APS Medal Winner, on the Digital Age and “Going Beyond”
An interview with this year’s recipient of APS’s biggest research award.
This Month in Physics History
December 1934: Emil Rupp’s Research, Which Fooled Even Einstein, is Exposed as Fraud
Cosmologist Edward Kolb, Winner of the APS Lilienfeld Prize, Urges Physicists to Combat Scientific Illiteracy
In an interview with APS News, Kolb discusses the Big Bang, parallel universes, and the need for public outreach.
APS Announces Recipients of the Spring 2024 Prizes and Awards
APS recognizes outstanding achievement in research, education, and public service.
Theoretical Physicist Awarded Valley Prize for Work on Quantum Gravity
Geoffrey Penington’s groundbreaking work as a graduate student has helped kickstart advancements in quantum information.
This Month in Physics History
November 29, 1887: Granville Woods Patents the Induction Telegraph
APS Announces Recipients of the Fall 2023 Prizes and Awards
APS recognizes outstanding achievement in research, education, and public service.
The 40-Year-Old Gallery of Fluid Motion Goes Traveling
The famous gallery, showcasing the dazzling flows of gases and liquids, will appear in a National Academy of Sciences exhibit in DC this winter. Next year, it heads to Salt Lake City.
This Month in Physics History
October 1998: Trespasser Makes History As The First Video Game to Incorporate a Complete “Physics Engine” — And Flops
This Month in Physics History
September 1936: Seismologist Inge Lehmann Concludes That Earth Has an Inner Core
Teaching is a “Squishy, Unpredictable Science,” Says the 2023 Physics Teacher of the Year. You Should Try It.
Joe Cossette, engineer-turned-educator and PhysTEC Teacher of the Year, discusses trials and triumphs in the classroom.
This Month in Physics History
August 1856: Eunice Foote Concludes That Carbon Dioxide Could Warm the Atmosphere, Three Years Before John Tyndall Did
Nick Wise, Scientific Sleuth and Fluid Dynamics Researcher
Wise spots awkward phrasing and other red flags to identify fraudulent research papers.
Jim Hartle, 1939-2023
Giant of quantum cosmology dies at 83.
This Month in Physics History
June 1980: Vera Rubin Publishes Paper Hinting at Dark Matter
Cosmic Tumbles and Quantum Leaps at the March Meeting
At this year’s meeting in Las Vegas, circus performers embodied mind-boggling quantum concepts on the stage.
The Adler Planetarium, an APS Historic Site in Chicago, Offers Visitors a Glimpse Into the History of Astronomy
Beyond its observatory and exhibits, the Adler cares for rare artifacts — some dating back a thousand years.
This Month in Physics History
May 1962: James West and Gerhard Sessler Patent the Electret Microphone
This Month in Physics History
April 1986: Bednorz and Müller Trigger Avalanche of High-Temperature Superconductivity Research
How Do You Study Quantum Materials That Don’t Yet Exist? Ask AI.
An interview with physicist Trevor David Rhone, who tackles materials science with artificial intelligence.
Meenakshi Narain, 1964-2023
Particle physicist who was a ‘force of nature’ dies at 58.
This Month in Physics History
March 1966: The First Human-Made Object Makes Impact With Another Planet
Robert Rosner, 2023 APS President, Takes the Helm
An interview with the preeminent theoretical physicist.
This Month in Physics History
February 1947: The First Animals, Fruit Flies, Rocket Into Space and Return to Earth
Sidney Nagel Delights in Disorder
An interview with the recipient of the 2023 APS Medal.
This Month in Physics History
January 1976: From the “Oops-Leon” to the Upsilon Particle
Global Event Honors Trailblazing Nuclear Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu
Commemorating the influential physicist’s 110th birthday.
This Month in Physics History
December 1945: The ENIAC Computer Runs its First, Top-Secret Program
Undergrads Win Apker Prize for Work on Slime Mold and Black Holes
The 2022 award has gone to students in biophysics and astrophysics.
From Banking to Quantum Physics
At age 30, Michelle Lollie, APS Bridge Program graduate, abandoned her career in finance and leapt into physics.
This Month in Physics History
November 1964: John S. Bell Quietly Rings in New Era of Quantum Theory
Astroparticle Physicist Wins 2023 Valley Prize for Work on Dark Matter
As a child in Tunisia, Lina Necib watched the 1997 film “Contact” and decided to become an astrophysicist. Now at MIT, she studies dark matter’s shadowy clues.
Albert-László Barabási, Network Scientist, Wants Physicists to Connect with Wider Audiences
An interview with the recipient of the 2023 Lilienfeld Prize.
APS Announces Recipients of the Spring 2023 Prizes and Awards
APS recognizes outstanding achievement in research, education, and public service.
This Month in Physics History
October 1956: Lee and Yang Crack the Mirror of Parity
APS Announces Recipients of the Fall 2022 Prizes and Awards
Recognizing outstanding contributions to physics.
Q&A: Lia Merminga Has a Vision for Particle Physics
As a child, she played hopscotch in the Athens suburbs. Now, the Fermilab Director wants the facility to lead the world in neutrino research.
This Month in Physics History
September 2002: Schön Scandal Report is Released
Should We Build Quantum Computers at All?
A Q&A with Emma McKay, quantum physicist turned quantum skeptic.
Danielle Buggé Wants High Schoolers to “Fail Productively” in Physics
An interview with the 2022 PhysTEC Teacher of the Year.
A Particle is Born: Making the Higgs Famous
Science communicators had a field day with the 2012 Higgs discovery.
John Schiffer, 1930-2022
Schiffer, a nuclear physicist who guided his field, died at 91.
Morgan State University, SURF, Bevatron Celebrated as APS Historic Sites
Commemorating physics history, from California to Maryland.
APS Legacy Circle Profile: Cherrill Spencer
“For most of my working life as a physicist, I was the only woman in the class.”
This Month in Physics History
July 1887: James Blyth Harnesses the Wind for Electricity.
Scientists Don’t Belong on Pedestals: Interview with Science Historian Patricia Fara
“[Calling someone a genius] is the secular equivalent of saying that somebody is a saint,” says physicist-turned-historian Dr. Fara.
This Month in Physics History
June 15, 1917: Death of Kristian Birkeland, King of the Northern Lights
Celebrating 50th Anniversary of First African-American Woman to Earn Physics PhD
The life and legacy of Dr. Willie Hobbs Moore, who made physics history more than once.
I’m the New Editor of APS News, and I’m Excited for What Comes Next
Taryn MacKinney will lead APS News. What stories do you want to read?
APS 2022 Distinguished Lecturer, Sufi Zafar, Says Physicists Should Explore New Fields
Sufi Zafar taught herself biology. That was just the first step.
For the 2022 APS Congressional Science Fellow, Science and Diversity Are Partners for the Common Good
Thomas Plumb-Reyes is this year’s APS Congressional Science Fellow
This Month in Physics History
May 24, 1686: Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit and the Birth of Precision Thermometry
Tom Gaisser, 1940-2022
Particle physicist who calculated cosmic rays dies at 81.
Q&A with Michael Ramsey-Musolf, Advocate for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Physics
When Ramsey-Musolf faced challenges as an out gay physicist, he embraced advocacy.

To read articles published before May 2022, visit the APS News archive.