A crucial number that rules the universe goes big in a strange quantum material. The fine-structure constant is about 10 times its normal value in a type of material called quantum spin ice, ...

What is the meaning of life? Even the best of us couldn't hope to answer that question in a Universe Today article. But there are those who would try to "constrain" it, at least in terms of physics. A ...

There’s no reason to think that the fundamental constants have always had the value we measure today. And there’s no reason to think they’re changing either. We simply don’t know one way or the other, ...

Over the years, many physicists have wondered whether the fundamental constants of nature might have been different when the universe was younger. If so, the evidence ought to be out there in the ...

Angle of rotation: A light source (left) sends a beam of light through a topological insulator with an intrinsic magnetic field (centre), changing the direction of polarization by an angle that is ...

Not so constant: is α different here? Is the fine-structure constant different in different parts of the universe? The answer to this intriguing question could be one step closer, thanks to a new way ...

A fundamental constant of the universe may not be soconstant after all, according to a new study. Recent observations of distant galaxies suggest that thestrength of the electromagnetic force ? the so ...

Electronics is really an applied branch of physics, so it isn’t surprising that if you are serious about your electronics, you probably know a little physics, too. If you’ve ever heard the term “fine ...

A new measurement of the fine-structure constant is three times more accurate than before. The constant helps glue together "coarse" and "fine" measurement of particles. The new measurement bests a ...

One of the most exciting prospects in physics has been discovering that fundamental constants are not actually constant at all. When I first started writing, physicists and astronomers were just ...