Archive

Topic of the Moment introduces the physics behind some topical stories in the news. Here's our previous Topic of the Moments:

• Artificial heart
  A patient heading home after being given an artificial heart has made news headlines. How do they work?
• Christmas
  As the festive season approaches, we look at some of the physical challenges faced by Santa as he distributes presents across the globe
• Cloud seeding
  With the UK’s current drought expected to last until Christmas, we look at one possible way to bring the rain
• Cosmic distance ladder
  Astronomers have identified the most distant quasar yet to be discovered. But how do they know how far away objects are?
• DNA
  After the acquittal of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, we look at how physics underpinned the discovery of the structure of DNA
• Exoplanets
  Extra-solar planets (or exoplanets) are planets orbiting stars other than the Sun
• Fuel cells
  What are fuel cells, and how do they work?
• Graphene
  What exactly is it and what could it be used for?
• Herschel Space Observatory
  With the Herschel Space Observatory believed to have entered its final year of operation, we take a look back at the telescope’s short life
• The Higgs boson
  After physicists at CERN reveal “tantalising hints” of the Higgs boson, we take a look at the particle that's expected to be finally found in 2012
• Metamaterials
  After another news story about a “Harry Potter invisibility cloak”, we take a look at the science behind metamaterials
• Meteor and asteroid impacts
  After an orange fireball was reportedly seen across Britain, we take a look at how meteors and asteroids can affect life on Earth
• No-fly zones
  After calls for the international community to consider imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, we look at some of the physics-based technology involved in enforcing them
• Particle detection
  With CERN’s Large Hadron Collider having reached a data milestone and amid reports of the possible discovery of previously unknown particles by the Tevatron, we take a look at the physics of particle detection
• Pitch
  With computer programmes like Auto-Tune becoming increasingly popular in music, we look at the science behind pitch correction
• Radioactivity
  With radioactivity making news headlines, we look at what it is and what the risks are
• SETI
  The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence
• Space
  After the launch of a new US spaceplane and plans for a mission to Mars within the next few decades, we take a look at outer space
• Television
  What makes television work?
• The career of Stephen Hawking
  The world celebrated Prof. Stephen Hawking’s 70th birthday on 8 January 2012. We take a look back over his life and work
• Volcanic ash
  How and why does volcanic ash affect flights?