Content about physics and astronomy

It may be named after a dying star, but the Helix Nebula project is very much alive. Now half way through its pilot phase, the project is moving ahead with new organizations coming on board.

With the year almost over we look back at the debates, controversies, and achievements in the world of science and computing. Read our countdown of iSGTW’s most popular stories of 2012. 

In space no one can hear you scream, but you may be able to hear an epic symphony if you listen hard. Software engineer and musician Domenico Vicinanza has created yet another epic melody straight from cutting-edge science. This time, instead of getting inspiration from the subatomic world or the Standard Model, he has sourced data from the farthest human-made object in space: Voyager 1.

Astronomers are using grid computing to build an  asteroid famiy tree. The work could be key to revealing the mysterious origins of a new type of comet recently discovered.

The latest computer simulations show that nuclear fusion reactions which produce more power than is put in are just around the corner - but recent experiments have called into question the accuracy of these computer models.

The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2012 was awarded last week to Serge Haroche and David Wineland, for their ground-breaking experimental methods to measure and manipulate individual quantum systems. Wineland and his colleagues' work holds promise for the creation of practical quantum computers.

A new and easy way of accessing a global computing grid and the processing power of tens of thousands of cores are at the fingertips of anyone: researcher, student, or citizen scientist.

Today's Kraken favors numbers instead of devouring sailors: This high-performance computer is managing the mountains of data streaming from NASA’s Kepler space telescope and is helping the search for Earth-like planets that orbit their stars in the 'Goldilocks Zone'.
                                                                                            

Scientists using Harvard's Odyssey high-performance supercomputer have created the most realistic simulation of cosmic evolution to date.                 

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past month, you're almost certainly aware that on 4 July scientists at CERN announced they had discovered a particle consistent with the Higgs boson. However, what you may not know is that distributed computing played a crucial role in the race towards this discovery.