Reference Terms
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Energy
In general, the word energy refers to a concept that can be paraphrased as "the potential for causing changes", and therefore one can say that energy is the cause of any change. The most common definition of energy is the work that a certain force (gravitational, electromagnetic, etc) can do. Due to a variety of forces, energy has many different forms (gravitational, electric, heat, etc.) that can be grouped into two major categories: kinetic energy and potential energy. According to this definition, energy has the same units as work; a force applied through a distance. The SI unit of energy, the joule, equals one newton applied through one meter, for example. Energy has no direction in space, and is therefore considered a scalar quantity.
Energy is a conserved quantity, meaning that it cannot be created or destroyed, but only converted from one form into another. Thus, the total energy of the universe always remains constant. One form of energy can be readily transformed into another; for instance, a battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy.
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Matter & Energy News
November 13, 2026
Nov. 13, 2026 Scientists have discovered a faster way to identify diamond-based materials that could power quantum computers and sensors at room temperature. The breakthrough has already revealed promising new quantum building blocks that could help unlock ...
Nov. 12, 2026 Researchers at Brown University have overcome a major obstacle to creating ultra-low-power computer chips that could help slash the energy demands of AI. Their breakthrough eliminates a long-standing ...
Nov. 11, 2026 A groundbreaking new supercomputer simulation is revealing how the universe escaped its cosmic dark age and transformed into a cosmos filled with stars and galaxies. Called Lumina, it recreates 2 billion years of early cosmic history across a region ...
Nov. 10, 2026 Global fossil fuel emissions are projected to fall in 2026 as renewable energy and electric vehicles gain ground, but rising emissions from deforestation threaten to push total CO2 emissions to a new ...
Nov. 7, 2026 Scientists have created record-breaking X-ray flashes lasting just 300 attoseconds, concentrating enormous power into an incredibly tiny spot. The breakthrough could unlock a new way to observe electrons in action and potentially control the ...
Nov. 7, 2026 Scientists have discovered a surprising quantum limit that prevents electrons from being tracked with unlimited precision in both space and time. The breakthrough could pave the way for manipulating ...
Nov. 5, 2026 Scientists have developed a remarkable new membrane that separates crude oil at room temperature, using the oil itself to create microscopic filtration channels. The breakthrough could cut refining energy consumption by nearly 32%, carbon emissions ...
Nov. 5, 2026 Scientists have discovered how to reprogram the internal structure of glass using a special molecule that rearranges chemical bonds while lowering the melting temperature. The breakthrough could unlock entirely new glass materials with precisely ...
Nov. 4, 2026 Scientists have discovered that a simple mechanical squeeze can dramatically alter the magnetic properties and electrical behavior of exotic materials called altermagnets. The surprising breakthrough could open the door to faster, more ...
Nov. 4, 2026 MIT scientists have challenged two decades of conventional thinking by discovering that flexible molecular connections, rather than rigid ones, can unlock entirely new ways to arrange nanoparticles. ...
Nov. 4, 2026 For nearly 90 years, scientists believed magnetism fell into just two categories, but researchers have now confirmed a remarkable third type called altermagnetism. Using specialized X-rays, they ...
Nov. 2, 2026 Mysterious particles called neutrinos constantly stream through our bodies, and scientists are now detecting incredibly powerful versions arriving from distant cosmic sources using a massive ...
Latest Headlines
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Nov. 13, 2026 A mysterious force driving the expansion of the Universe may have undergone a dramatic reversal billions of years ago. Scientists exploring an ...
Nov. 9, 2026 CERN scientists have finally found evidence of a particle decay so rare that it happens only once in roughly 10 billion decays, ending a search spanning more than 40 years. The breakthrough could ...
Nov. 9, 2026 Scientists have observed a bizarre quantum state of matter that combines the structure of a crystal with the frictionless flow of a liquid, all at room temperature. The breakthrough overturns a major ...
Nov. 8, 2026 More than a century after Einstein revolutionized our understanding of gravity, scientists have uncovered a surprising new phenomenon hidden within ...
Nov. 6, 2026 After more than 60 years of unsuccessful attempts, scientists have finally isolated stable examples of elusive boron-oxygen molecules once considered too unstable to capture. The surprising ...
Nov. 2, 2026 Scientists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have uncovered compelling new evidence that even relatively small atomic collisions can recreate the ...
Nov. 2, 2026 Scientists have discovered a possible loophole in the laws that normally prevent black holes from splitting apart, suggesting that extremely fast-spinning black holes might divide into two. The ...
Nov. 1, 2026 Scientists have built a groundbreaking molecular motor that spins in either direction using electricity, inspired by a machine invented more than 2,000 years ago. Even more remarkably, its rotation ...
Nov. 1, 2026 A mysterious particle overlooked for decades may hold the key to why matter survived the Big Bang, allowing stars, planets, and life to exist. Scientists believe this forgotten neutrino reshaped the ...
Oct. 31, 2026 Scientists have discovered a surprising mechanism that allows certain metals to resist cracking at temperatures as low as -253°C (-424°F), when similar materials typically become dangerously ...