Kaihui Liu

The kitchen where stars are baked works on a simple recipe: as much flour as you have, that's how many pies you get. For a long time, astronomers saw a strict relation between a galaxy's mass and how fast it forms stars, and they considered it a standalone rule. But a new study of 24,954 nearby galaxies shows that this relation is just a shadow of two more fundamental laws.

The cell membrane isn't just a wall; it's a turnstile gate. Embedded within it are protein channels that let ions in and out, creating an electric charge, like a battery that powers nerves and muscles.

Diamond is the hardest natural material and usually does not conduct electricity. But if you add a few foreign atoms to its crystal lattice, it can become a semiconductor, like silicon in computer chips.