Caltech

There are times when scientific progress comes in the form of discovering something completely new. Other times, progress boils down to doing something better, faster, or more easily. New research from the lab of Caltech's Lihong…

For around 20 years, Caltech Professor of Applied Physics Paul Bellan and his group have been creating magnetically accelerated jets of plasma, an electrically conducting gas composed of ions and electrons, in a vacuum chamber big…

Traditionally, mathematicians jot down their formulas using paper and pencil, seeking out what they call pure and elegant solutions. In the 1970s, they hesitantly began turning to computers to assist with some of their problems.…

When we last checked in with Caltech's Kerry Vahala three years ago, his lab had recently reported the development of a new optical device called a turnkey frequency microcomb that has applications in digital communications, precision…

Caltech and Broadcom today announced a multi-year partnership to advance quantum science research and discoveries with the potential to seed new innovative technologies and applications. The partnership, supported with a significant…

At nearly 14,000 feet, Maunakea is the tallest mountain in Hawaiʻi, and the second tallest on any island on Earth. Clouds often settle below the mountain's barren, dark-brown summit, making the site one of the best for astronomy in…

Carbon is the building block of biological life on Earth. The element is present in many compounds, such as the sugars, proteins, and carbohydrate molecules that make up everything from animals to plants to bacteria. One particular…

Caltech's Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory (KML), home to important biological discoveries since 1929, has won its first accolade in a different sphere: the Rookie Award in the annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights.…

For decades, science fiction authors have imagined scenarios in which life thrives on the harsh surfaces of Mars or our Moon, or in the oceans below the icy surfaces of Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa. But the study…

Bacteria are remarkably good swimmers—a trait that can be detrimental to human health. One of the most common bacterial infections in a healthcare setting comes from bacteria entering the body through catheters, thin tubes inserted in…