Quantum Tunneling Is Not Instantaneous, Physicists Show

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July 22, 2020

Dear Reader, For the first time, physicists studying quantum tunneling have measured how long particles spend in transit through a barrier. Our lead story examines the intuition-defying phenomenon. Also featured in today's roundup: scientists may have answered a mystery about why biological molecules come in just one of two possible configurations. And lastly, read about how hurricane-prone states are experiencing some of the nation's sharpest increases in COVID-19 infections.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Physics Quantum Tunneling Is Not Instantaneous, Physicists Show A new experiment tracks the transit time of particles burrowing through barriers, revealing previously unknown details of a deeply counterintuitive phenomenon By Anil Ananthaswamy

Behavior & Society What AIDS Taught Us about Dealing with COVID-19 It's foolhardy to assume that only some categories of people are at risk By William A. Haseltine

Biology Cosmic Rays and the Handedness of Life A mystery about why biological molecules come in just one of two possible configurations may have been answered By Noémie Globus,Roger Blandford

Environment African-Americans, Nature and Environmental Justice Journalist Bob Hirshon reports from the Taking Nature Black conference, reporter Shahla Farzan talks about tracking copperhead snakes, and nanoscientist Ondrej Krivanek discusses microscopes with subangstrom resolution. By Bob Hirshon,Shahla Farzan,Steve Mirsky | 29:25

Climate COVID-19 Pandemic Shows Telecommuting Can Help Fight Climate Change In cities with relatively clean electricity and long car commutes, widespread telework could reduce greenhouse gas emissions By Ainslie Cruickshank

Electronics Speaker System Blocks City Noise The system works like noise-cancelling headphones but fits over an open window. Christopher Intagliata reports.  By Christopher Intagliata | 02:10

Natural Disasters Coronavirus Rages on Coasts as Hurricane Fears Rise Dramatic increases in storm-prone areas will complicate evacuation, sheltering and recovery efforts By Thomas Frank,E&E News

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