Mercury Into GOLD?! Plus Your Back-to-School Sale

Hey there, Physics Friend!

Picture this: You're sitting in your classroom, preparing for the new school year. Coffee's getting cold. To-do list getting longer.

And somewhere in a lab right now, scientists are teaching liquid droplets to play tic-tac-toe.

No, really.

While you're deciding between color-coding your seating chart or just letting chaos reign, researchers have figured out how to make LIQUID think 🤯. They've created a microscope that uses quantum entanglement to see ghosts (of nanoparticles, but still). They've built a microphone that doesn't hear sound - it SEES it.

Oh, and a company just announced they can turn mercury into gold.

Actual. Gold.

Like medieval alchemists' fever dreams made real with fusion reactors.

Here's the thing: Every single one of these breakthroughs happened IN THE LAST WEEK. Not in some sci-fi movie. Not in the distant future. Right now, while you were trying to remember where you put your lesson plans from last year.

The universe is showing off, and your students deserve front-row seats.

Ready to blow their minds before they even realize school started? Let's dive in.

🌟 This Past Week's "Wait, WHAT?!" Physics News

Scientists Created a Microphone That SEES Sound

Source: PhysOrg

Forget everything you know about microphones. Scientists just built one that uses LIGHT to capture sound. No membrane, no magnets - just pure optical wizardry.

• Why this matters: Could revolutionize recording in noisy environments (goodbye, crowd noise!)

• Classroom gold: Perfect demo for teaching wave properties - sound AND light in one

• The "whoa" factor: Submarines could "hear" through their hulls using lasers

Read more →

Mercury Can Turn Into Gold (No, Really)

Source: PhysOrg

Remember those alchemists trying to turn lead into gold? They had the wrong metal. A fusion company claims they can transform mercury into actual gold while generating clean energy.

• Translation: Nuclear fusion can literally create precious metals

• For your class: Use this to explain nuclear transmutation (it's not magic, it's physics!)

• The mind-blow: We're achieving medieval dreams with modern science

Read more →

Liquid Droplets Just Learned to Play Tic-Tac-Toe

Source: PhysOrg

Scientists trained liquid droplets to play games autonomously. LIQUID. PLAYING. GAMES. Let that sink in (pun intended).

• Why this matters: Shows how simple systems can exhibit complex behaviors

• Classroom gold: Perfect for discussing emergent properties and self-organization

• The breakthrough: Could lead to biological computers that think with water

Read more →

🎯 Quick Hits:

• 🕳️ Space-Time Swap: BTZ black holes show space can literally become time (your GPS just got confused). Read More

• 🔬 Ghost Microscope: Quantum entanglement creates 3D images of nanoparticles (spooky action at a distance!).Read More

• 🧪 New Quantum State: Scientists found matter behaving in ways we didn't know existed. Read More

🎒 Quick Back-to-School Intermission

Teachers Pay Teachers Sitewide Sale: August 5-6

Save 20% on EVERYTHING in our store happening now!

Since school just started (or starts next week) and you're reading about liquid droplets with better gaming skills than your students, why not grab what you need while it's on sale?

• Complete Physics Curriculum Bundle

• Unit bundles you've been eyeing

• Those activities your students loved last year

• Resources for the upcoming school year

Shop the Sale →

📚 Read-To-Use in the Classroom

Featured Article: Ghostbusters, but for Nanoparticles

This week's featured article dives deep into that quantum microscope breakthrough - and it's been rewritten perfectly for your students!

Highlights from the article:

• Uses the "BFF photons" analogy to explain quantum entanglement

• Compares the tech to "playing high-tech Battleship with the universe"

• Includes 5 discussion questions ranging from comprehension to ethics

Sample discussion question: "If you could design an experiment using this new microscope, what would you want to observe and why?"

👉 Get the Article & Questions

🎬 Our Latest Videos

Gravity: Do Heavier Objects Fall Faster? [Experiment] → Perfect for Day 1 - gets them thinking and arguing immediately

Build a Powerful Electromagnet at Home! (Car Battery) → Save this for when you need them to stop talking and start doing

Forces Explained: X, Y Directions and Diagonal Forces → Your vector components lesson, done. You're welcome.

🔬 Seeing Sound: The Visual Microphone

Time needed: 10-15 minutes

This connects PERFECTLY to this week's news about the visual microphone! Show your students how sound can literally influence light paths.

You'll need:

• Smartphone with camera

• Clear plastic cup

• Small piece of aluminum foil

• Rubber band

• Laser pointer

• Speaker or phone for music

The Magic: Attach foil to bottom of cup with rubber band. Shine laser on foil. Play music. Watch the reflected laser dot DANCE on the wall as sound waves make the cup vibrate!

Why It Works: Sound waves cause vibrations → vibrations change foil angle → laser path changes → you SEE sound!

Pro tip: Try different music genres. Bass makes different patterns than treble.

Get Full Instructions →

😂 This Week’s Physics Laugh

Why this is actually genius: This joke brilliantly connects the actual physics breakthrough with gaming humor that students love. When scientists "trained" liquid droplets to play tic-tac-toe, they weren't teaching water to think - they were demonstrating emergent behavior and self-organization. The droplets maintain their shape through surface tension (molecules at the surface pulling inward) and cohesion (water molecules sticking to each other). By manipulating electric fields or surface properties, researchers can make droplets move in programmed patterns - essentially "playing" games. The "droplet strategy" pun works on two levels: the literal dropping motion in games AND the scientific manipulation of liquid droplets. Your students will remember that simple physical forces can create complex behaviors that look almost intelligent - no consciousness required, just clever physics!

Until Next Time…

Stay Curious

The Phantastic Physics Team

P.S. Those quantum BFF photons in the microscope article? Your students will never forget that explanation. Trust us.

P.P.S. Sale ends TOMORROW at midnight. Set that reminder. Your future self will thank you.