If they show us a film of a casserole where a stew is prepared, we are unable to distinguish whether they are projecting the images directly or after reflecting them in a mirror. This left-right symmetry is called parity and until 1956 it was believed that nature did not distinguish between right and left . That year two physicists, Lee and Yang, demonstrated that the universe is capable of distinguishing them or, in the jargon of physics, there was a phenomenon that violated parity. The only way to explain certain data that had to do with the weak force, responsible for a type of radioactive decay that emits electrons, was by assuming that the weak force violated parity. The following year, Wu demonstrated it experimentally. He found that electrons emitted by radioactive cobalt within a magnetic field preferred to exit to the left.
Why is the electron left handed?
How global warming will affect astronomy
Astronomical observations around the world will worsen in quality as a result of climate change, according to a new study.
Planetary heat wave rips through Jupiter's atmosphere
A heat wave is sweeping through Jupiter's northern hemisphere with temperatures reaching 700°C and has been created from a particularly intense aurora borealis.
These are the most Earth-like exoplanets
Among the more than 5,000 exoplanets discovered to date, these are some of the most similar in size, mass, temperature or star to the one they orbit.
Neutron stars aren't really stars.
Neutron stars are not true stars, although, thank goodness, they are made of neutrons.
Who were the first astronomers?
Since the beginning of time, human beings have observed the night sky with a mixture of fascination and fear, since it was there where the gods lived. But what was the first astronomical observation?