optics

The UN designated 2015 as the International Year of Light. The closing ceremony was held in Merida, Mexico.
Inside Science Contributor
Discoveries led to development of something even better than microscopes. Nanoscopes.
Ben P. Stein, Contributor
2 Americans and a German share award for circumventing theoretical limit of magnification.
Chris Gorski, Editor
Winner Nakamura said that "you need a very, very brave heart" to follow a research angle others dismiss.
Chris Gorski, Editor
Two Japanese scientists and one American share prize for inventing LEDs used to make energy-efficient white light.
Ben P. Stein, Contributor
New technique measures an object's layers to unearth problems.
Joel Shurkin, Contributor
Carbon dioxide light source cleanly cuts decay.
Peter Gwynne, Contributor
Eye-tracking rig confirms that players must watch the ball to catch it.
Jessica Orwig, Contributor
A simple laser scan could quickly identify pathogens in food and in the environment.
Alexander Hellemans, Contributor
Findings could also explain why they're invisible to night-vision goggles.
Cat Ferguson, Contributor
Rudimentary technology gets an update.
Katharine Gammon, Contributor
New system can automatically identify grape varietal and sugar content.
Peter Gwynne, Contributor