In this 2018 photo made available by CERN, Nikolai Bondar works on the LHCb Muon system at the European Organization for Nuclear Research Large Hadron Collider facility outside of Geneva. (Maximilien Brice, Julien Marius Ordan / CERN via AP)

Preliminary results from two experiments suggest something could be wrong with the basic way physicists think the universe works, a prospect that has the field of particle physics both baffled and thrilled. 

Two new research centers headquartered at Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will boost transformational breakthroughs in quantum information science. Here, Argonne scientist Dafei Jin observes a dilution refrigerator—a cryogenic cooling device for materials used for quantum computing. (Photo by Mark Lopez / Argonne National Laboratory)

Quantum technology is expected to transform our world, and Chicago appears to be at the center of this quantum acceleration, thanks to funding from the Department of Energy to establish two quantum research centers locally.

Scientist Dan Hooper appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Nov. 25, 2019. (WTTW News)

Dan Hooper spends his time contemplating the biggest mystery of all: how the universe came to be. He joins us to discuss his book, “At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of our Universe’s First Seconds.”

Mars visualization with satellite imagery overlay. (Kevin Gill / Flickr)

The SpaceX founder aims to create a fleet of reusable rockets that will make space travel dramatically cheaper and more accessible. But can he turn what has long been science fiction into science fact?

Detectors inside the Mini Booster Neutrino Experiment tank (Fermilab / U.S. Department of Energy)

A machine developed at the Illinois Institute of Technology will help scientists search for elusive new particles that could reshape physicists’ understanding of how the universe operates. 

While recent hurricanes have been devastating parts of the Earth, some major activity has also been taking place at the center of our solar system.

Herman White has been working at Fermilab for more than 40 years.

Since 1967, a laboratory just outside Chicago has been pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery. We go for a look.

SpaceX's Falcon 9, left, and Blue Origin's New Shepard. (SpaceX / Flickr, Franke360 / Wikimedia)

Tech billionaire Elon Musk wants to create a colony on Mars. Assessing the challenges–and his chances of success.

Fermilab's Physics Slam in 2013.

You've probably heard of a poetry slam, but this weekend, Fermilab will present its fifth annual Physics Slam in downtown Chicago. Learn more.

Chicago Science Festival 2015. (Monica Metzler / Illinois Science Council)

The second annual festival promises a treat for the scientifically curious, whether your interests lie in psychology and neuroscience or Chicago's urban wildlife and HBO's popular "Game of Thrones" series.

The bison herd at Fermilab just got a little bigger: On Tuesday, the first bison calf of 2016 was born at the particle physics laboratory in suburban Batavia.

A new study shows why Neanderthal DNA can be bad for you. Astronomers capture visual evidence of an exploding star. And sometimes, it’s a bad idea to go to the Internet for help. Rabiah Mayas from the Museum of Science and Industry joins “Chicago Tonight” to examine these stories and more.

Scientists at the University of Chicago are hoping a new, highly sensitive camera they're developing for the South Pole Telescope will reveal new information about the early universe. The camera measures something that's nearly 14 billion years old: radiation left over from the Big Bang.

Its Tevatron particle collider may have been superseded by the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, but Fermilab remains at the cutting edge of research into the origins of the cosmos.

Scientists at west suburban Fermilab have installed the final piece on a massive particle detector called NOvA that may answer some very big questions. We go deep underground to uncover how the contraption might do that. Read an article.
 

We take a tour of the MINOS underground facility and watch the installation of the last NOvA Far Detector module. Read a behind-the-scenes blog and view a slideshow.