Have physicists at Fermilab found evidence for a new force? In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast Sam Grant of University College London explains why he and his colleagues on Fermilab’s Muon g-2 experiment are excited about their recent measurement of the muon’s magnetic moment and what it could mean for the future of particle physics. Grant also talks about how the experiment is searching for the elusive electric dipole moment of the muon and what it is like to work at Fermilab during the pandemic.
Cattle produce vast amounts of methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Physicists are developing new technologies that could help to reduce the amount of gas emitted per kilogram of milk or meat produced, as science writer Michael Allen explains in the second segment of the podcast. Allen also talks about how the piezoelectric properties of wood can be enhanced by treating it with fungus – which could soon bring us wooden floors that generate electricity from our footsteps.