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Blog posts from Colorado

Quantum Advances: NIST and Industry Drive Powerful Computing and Clocks

April 30, 2025

Imagine what life would be like without GPS, something you use all the time without thinking about where it came from. NIST research helped bring you GPS and

Krister Shalm, wearing safety glasses, smiles over a lab table covered with electronics equipment.

Quantum and Dance: It Takes 2 to Entangle

April 14, 2025

Quantum physics and dancing may seem very different, but they both rely on creativity and precision. Both have shaped one NIST researcher’s outlook on life.

A researcher wearing safety glasses reaches into a box of circuitry and other equipment, which emits a green glow.

5 Concepts Can Help You Understand Quantum Mechanics and Technology — Without Math!

February 5, 2025

Quantum is everywhere, and you can understand the basic quirks of life at the quantum level … no math required.

Illustration shows a lottery ball machine: a clear plastic sphere on a stand, half-filled with colorful numbered balls.

Pirouetting Molecules Can Help Us Learn About the History of the Universe

December 11, 2024

Our researchers are trapping tiny, fast-moving molecules — in hopes of learning more about the formation of our stars and universe.

Esther Baumann leans over a lab table, surrounded with wires and scientific equipment.

A Laser Could Offer a Peek Into the Insides of Our Muscles or Look Through Fire

November 20, 2024

A NIST-developed laser system might someday check your muscle health when you flex your arm. These lasers can also see how an object changes during heat

Unlocking Our World’s Earliest Secrets — One Tiny Electron at a Time

August 7, 2024

Why do we exist? It’s a big question — and one that some of NIST’s early universe detectives are getting closer to answering.

Demystifying Quantum: It’s Here, There and Everywhere

April 10, 2024

It’s time to celebrate World Quantum Day! But what is quantum, anyway? A NIST physicist answers your questions.

A spiral-bound calendar page is blurred at the edges.

Leap Day Is Here: It Doesn’t Have to Be Your Standard Weekday

February 28, 2024

We get an extra day this year, but why do we need a leap day every four years on Feb. 29? It all comes down to standards.

Zach Grey poses outdoors with wind turbines in the background.

Riding the Wind: How Applied Geometry and Artificial Intelligence Can Help Us Win the Renewable Energy Race

January 10, 2024

A NIST researcher is using math and AI to help design an optimal wind turbine.

An antique clock showing a few minutes before 12 is topped with a party hat, and colorful streamers hang in the background.

Auld Lang ‘Time’: One of the Country’s Timekeepers Makes Sure We Ring in The New Year at Just the Right Second

December 28, 2023

As you prepare to watch the ball drop or pop champagne on New Year’s Eve, we’ll be keeping an eye on the clock — just as we always do.