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The year in Back Scatter 2024

DEC 13, 2024
Browse a dozen of the captivating science images that were featured in the magazine this year.
Physics Today

Found on the last page of each Physics Today issue, Back Scatter spotlights a photo, illustration, or infographic that captured the attention of the editors. This year’s Back Scatter images featured a spiral contact lens, neural circuits, an award-winning work of astrophotography, and more. Hover over (or, for mobile, tap on) any of the images below to learn more, and then click on the displayed title to get a full description.

To submit candidate images for Back Scatter, visit our contact page.

Erosion defenses
Twisted liquid crystal
Spiral lens
Liquid building blocks
Educational splashes
Biodegradable plastic
Brain nanostructure
Western Veil Nebula
September
Coral bleaching
Sweat-powered sensor
Fast-drying cracks
Violin resonances

Image credits, from top left: Bo Xiao; Qing Zhang and Irmgard Bischofberger/MIT; Laurent Galinier; Xin Du; Roberto Zenit; David Baillot, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering; Daniel Berger, courtesy of Google Research and the Lichtman Lab at Harvard University; Imran Sultan; Ove Hoegh-Guldberg; Shichao Ding; Paul Lilin, Mario Ibrahim, and Irmgard Bischofberger/MIT; the AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection.

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