At a time when adventurers were still competing to conquer the ice-cold vastness of the North and South Poles, scientists were running a tight race to get as close as possible to absolute zero, the lowest temperature possible, one of just over -273 °C.
Absolute zero is the temperature at which atoms and molecules reach their lowest point of kinetic energy. Even though the absolute zero can never be reached in a laboratory, we can come close. Today, scientists use special techniques to cool down atoms to a tiny fraction of a degree above the lowest theoretically possible temperature. In order to develop these techniques, scientists, not unlike the early polar explorers, had to show enormous amounts of knowledge, persistence, ingenuity and courage.
Stories from the World of Science
Our mission is to explain science in a simple, attractive, and fun form that is open to all.
Sašo Dolenc is a science writer and a philosopher of science. Stories collected in this podcast are also available as books at amazon.com/author/saso-dolenc.
