Lately we've been weaving in and out of cold fronts — during which the temperature may dip into the 50s. Luckily, being in South Florida, we don't have to heat up our cars before we leave or break ice off of the windshield. Compare this to Vostok, Antarctica — which has had the coldest temperature on Earth at minus 129°F, according to Space.com in 2003 — and it makes our winters sound so much more enjoyable.
But, of course, science couldn't stop there. Smithsonian Magazine had to go out and report on the coldest spot in the universe. And the results are quite puzzling: Not only is it found on Earth, but it's also located in America.*
Specifically, it's inside a lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where physicists have almost met face-to-face with absolute zero, or minus 459.67°F. Granted, the scientists reached a temperature 810 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero, but as far as I'm concerned, that's close enough.
The team got there by using lasers and all sorts of potentially-boring techniques that you can read about in the Smithsonian link above. What's more interesting, however, is what matter does at or near absolute zero.
At unimaginably cold temperatures, matter is no longer in a state that we are familiar with, e.g. solids, liquids and gases. Instead, the individual atoms become a single system — as opposed to a bunch of atoms smacking into each other — and are capable of amazing feats, such as maintaining an electrical current until the substance dissipates. Granted, the systems only exist on a microscopic level, but it could be the start of something great.
And don't take my word for it. Here's a clip of a PBS documentary on absolute zero. Also be sure to look for the typo: It says "Deptartment" under Kleppner's name.
*Take that, Antarctica!
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