Neon is usually such a quiet element. Don’t be fooled, Rachel Berkowitz explains in Physics Today (subscription required). The nobel gas has a wild side. It may drive stellar explosions that lead stars to become supernovas, avoiding the usual gravitational collapse route. Also, for Physics, Rachel explains why and how bubbles go “pop” and what scientists can learn from the phenomenon. rberkowitz.net image: Lestat (Jan Mehlich) CCBY-SA3.0