Protons are tiny yet they carry a lot of heft. They inhabit the center of every atom in the universe and play a critical role in one of the strongest forces in Nature.
And yet, protons have a down-to-earth side, too.
Like most particles, protons have spin that act like tiny magnets. Flipping a proton’s spin or polarity may sound like science fiction, but it is the basis of technological breakthroughs that have become essential to our daily lives, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the invaluable medical diagnostics tool.