Science and Tech

Science and Tech

alien messages
There are pros and cons to sending interstellar messages to aliens that may or may not exist.
heavy neutral atom
Every timekeeping device works via a version of a pendulum — even the atomic clocks that are accurate to nanoseconds.
invisibility cloak
Two types of nanotechnology, metalenses and metamaterials, could soon make Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a reality.
singularity
Singularities frustrate our understanding. But behind every singularity in physics hides a secret door to a new understanding of the world.
crashes
Morbid fatality statistics on digital highway signs seem to distract drivers, thus increasing the number of car crashes.
You can’t control external threats, but you can manage how you prepare and respond to the risk.
extraterrestrial
It didn't look like anything I'd seen before, but I'd be a great fool to consider "aliens" as a reasonable possibility.
nanofabricators
Today, we could use Big Data to radically reform democracy. Tomorrow, we could build nanofabricators and usher in an era of abundance. Is society ready?
nanofabricators
Nanofabricators could quickly synthesize whatever we need, molecule by molecule.
volcano dinosaurs
Volcanic activity caused the end-Triassic mass extinction 200 million years ago. The dinosaurs survived and rose to dominance.
time
We take for granted that time is real. But what if it's only an illusion, and a relative illusion at that? Does time even exist?
The ability is tied to mental health, consciousness, and memory in humans.
A person in a red robe sits outdoors holding an hourglass, surrounded by greenery and a body of water, symbolizing predictions for the future.
What lies in store for humanity? Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains how different life will be for your descendants—and maybe your future self, if the timing works out.
John Templeton Foundation
spinlaunch
Spin, spin, spin — fire! The startup’s radical system could make satellite launches cheaper and cleaner.
“We didn’t build anything face-ish into our network [but] managed to segregate themselves without being given a face-specific nudge.”
smell COVID
Shoving platelet-rich plasma up your nose might restore your sense of smell after COVID. But whether it actually works still needs to be sniffed out.
helium 3
Ancient helium-3 from the dawn of time leaks from the Earth, offering clues to our planet’s formation. A key question is where it leaks from.
synthetic media
AI-generated photos, also known as synthetic media, are being used to create fake experts and journalists to spread disinformation.
false vacuum
You've spent almost a decade gaining extremely specialized skills. But that's ok; your value is greater than you realize.
After mammoth investments and two decades of anti-aging research, what do immortality proponents have to show for it?
realism
Realism in science cannot be completely unmoored from human experience. Otherwise, realism ends up tortured with unreal paradoxes.
Can electrical stimulation meaningfully substitute for natural touch during a complex task in the real world? We think so.
Behavioral interventions may be better for long-term health.
planet 9
Pluto failed to meet the definition of a planet, but some astronomers think there might be a legitimate Planet 9 out there.
benjamin franklin lightning rod
Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod saved countless lives, but some religious leaders denounced his invention.
The recently discovered Oort cloud comet, Bernardinelli–Bernstein, has the largest known nucleus: 119 km. Here's what it could do to Earth.
Plants are very sensitive to touch, with research showing that touching a plant can change its genome and launch a cascade of plant hormones.
A surreal painting ponders is time travel possible, with melting clocks draped over a tree, ledge, and abstract form in a barren landscape against distant cliffs.
Theoretical physicist Brian Greene explores the potential particles of time and why we could, in theory, travel forward in time but not back.
John Templeton Foundation
The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter recently captured images that could help scientists better under the mysterious physics of our Sun.
Dr. Tyson explains where we might find aliens, why "dark matter" is a misleading term, and why you can blame physics for your favorite team's loss.