Science and Tech

Science and Tech

An image of an EV car with a map on it.
A $30,000 electric vehicle with 400 miles of range that charges in under 10 minutes remains a pipe dream over the near future.
An abstract composite image depicting where life began with mountainous terrain, chemical structures, and a monochrome inset of a cloudy sky.
Although early Earth was a molten hellscape, once it cooled, life arose almost immediately. That original chain of life remains unbroken.
A digitally enhanced view of a crescent planet Earth with a galaxy in the background.
The Earth that exists today wasn't formed simultaneously with the Sun and the other planets. In some ways, we're quite a latecomer.
An image of a spiral galaxy in space.
In 1924, Edwin Hubble found proof that the Milky Way isn't the only galaxy in the Universe.
A colorful village sits on the shore of a body of water.
Scientists are working to map out the risks of the permafrost thaw, which could expose millions of people to the invisible cancer-causing gas.
A black and white image of a large circular object.
Recent measurements of CERN data seem to disagree with standard-model predictions about how the Higgs boson decays, though further analysis is needed to confirm the observations.
A diagram showing the structure of a galaxy.
The Universe didn't begin with a bang, but with an inflationary "whoosh" that came before. Here are the biggest questions that still remain.
An older man with glasses and a beard posing for a picture.
In "Dear Oliver," neuroscientist Susan Barry describes how her 10-year correspondence with Oliver Sacks unleashed her inner author.
A view of jupiter from space.
NASA's Juno mission, in orbit around Jupiter, occasionally flies past its innermost large moon: Io. The volcanic activity is unbelievable.
A person holding a small key in their hand.
The brain-computer interface will be tested in a six-year trial in patients with quadriplegia.
A bright light in the sky.
As planets with too many volatiles and too little mass orbit their parent stars, their atmospheres photoevaporate, spelling doom for some.
Tesla in a suit sitting in a chair.
"She understood me and I understood her. I loved that pigeon.”
Two pictures of a drone flying in the sky with a laser.
The futuristic weapon could be ready for the battlefield in 5 years.
A tunnel is being constructed in a tunnel.
The DUNE project will beam tiny neutrinos across vast distances. But the first step involved moving a heavier material: 1 million tons of rock.
A man with a beard is standing in front of a screen.
Big Think columnist Adam Frank makes the case for why the 2023 video game Alan Wake 2 is a boundary-pushing piece of art.
wormhole nasa illustration
Without wormholes, warp drive, or some type of new matter, energy, or physics, everyone is limited by the speed of light. Or are they?
An AI-generated illustration of a man sitting at a desk, accompanied by thought-provoking poetry.
Cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve poetic authenticity.
A computer-generated image of a bright celestial object with an accretion disk, possibly representing what the sun looked like when it was born.
It took 9.2 billion years of cosmic evolution before our Sun and Solar System even began to form. Such a small event has led to so much.
A diverse array of objects hanging from a blue background, fostering innovation.
A more diverse workforce will produce better solutions in fast-changing markets.
Composition of the dark energy prominence universe showing percentages of dark energy, dark matter, and visible matter.
Early on, only matter and radiation were important for the expanding Universe. After a few billion years, dark energy changed everything.
A machine is moving down a conveyor belt in a warehouse.
Britain is profiling the genes, health and lifestyles of its citizens and handing the results to scientists across the world.
A bottle of Coca Cola on a red background.
If you eat a diet full of refined grains, high-sugar drinks, and sweets, there's a good chance you have too much insulin.
Nasa's JWST captures spiral galaxies in a series of photos.
Stars are born, live, and die within the spiral arms of galaxies like the Milky Way. These 19 JWST spirals deliver unprecedented riches.
A banknote with a portrait of a man in a hat.
New DNA analyses raise questions over the theory that Christopher Columbus and his men brought syphilis to Europe.
An image of a galaxy cluster.
If our Milky Way were located in the Virgo cluster instead of the Local Group, chances are we'd already be a "red and dead" galaxy.
Two women in lab coats working with a beaker.
The new electrically conductive substrate could be the future of hydroponic farming.
An image of an egg with a blue and white pattern on it.
If there’s life lurking on the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, could our instruments even detect it?
A map showing the location of the arctic sea.
No shots fired. No flags raised. And no dry land gained. Still, the U.S. effectively grew by the size of about two Californias in December.
An image of the surface of Mars, showcasing its captivating and unique geological formations resembling a grand canyon.
Valles Marineris is the Solar System's grandest canyon, many times longer, wider, and deeper than the Grand Canyon. What scarred Mars so?