Science and Tech

Science and Tech

A u.s. coast guard cutter sails on calm blue waters against a clear sky, flying the coast guard flag on its stern.
Driven by a childhood marked by war and environmental devastation, Dyhia Belhabib developed an innovative technology to combat illegal fishing.
Raisin bread expanding Universe
The evidence that the Universe is expanding is overwhelming. But how? By stretching the existing space, or by creating new space itself?
A vibrant display of green aurora borealis above an antarctic research station under a starry sky.
IceCube scientists have detected high-energy tau neutrinos from deep space, suggesting that neutrino transformations occur not only in lab experiments but also over cosmic distances.
elements
In 2017, we detected gold being forged in a neutron star-neutron star merger. Now, in 2024, the amounts created simply don't add up.
Close-up of a beluga whale's head with visible facial creases, communicating in an alien language, against a dark water background.
Learning to decode complex communication on Earth may give us a leg up if intelligent life from space makes contact.
Interior of a particle physics laboratory showing a complex particle accelerator setup with multiple cables, detectors, and machinery designed to study glueball particles.
Glueballs are an unusual, unconfirmed Standard Model prediction, suggesting bound states of gluons alone exist. We just found our first one.
a collage of photos of people talking on their cell phones.
The Human Chronome Project finds that the average human sleeps for 9 hours but only works for 2.6 hours.
Illustration of a smiling bald man with a leadership hack, wearing a dark zip-up jacket against a yellow background with abstract green and blue waves.
Joe Betts-LaCroix — co-founder and CEO of Retro Biosciences — talks to Big Think about invention, authenticity, and Sam Altman’s “art of the startup.”
A vibrant image of the Horsehead Nebula captured by JWST, featuring a radiant blue and white glow against a deep red starry background.
The most iconic "dark nebula" of all lights up under JWST's infrared gaze. Here's what's newly discovered inside.
Nasa's ingenuity mars helicopter captured mid-flight on the martian surface, surrounded by rocky terrain.
If the past is any guide, things are going to take off quickly.
Fluorescence microscopy image showing a close-up of cells in vibrant blue and green colors, with an arrow indicating a magnified section.
Cancers can’t develop without genetic mutations — or can they?
A spoonful of non-sugar sweeteners on a dual red and orange background, with sweetener grains scattered around the spoon.
Poor research can be worse than no research at all.
A detailed image contrasting a fiery asteroid on the left with a cool, intricate snowflake on the right against a dark background.
11mins
Humanity has two giant collisions to thank for its existence, explains biologist Sean B. Carroll.
Holograms preserve all of an object's 3D information, but on a 2D surface. Could the holographic Universe idea lead us to higher dimensions?
A bright flash of light in the Universe
In general relativity, white holes are just as mathematically plausible as black holes. Black holes are real; what about white holes?
A graphical representation of network connections superimposed on a dark map, highlighting major nodes with bright orange and yellow lines.
Digital analyses of Enlightenment-era letters are teaching us a thing or two about Locke, Voltaire, and others.
A digital rendering of a planet partially illuminated by a nearby star, with a galaxy visible in the dark space background.
An interview with Lisa Kaltenegger, the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute, about the modern quest to answer an age-old question: "Are we alone in the cosmos?"
timeline of the universe history
From the earliest stages of the hot Big Bang (and even before) to our dark energy-dominated present, how and when did the Universe grow up?
A minimalistic graphic depicting dual shades of blue, segmented horizontally, with small white dots scattered throughout, resembling a starry night sky.
Discover how Quantum Bayesianism challenges traditional quantum mechanics by focusing on the role of the observer in creating quantum reality.
A composite image of the milky way galaxy showing colorful interstellar dust and gas with star fields.
This first-of-its-kind image offers a detailed look at the magnetic fields within the Central Molecular Zone.
X-ray style image of a human head with brain highlighted by luminous, branching electric currents made of particles against a dark background.
At a fundamental level, only a few particles and forces govern all of reality. How do their combinations create human consciousness?
A person in a karate gi breaking a brick with a hand strike, demonstrating the physics of karate, superimposed on a background of mathematical equations and graphs.
A human hand has the power to split wooden planks and demolish concrete blocks. A trio of physicists investigated why this feat doesn’t shatter our bones.
A textured, circular black center is surrounded by radiating blue patterns and lines, resembling an abstract eye or a solar eclipse.
6mins
Physicist Sean Carroll on entropy, complexity, and the origins of life:
dark energy
Dark energy is one of the biggest mysteries in all the Universe. Is there any way to avoid "having to live with it?"
Partial skeleton of a small animal embedded in dirt, with visible spine, ribcage, and skull, accompanied by three stones.
A poignant, 2,000-year-old burial in northern Italy could be the latest evidence of an ancient friendship.
Two images of shark embryos against a black background, showing developmental stages with visible internal structures.
A study of spinal development took a strange turn and made a surprise discovery.
universe temperature
In the 20th century, many options abounded as to our cosmic origins. Today, only the Big Bang survives, thanks to this critical evidence.
A realistic illustration of earth in space, bathed in sunlight with a visible blue glow from the GaiaSignatures atmosphere.
"I hope we take a mindset where we are willing to look for weird life in weird places."
how many planets
For some reason, when we talk about the age of stars, galaxies, and the Universe, we use "years" to measure time. Can we do better?