Nature’s Splendor Exceeds Our Imagination
When you’re unprepared to find exceptional things, you never will
Stories by Avi Loeb
Social Distancing on a Cosmic Scale
Advanced extraterrestrials may just not be interested in travel or communication
The Hawking Limit
The late, great physicist showed us how to keep embracing life and work even as his physical condition deteriorated
The Dangers of Intellectual Territorialism
Narrow expertise has its value, but it’s also vital to let scientists step out of their “lanes”
What if We Could Live for a Million Years?
Vastly extended life spans would bring dazzling opportunities—and daunting risks
A Movie of the Evolving Universe Is Potentially Scary
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will reveal all sorts of short-term changes in the cosmos—and some could have dire consequences for humanity
The Power of Scientific Brainstorming
The process can be inefficient, but it can also get research out of a rut
Living with Scientific Uncertainty
We’re inevitably forced to make decisions without knowing all of the facts
An Audacious Explanation for Fast Radio Bursts
It’s a long shot, but could at least some of these energy blasts from across the universe come from extraterrestrial civilizations?
Beware of ‘Theories of Everything’
Nature is under no obligation to conform to our mathematical ideas—even the most brilliant ones
Visionary Science Takes More Than Just Technical Skills
The ability to come up with truly revolutionary ideas is crucial—and extremely rare
In Search of Naked Singularities
The “cosmic censorship” hypothesis says they shouldn’t exist—but is it possible that we’ve already detected them and misinterpreted their nature?
Let’s Create an Elite Scientific Body to Advise on Global Catastrophes
Call it the Science Readiness Reserves—a group that will anticipate and prepare for rare but disastrous events such as pandemics, asteroid strikes, and more
A Sobering Astronomical Reminder from COVID-19
We should be grateful for the conditions that allow us to exist at all, because they won’t last forever
Why the Pursuit of Scientific Knowledge Will Never End
It’s because the more we learn, the more questions we find to ask
Flattening the COVID-19 Curves
Social distancing imposes hardships, but it can save many millions of lives
Advice for Young Scientists: Be a Generalist
A narrow focus on the latest hot topic can be rewarding—but it’s not necessarily a good long-term strategy
Why Should Scientists Mentor Students?
It’s not just good for the students; it’s good for us as well
Surfing a Supernova
In principle, an advanced civilization could use blasts of light from exploding stars to accelerate spacecraft to extraordinary speeds
A Tale of Three Nobels
It’s unfortunate that some of the most exciting frontiers in modern astrophysics were initially ridiculed as a waste of time
