SA Special Editions

The weird quantum phenomenon of entanglement could produce shortcuts between distant black holes

A surprising connection between cosmology and quantum mechanics could unveil the secrets of space and time

A daring set of experiments finally confirms Einstein's 1916 prediction of gravitational waves

Planets quite different from our own may be the best homes for life in the universe

The Milky Way turns out to be part of a massive supercluster of galaxies that forms one of the largest known structures in the universe. This discovery is only the beginning of a new effort to map the cosmos

Every year thousands of exploding stars appear in a bizarre assortment of forms. Astronomers want to know what makes them go boom

Is the big bang, and all that came from it, a holographic mirage from another dimension?

Alien technology is probably not causing Boyajian's star to dim mysteriously. But alternative explanations are hard to come by

Moons orbiting distant exoplanets may account for most of the habitable locales in the galaxy. If only we could find them

New techniques reveal how supermassive black holes shred entire stars

Not long after the big bang's flash, all light left the cosmos. Astronomers are now solving the mystery of its return

Why is the expansion of the universe accelerating? After two decades of study, the answer is as mysterious as ever, but the questions have become clearer

Evidence mounts that Saturn's icy moon harbors active hydrothermal vents, making it one of the hottest places to look for life beyond Earth

Experiments now under development could finally answer one of the most profound questions in science: Does life exist outside of Earth?

Astrochemists are discovering many compounds in the cosmos that cannot exist on Earth

To know whether life exists beyond Earth, we must come to terms with our own significance in the universe. Are we uniquely special or merely mediocre?