AstronomyDecember 6, 2022
Construction of World’s Largest Radio Observatory Is Finally Under Way
Two giant telescopes—one in Australia, the other in South Africa—will comprise the supersensitive Square Kilometer Array
Universe
CosmologyDecember 6, 2022
Astronomers Grapple with JWST’s Discovery of Early Galaxies
Researchers are convinced the James Webb Space Telescope has glimpsed an unexpected population of galaxies in the early universe. Now they’re trying to decide what this means for our understanding of the cosmos
New Issue: Science’s Impossible Questions. Read Now
AstronomyNovember 30, 2022
Is Our Universe a Hologram? Physicists Debate Famous Idea on Its 25th Anniversary
The Ads/CFT duality conjecture suggests our universe is a hologram, enabling significant discoveries in the 25 years since it was first proposed
OpinionNovember 16, 2022
Invisible Numbers Are the Most Beautiful Part of Every ‘Space’ Image
We are drawn to breathtaking images of the heavens, but there is beauty in the numbers those images hold
Extraterrestrial LifeOctober 28, 2022
Life on Mars May Have Been Its Own Worst Enemy
A new study suggests that billions of years ago microbes may have thrived on Mars before succumbing to freezing temperatures of their own making
AstronomyOctober 25, 2022
Dazzling New JWST Image Shows Dusty Stellar Spirals
A new JWST image of a star surrounded by strange, rippling spirals reveals a hidden chapter in the story of how dust spreads across the cosmos
Quantum PhysicsOctober 25, 2022
Researchers Use Quantum ‘Telepathy’ to Win an ‘Impossible’ Game
A new playful demonstration of quantum pseudotelepathy could lead to advances in communication and computation
AstronomyOctober 21, 2022
The Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Recorded Rattled Earth’s Atmosphere
The death of a massive star far across the universe affected lightning on our planet and could teach us about the Milky Way
Quantum PhysicsOctober 6, 2022
The Universe Is Not Locally Real. Here’s How Physicists Proved It
Elegant experiments with entangled light have laid bare a profound mystery at the heart of reality
OpinionSeptember 14, 2022
Frank Drake’s Courageous Questions Live On
Drake’s curiosity and ambition turned the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into the scientific venture it is today
CosmologySeptember 14, 2022
JWST’s First Glimpses of Early Galaxies Could Break Cosmology
The James Webb Space Telescope’s first images of the distant universe shocked astronomers. Is the discovery of unimaginably distant galaxies a mirage or a revolution?
Particle PhysicsSeptember 8, 2022
Physicists Struggle to Unite around Future Plans
Over 10 days, researchers participating in the once-a-decade “Snowmass process” attempted to build a unified scientific vision for the future of particle physics