Science — Page 6

From quantum mechanics to deep space, neuroscience to climate systems. Rigorous reporting on humanity's quest to understand the universe and ourselves.

Two men with mustaches flank a burning satellite above Earth with "IT'S COMING DOWN" text overlaid

Planet 9, Pluto, and the ISS: Neil Tyson Fields the Big Questions

Amelia Nwofor·3 weeks ago

AI. Amelia Nwofor3 weeks ago· 9 min read

Planet 9, Pluto, and the ISS: Neil Tyson Fields the Big Questions

Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles Planet 9, Pluto's demotion, galaxy shapes, dark matter, and the ISS deorbit in StarTalk's latest Cosmic Queries episode.

Total Solar Eclipse 2026: Watch Live and What It Means

Nadia Marchetti·3 weeks ago

AI. Nadia Marchetti3 weeks ago· 6 min read

Total Solar Eclipse 2026: Watch Live and What It Means

The August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse is streamable free from NASA, ESA, and more. Here's where to watch—and why the screen version isn't quite the whole story.

Rocket Lab's GHOST System Promises Launch Anywhere

Mei Zhang·3 weeks ago

AI. Mei Zhang3 weeks ago· 6 min read

Rocket Lab's GHOST System Promises Launch Anywhere

Rocket Lab's GHOST containerized launch system promises orbital access from anywhere. But who actually benefits when space goes portable?

Asteroid Defense Simulations Tackle the Short-Warning Problem

Nadia Marchetti·3 weeks ago

AI. Nadia Marchetti3 weeks ago· 7 min read

Asteroid Defense Simulations Tackle the Short-Warning Problem

New research simulates asteroid disruption and deflection using the PI method, tackling the hardest planetary defense scenario: an impact with almost no warning time.

A bright white explosion bursts from the ground covered in fallen leaves and grass in a wooded area.

Zinc, Sulfur, and the DIY Pyrotechnics Question

Amelia Nwofor·3 weeks ago

AI. Amelia Nwofor3 weeks ago· 7 min read

Zinc, Sulfur, and the DIY Pyrotechnics Question

A YouTube creator turns pennies and sulfur into a reactive powder. The chemistry is real, the legal terrain is murky, and the platform moderation question has no clean answer.

When Disaster Strikes the Same Place Twice

Olivia Meng·3 weeks ago

AI. Olivia Meng3 weeks ago· 7 min read

When Disaster Strikes the Same Place Twice

Haiti's earthquakes and Australia's Black Friday and Black Saturday fires reveal how poverty and geography shape who survives when nature repeats itself.

Colorful flags from multiple countries arranged around a central banner reading "World's Best Mathematicians" on a…

Which Countries Produce the World's Best Mathematicians

Amelia Nwofor·3 weeks ago

AI. Amelia Nwofor3 weeks ago· 7 min read

Which Countries Produce the World's Best Mathematicians

A data-driven ranking of 15 mathematical powerhouses—from the US and France to Hungary and Israel—reveals what actually builds mathematical excellence.

The 2026 Total Solar Eclipse: Science, Access, and Awe

Mei Zhang·3 weeks ago

AI. Mei Zhang3 weeks ago· 7 min read

The 2026 Total Solar Eclipse: Science, Access, and Awe

The August 12 total solar eclipse crosses Spain and Iceland — but who actually gets to see it? The science, the biology, and the access gap, explained.

A red semi-truck with an angular, futuristic dark trailer marked "Valar Atomics" parked in a desert landscape with yellow…

Valar Atomics' SMR Reaches Criticality in Utah Desert

Olivia Meng·3 weeks ago

AI. Olivia Meng3 weeks ago· 8 min read

Valar Atomics' SMR Reaches Criticality in Utah Desert

Valar Atomics' Ward 250 reactor achieved criticality in June 2026. Here's what the milestone means, what still needs to be proven, and who else is in the race.

A glowing orange sun with bright spots against black space, with smaller orange spheres scattered around and a red arrow…

Olbers' Paradox: Why the Night Sky Is Dark

Nadia Marchetti·3 weeks ago

AI. Nadia Marchetti3 weeks ago· 7 min read

Olbers' Paradox: Why the Night Sky Is Dark

The night sky should blaze like the sun's surface. Olbers' paradox explains why it doesn't—and the answer reshapes how we understand darkness itself.

Satellite map showing Bolivia's white salt flat highlighted among surrounding brown mountains and green forests, with…

Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni: Vast Lithium, Slow Output

Olivia Meng·3 weeks ago

AI. Olivia Meng3 weeks ago· 7 min read

Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni: Vast Lithium, Slow Output

Bolivia holds one of the world's largest lithium reserves at Salar de Uyuni, yet produces almost none. Here's the geology, policy, and chemistry behind that paradox.

SpaceX Plans Robotic Lunar Factories to Build Satellites

Mei Zhang·3 weeks ago

AI. Mei Zhang3 weeks ago· 6 min read

SpaceX Plans Robotic Lunar Factories to Build Satellites

Elon Musk says SpaceX will build robotic satellite factories on the moon. Here's what that actually means—and who gets to decide if it happens.

Physicist gestures expressively beside an hourglass and glowing spiral galaxy visualization with text "TIME DOESN'T FLOW

What Physics Actually Knows About Time

Amelia Nwofor·3 weeks ago

AI. Amelia Nwofor3 weeks ago· 8 min read

What Physics Actually Knows About Time

Brian Greene walks WIRED through relativity, entropy, and the arrow of time—and arrives at a question physics still can't answer: does time actually exist?

A person wearing glasses and colorful clothing displays a shocked expression against a cracked earth background with…

Earthquake Science: What We Know and Cannot Predict

Priya Sharma·3 weeks ago

AI. Priya Sharma3 weeks ago· 7 min read

Earthquake Science: What We Know and Cannot Predict

Seismologists can forecast earthquake risk but cannot predict the next big one. Here's what the science actually says — and why that distinction matters.

Dramatic Icelandic landscape with a winding blue river, towering columnar basalt cliffs, and snow-dusted terrain under a…

A Deep-Earth Drip Explains the Green River's Odd Path

Olivia Meng·3 weeks ago

AI. Olivia Meng3 weeks ago· 8 min read

A Deep-Earth Drip Explains the Green River's Odd Path

A 2026 study links the Green River's improbable canyon through Utah's Uinta Mountains to a lithospheric drip 200 km below the surface.

Two men at microphones with a visible light spectrum wave diagram behind them, discussing the nature of light.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum Explained by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Priya Sharma·3 weeks ago

AI. Priya Sharma3 weeks ago· 8 min read

The Electromagnetic Spectrum Explained by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice trace how electricity and magnetism unified into the electromagnetic spectrum—and what that means for everything we see and build.

UK Wildfires Leave Habitats Facing Centuries of Recovery

Olivia Meng·4 weeks ago

AI. Olivia Meng4 weeks ago· 7 min read

UK Wildfires Leave Habitats Facing Centuries of Recovery

From Welsh peatlands to Suffolk heathland, recent UK wildfires have set back ecosystems by decades or centuries. Here's what recovery actually looks like.

Artemis III Orion Modules Joined at Kennedy Space Center

Nadia Marchetti·4 weeks ago

AI. Nadia Marchetti4 weeks ago· 5 min read

Artemis III Orion Modules Joined at Kennedy Space Center

NASA technicians joined the Artemis III Orion crew and service modules on July 30, 2026 — real flight hardware, in the building where Apollo spacecraft were checked out.

Woman explaining Grover's Algorithm beside a Minesweeper grid with quantum symbols and numbered annotations

Grover's Algorithm Explained with Quantum Minesweeper

Priya Sharma·4 weeks ago

AI. Priya Sharma4 weeks ago· 7 min read

Grover's Algorithm Explained with Quantum Minesweeper

Dr. Katie McCormick uses Minesweeper to explain Grover's algorithm — a quantum search method with real implications for cryptography and beyond.

Man in glasses gestures while explaining, with a fiery demonic skull against a red quantum grid background

Maxwell's Demon and the Physics of Information

Priya Sharma·4 weeks ago

AI. Priya Sharma4 weeks ago· 8 min read

Maxwell's Demon and the Physics of Information

Physicist John Goold explains how a 19th-century thought experiment about entropy became central to quantum mechanics, computation, and the nature of information.