Surprising Discovery Challenges Key Principle of Modern Cosmology
Observations of an enormous cosmic structure, dubbed the "Big Ring," seem to violate the Copernican principle.
Beware the Volcanoes of Alaska (and Elsewhere)
The 43 BCE eruption of Alaska’s Okmok volcano created the (cold) climate context for the fall of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire.
The Annotated Oppenheimer
Celebrated and damned as the “father of the atomic bomb,” theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer lived a complicated scientific and political life.
Why Interstellar Objects Like ʻOumuamua and Borisov May Hold Clues to Exoplanets
The detection of two celestial interlopers careening through our solar system has scientists eagerly anticipating more.
A Fresh Hell (Chicken)
A newly identified “Hell chicken” species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit.
Astronomers Use AI to Shed Light on Dark Energy
A new measurement offers insights on the density of the mysterious force driving the Universe’s expansion.
Doing Math with Intellectual Humility
Math class is an opportunity to teach students both how to use conjecture to arrive at knowledge and how to learn from the logic of peers.
Coming Up Kudzu
Employed as a symbol of the American South or used as shorthand for unchecked growth, kudzu has demonstrated a tenacity beyond all imagination.
The Hunt for Life in Alpha Centauri
This oddball system of three stars might be our best chance at finding nearby life in the Universe.