An Incredible Story of Scientific Questing, Botany and Danger on the Colorado River
This is a science adventure story. Take a wild journey down the Colorado River in the company of two pioneering botanists: Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter.
World’s Oldest Alphabet Found on an Ancient Clay Gift Tag
A finger-sized clay cylinder from a tomb in northern Syria appears to be the oldest example of writing using an alphabet rather than hieroglyphs or cuneiform
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Could AI Ghosts of Ancient Civilizations Help Us Connect with Bygone Cultures?
Social psychologists could turn artificial-intelligence-powered tools like ChatGPT on to writings from past cultures. Will this help us study ancient civilizations?
Carolyn Beatrice Parker’s Work on the Manhattan Project Inspired Her Birthplace Generations Later
This Black physicist’s work on the Manhattan Project inspired a County in Florida two generations after her death
December 2024: Science History from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago
Alcohol in space; basking in the limelight
This ‘Human Computer’ Created a System for Measuring Vast Distances in Our Universe
Visual artist Anna Von Mertens looks to astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt and her vision of the universe for inspiration
Insights into Insects with an Entomologist
Violins, the ink on the Declaration of Independence and other ways that insects shaped human history
Happy New Year! (If You’re a Martian)
The Martian new year arrives with the Red Planet’s vernal equinox. Explaining why requires a deep dive into celestial mechanics and Earth’s calendrical history
Medieval Elites Cared about Their Zodiac Signs, Too
In medieval times, astrology was considered a serious science, a branch of astronomy. Curator Larisa Grollemond of the Getty Museum, walks us through the medieval zodiac and how someone’s sign decided their day-to-day life.
How Superman Helped Launch the Hubble Space Telescope
Long before it orbited Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope starred in a famous Superman comic
Scientists Spy a ‘Dandelion’ Supernova around a ‘Zombie’ Star
A strange supernova remnant first appeared as a “guest star” seen in 1181 by sky watchers in China and Japan
Lost Silk Road Cities Discovered High in the Mountains of Central Asia
On the Silk Road, these lost twin cities may have sustained themselves in a foreboding landscape with metallurgy and commerce