Science & Tech

Science & Tech

Explore the discoveries that reveal how the world works, alongside the technologies that extend, reshape, and sometimes challenge what’s possible.

Text "Cosmic Origins" over a bright, colorful explosion effect with star-like patterns in the background.
Since the dawn of history, humans have pondered our ultimate cosmic origins. Now in the 21st century, science has gone beyond the Big Bang.
The words "Cosmic Origins" appear in bold against a colorful, radiant explosion resembling a galaxy or cosmic event.
21mins
"Asking the question of, where did the entire universe come from, is no longer a question for poets and theologians and philosophers. This is a question for scientists, and we have some amazing scientific answers to this question that have defied even the wildest of our expectations."
Illustration shows a supermassive black hole with a captured star and hypervelocity star, near the Large Magellanic Cloud, with double star orbits labeled. Earth is visible in the foreground.
Just 165,000 light-years away, the Large Magellanic Cloud is suspected to house a supermassive black hole. At last, evidence has arrived.
Illustration of a comet from an old manuscript on the left, and a black and white image of a comet in space on the right.
Fears of celestial collisions — and calculations of their likelihood — go back to the very origins of modern science itself.
Green glowing orbs and funnel-shaped structures with light patterns floating in a vibrant green misty background.
There are some 26 fundamental constants in nature, and their values enable our Universe to exist as it does. But where do they come from?
A stylized image showcases poker chips and a green Swiss army knife, intricately overlaid with circuit patterns, hinting subtly at AI risk. The word "Nightcrawler" graces the top, adding an enigmatic touch.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
states of matter
Under extreme conditions, matter takes on properties that lead to remarkable, novel possibilities. Topological superconductors included.
Two images of the Sombrero Galaxy reveal its beauty: one with a bluish hue showcasing visible details, and the other with a reddish hue highlighting a different spectrum. Captured by JWST, these images offer an unmatched view of this spiral galaxy's complex structure.
One of the most promising dark matter candidates is light particles, like axions. With JWST, we can rule out many of those options already.
Laser guide star
Astronomers see spiral and elliptical nebulae nearly everywhere, except by the Milky Way's plane. We didn't know why until the 20th century.
warp field stars
Perhaps the most well-known equation in all of physics is Einstein's E = mc². Does mass or energy increase, then, near the speed of light?
An astronaut stands proudly on the moon's surface near scientific equipment and a lunar lander, as the American flag waves in the background, symbolizing a pioneering USA nation.
We've wasted our time and resources ideologically policing and punishing each other for far too long. Here's a better route to prosperity.
Pipette approaching a petri dish containing a shimmering dark substance on a purple gradient background.
“I want to change the way we think about the past altogether,” says Dr. Betül Kaçar, an astrobiologist who studies the origin of life.
anitmatter annihilation
From the tiniest subatomic scales to the grandest cosmic structures of all, everything that exists depends on two things: charge and mass.
Open book with a four-pane window logo on the left page and an illustrated portrait of a man on the right page, reminiscent of Pasteur's quadrant. Background is light green.
Groundbreaking invention does not always translate to commercial benefits. The challenges that faced Microsoft Research help explain why.
A spacecraft with a large reflective dish orbits above Earth, exploring the starry galaxy and cosmic backdrop. Its mission? To map galaxies and teach us what the CMB can't, unlocking cosmic mysteries.
The CMB gives us critical information about our cosmic past. But it doesn't give us everything, and galaxy mapping can fill in a key gap.
Hexagonal map showing Europe, parts of Asia, and North Africa in varying shades of green and gray, with clusters of red and purple indicating specific regions.
"Gyroscope-on-a-chip" technology could soon enable us to navigate over long distances without GPS.
A galaxy with bright stars and swirling clouds of dust creates the largest galactic mosaic, set against a dark space backdrop.
The full extent of the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest large galaxy to our own, has been entirely imaged with Hubble's exquisite cameras.
Man peering through a glass container with measurement markings, focused expression, blurred foreground.
“Can we push these cells to do something other than what they normally do?" asks developmental biologist Michael Levin. "Can they build something completely different?”
MACS J0717 galaxy cluster dark matter
Dark matter doesn't absorb or emit light, but it gravitates. Instead of something exotic and novel, could it just be dark, normal matter?