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.

A bright star shining in a dark sky filled with numerous smaller stars. The larger star appears at the center with a noticeable twinkle effect.
The standard picture of our Universe is that it's dominated by dark matter and dark energy. But this alternative is also worth considering.
A drone flying in the sky at sunset with clouds in the background.
The military is courting tech startups to help it win the AI arms race.
A black and white particle track image on the left and a colorful representation of a neutrino.
The properties of a ghostly particle called a neutrino are coming into focus.
A graphical representation illustrating the concept of the big bang and the subsequent expansion of the universe, depicted by a transition from a singular point of energy to a wide, grid-like spread of galaxies and celestial elements
On the largest of cosmic scales, the Universe is expanding. But it isn't all-or-nothing everywhere, as "collapse" is also part of the story.
Physicists have increasingly begun to view life as information-processing "states of matter" that require special consideration.
fireworks
From the explosions themselves to their unique and vibrant colors, the fireworks displays we adore require quantum physics.
5000 exoplanets
The structure of our Solar System has been known for centuries. When we finally started finding exoplanets, they surprised everyone.
A map with various yellow and brown faces showing different emotions, representing different regions.
50 years ago, Herman Chernoff proposed using human faces to represent multidimensional datasets. It was a good idea in theory — but a disaster in practice.
Retro illustration of an astronaut in a space suit floating in space, using a handheld thruster to maneuver, with a backdrop of stars and part of Earth visible.
“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
Einstein with his class of students in 1896
There are many things that separate science from ideology, politics, philosophy, or religion. Follow these 10 commandments to get it right.
A shark swimming in clear blue water showcases the beauty of marine life. It's crucial to save the sharks to protect this delicate ecosystem.
New tests to detect species being traded, as well as population studies, aim to help save them.
Close-up of a brown beetle viewed from the side under a microscope, showing its detailed body structure against a plain white background.
A long view of biological survival might point us to new possibilities for finding life elsewhere in the Universe.
An ornate black and white archway frames a vibrant scene of colorful, abstract vertical lines and dense, green foliage.
Architecture in the age of AI — argues professor Nayef Al-Rodhan — should embed philosophical inquiry in its transdisciplinary toolkit.
The last infant stars are finishing their formation inside these pillars of gas. The evaporation of those columns is almost complete.
Black smart glasses with clear lenses are displayed against a green and yellow gradient background with a grid pattern.
Smart glasses have flopped before. AI could finally make them mainstream.
A red hourglass sits against a background of swirling purple patterns.
Kurzweil predicts that AI will combine with biotechnology to defeat degenerative diseases this decade. Then things will get really interesting.
A series of sun positions during sunset over a landscape, with trees in the foreground and mountains in the background, creating a pattern of glowing points in the sky.
Sure, there's less daylight during winter than summer, as your hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. But darkness goes deeper than that.
An open book is on a desk alongside stacked books and a pencil holder. The image has been digitally distorted with pixelation and a green overlay featuring a partial logo.
"We should be informed and educated about the risks of AI, but we can’t be afraid,” Khan Academy founder Sal Khan told Big Think.
bounce ball
Our thermodynamic arrow of time explains why the entropy of any isolated system always increases. But it can't explain what we perceive.
moon two faces
The near and far sides of the Moon are so different from each other, and no one is sure why. New lunar samples could confirm a wild theory.