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.

So far, Earth is the only planet that we're certain possesses active life processes. Here's what we shouldn't assume about life elsewhere.
cosmic inflation
The Universe isn't just expansion, but the expansion itself is accelerating. So why can't we feel it in any measurable way?
A collage-style graphic features a man with a goatee, the title "The Nightcrawler," stock charts, and abstract shapes in orange and green.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A colorful, abstract scientific illustration with a central glowing sphere, circular patterns, and various lines and circles suggesting quantum connections or uncertainty data points, on a dark background with blue accents.
No matter how good our measurement devices get, certain quantum properties always possess an inherent uncertainty. Can we figure out why?
Image with a split view: the left half shows a black-and-white image of Earth, the right half depicts a grayscale crowd scene. Text overlay: "More Humans Are Better," with the number "3" in the top right corner.
In a world of rising cynicism, a celebration of our capacity to create, adapt, and thrive.
A collage featuring a detailed hand drawing, a scientific diagram of a circular interconnected pattern, and a black and white diagram resembling a microorganism on a blue background.
"What modern science has taught us is that life is not a property of matter."
first contact
Life arose on Earth early on, eventually giving rise to us: intelligent and technologically advanced. "First contact" still remains elusive.
A circular illustration depicting the observable universe with various galaxies, stars, and cosmic structures emanating from a central point, symbolizing the solar system and hinting at how far away the Big Bang occurred.
If you think of the Big Bang as an explosion, we can trace it back to a single point-of-origin. But what if it happened everywhere at once?
Two individuals in hard hats and safety glasses working on complex machinery with numerous cables and metal components in an industrial setting.
DUNE is designed to detect the Universe's most antisocial particle: the neutrino.
every square degree
The Universe is 13.8 billion years old, going back to the hot Big Bang. But was that truly the beginning, and is that truly its age?
A wide shot of a man walking down an aisle between tall stacks of server racks in a data center filled with computer hardware.
We need more data centers for AI. Developers are getting creative about where to build them.
Illustration of a hand cutting red tape with scissors over a government building labeled "National of Health.
There is one obstacle that reliably blocks innovative ideas: how we fund science.
Illustration depicting human evolution from a primate to an early human holding a spear, advancing from left to right.
8mins
Biological evolution in humans has slowed. Can AI, culture wars, and modern tech explain why?
cosmic inflation
Many contrarians dispute that cosmic inflation occurred. The evidence says otherwise.
pulse light quantum tunnel barrier
In all the Universe, only a few particles are eternally stable. The photon, the quantum of light, has an infinite lifetime. Or does it?
A white ladder leans against a white wall, leading up to a circular opening revealing a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A simple semantic device — invented by a forgotten senator — can help us break “the curse of knowledge.”
Raisin bread expanding Universe
The big question isn't whether the Universe is expanding at 67 or 73 km/s/Mpc. It's why different methods yield such different answers.
Six images of lunar craters including Centra Mare Fecunditatis, Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Ingenii, Southweast, Schlieter Crater, Highland 1, Highland 2, and Mare Smth.
The recent discovery of a large cave on the Moon highlights the importance of caves not just for future space explorers but astrobiology as well.
A book cover titled "Billionaire Nerd Saviour King" by Anupreeta Das, featuring a black-and-white photo of Bill Gates with green text overlay about the nerd founder's influence on the world.
He peppers his sentences with words like “neat” and “cool,” he’s not great at working the room after dinner — oh, and he's a peerless visionary.