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.

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.
Illustration of a cluster of yellow crystal formations with pointed tips, drawn on a light, off-white background.
3mins
“I study the mineral kingdom — and its secrets could lead us to alien life.”
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.
A spacecraft hovers near a bright ring of light in space, surrounded by misty rays and a vast, dark background.
This research team is working out how to detect extraterrestrial cells in the liquid water ocean hidden beneath Enceladus’s icy crust.
A historical illustration depicts an automaton dressed in Ottoman attire, seated behind a chessboard with mechanical components visible below the table, showcasing an early concept akin to mind-body AI.
Our “embodied minds” suggest an eventual escape from mortality via computer is unlikely.
All telescopes are fundamentally limited in what they can see. JWST reveals more distant galaxies than Hubble, but still can't see them all.
Map of the world showing tropical cyclone tracks from 1985 to 2005. Paths are marked with lines indicating storm movement over time. Dense clusters appear in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.
Thanks to the Coriolis force, hurricanes never cross the equator.
An artist's impression of a cluster of stars.
There was a time where no starlight was visible throughout the entire cosmos. That time was short-lived: shorter than astronomers imagined.
A collage of agricultural imagery including a drone, fields, tomatoes, a plant sprout diagram, and various charts and graphs related to farming data.
Hunger rates are rising. These technologies could turn the tide.
nasa merge black hole
Gravitational waves carry enormous amounts of energy, but spread out quickly once they leave the source. Could they ever create black holes?