The moon is, in fact, an inanimate, dusty old rock
The moon is a layered ball of rock about 4.5 billion years old, wrapped in sharp gray dust and almost no air. Here is what it is made of, where it probably came from and why it barely changes.
How solar storms mess with satellites
The sun has weather, and some of it reaches us. Here is how solar flares and the storms that follow can sink satellites, scramble GPS and even trip power grids, and how people keep watch.
Patterns in sound
Sprinkle salt on a drum, play a steady note, and the grains slide into neat lines and rings. Here is why sound draws pictures, who first noticed, how to try it at home, and what all this has in common with a snowflake.
Most of the sound around you goes unheard
Human ears catch only a middle band of all the sound there is. Here is what we miss, which animals hear it, and why the hums and whines from our own gadgets can still get under our skin.
What is LaserSETI?
LaserSETI is a growing network of rooftop cameras that watch huge patches of the night sky for a single-color flash of light. Here is how it works, where the stations are in 2026, and what it has (and has not) found.
Most of the light around you is invisible
Our eyes catch only a thin band of all the light there is, from violet to red. Here is what we miss, which animals see more of it, and how we use the invisible rest every day.