The “Real” Warp Drive
Sure, it sounds like science fiction. But some researchers suggest that warp drives might actually be a possibility.
Our Sinking Cities
From Venice to Tehran to Shanghai, many cities are steadily sinking into the earth. There might not be any way to stop it.
Facts and Fancies About Amber
It's taken scientists a long time to figure out what amber is made of, and what we can learn from it.
How Far Does the Periodic Table Go?
Efforts to fill the periodic table raise questions of special relativity that “strike at the very heart of chemistry as a discipline.”
Wollemi Pine, Dinosaur Tree
The Wollemi Pine is an ancient tree, virtually unchanged since herbivorous dinosaurs last munched on them.
The Science Behind Decompression Sickness
Deep-sea divers now know how to avoid "the bends." But decompression still poses a problem when studying marine organisms from the deep.
The Many Modes of Mummification
From Egypt to East Asia, ways of making mummies have varied. Sometimes, as a recent find reveals, mummification happens completely by accident.
Why the French Revolution’s “Rational” Calendar Wasn’t
What ever happened to "the most radical attempt in modern history to challenge the Western standard temporal reference framework?"
America’s Mysterious Lost Tree
Extinct in the wild, the Franklinia tree is still cultivated in botanical gardens, private homes, parks, even cemeteries. It's also got an interesting Revolutionary-era backstory.
What Happens if Earth’s Magnetic Poles Reverse?
What would happen if the Earth's magnetic poles flipped? Earth’s magnetic poles have a long history of switching from North to South and back again.