The Medicinal Wood That Turned Water Blue

For nearly half a millennium, botanists sought the "true" identity of Lignum nephriticum, a mysterious marvel that confounded early modern science.
Computational fluid dynamics image of an experimental unmanned hypersonic aircraft

The Alarming Possibilities of Hypersonic Flight

Hypersonic aircraft can fly at least five times the speed of sound. They would make for terrifying weapons -- if they are even possible.