An illustration of Spaghettification from NASA's Imagine the Universe!

“Spaghettification”: How Black Holes Stretch Objects into Oblivion

Want to avoid getting “spaghettified” by a black hole? Steer clear of the smaller ones.
Astronomical diagram of the seasons and signs of the zodiac, c. 1860

Earth Isn’t the Only Planet With Seasons

But they can look wildly different on other worlds.
Artist's impression of ʻOumuamua

Why Interstellar Objects Like ʻOumuamua and Borisov May Hold Clues to Exoplanets

The detection of two celestial interlopers careening through our solar system has scientists eagerly anticipating more.
Portrait of James B. Parker

Two William McKinley Autopsies

The 1901 assassination of US President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo revealed the abysmal state of race relations in America.
Camellia sinensis

Camellia sinensis: Labor and the Tea Plant

Consumed as tea around the world, Camellia sinensis raises questions about plantation labor practices and the environmental impact of monocultures.
Andromeda Galaxy

100 Years after the “Great Debate”: How Edwin Hubble Expanded the Cosmos

In 1924, Edwin Hubble found proof that the Milky Way isn't the only galaxy in the Universe.
A deep image from the Dark Energy Survey showing the field covered by one of the individual detectors in the Dark Energy Camera.

Astronomers Use AI to Shed Light on Dark Energy

A new measurement offers insights on the density of the mysterious force driving the Universe’s expansion.
Dramatic skies over the Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Central American Volcanoes Offer Clues to Earth’s Geological Evolution

Along 1,100 kilometers, from Mexico to Costa Rica, lies the Central American volcanic arc, where the variety of magma types make for a geological paradise.
two tyrannosaurus rex fighting on a yellow colored background

Five Things You Probably Have Wrong about the T. rex

How well do you really know Tyrannosaurus rex, the so-called Tyrant Lizard King?
The interior view of the North Pneumatic Tube Station of the Merchandise Building of the Sears Roebuck and Company Mail Order Plant, Chicago, IL

Something Old, Something Pneu

Pneumatic tubes offered a leap forward in business and communications, in the office and across the city.