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Science

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science
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video

Physics

The abyss at the edge of human understanding – a voyage into a black hole

4 minutes

An image shows the earth horizon at night seen from space. The lights of a city glow beneath the vast starry night of space
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essay

Astronomy

Alien life is no joke

Not long ago the search for extraterrestrials was considered laughable nonsense. Today, it’s serious and scientific

Adam Frank

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video

Astronomy

The history of astronomy is a history of conjuring intelligent life where it isn’t

34 minutes

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video

Biography and memoir

Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act

13 minutes

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video

Space exploration

Mind-bending speed is the only way to reach the stars – here are three ways to do it

5 minutes

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essay

Space exploration

Capturing the cosmos

When self-replicating craft bring life to the far Universe, a religious cult, not science, is likely to be the driving force

Jay Olson

The International Space Station is seen at an angle through a window against the darkness of space
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essay

Space exploration

The skyhook solution

Space junk surrounds Earth, posing a dangerous threat. But there is a way to turn the debris into opportunity

Angelos Alfatzis

Human figures beneath a glass dome watch the launch of a rocket from the surface of Mars
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essay

Space exploration

The final ethical frontier

Earthbound exploration was plagued with colonialism, exploitation and extraction. Can we hope to make space any different?

Philip Ball

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essay

Astronomy

Panspermia

It’s possible that frozen worlds with subterranean oceans are incubators of organic life. But then how did life get here?

Balazs Bradak

Silhouetted figures stand beside a car looking up at a starry night sky
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essay

Space exploration

Uncertain contact

The detection of alien life won’t be obvious. It’ll be partial and inconclusive: a perfect task for the scientific method

Jaime Green

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video

Space exploration

Would children born beyond Earth ever be able to return to humanity’s home planet?

5 minutes

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video

Space exploration

In the search for life, might alien ocean worlds be a better bet than Earth-like planets?

5 minutes

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video

Space exploration

What are you really seeing when you see magnificent images of space?

5 minutes

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essay

Space exploration

Cosmic vision

By showing us a new cosmos, the discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope will ripple through our moral universe

Claire Isabel Webb

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video

Space exploration

Burning ice, metal clouds, gemstone rain – tour the strangest known exoplanets

31 minutes

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essay

Space exploration

There’s no planet B

The scientific evidence is clear: the only celestial body that can support us is the one we evolved with. Here’s why

Arwen E Nicholson & Raphaëlle D Haywood

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essay

Astronomy

Thriving on Mars

Dust storms, long distances and freezing temperatures make living on Mars magnificently challenging. How will we do it?

Simon Morden

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essay

Space exploration

Telescopes on the Moon

Our future in space relies on settling the Moon and using it as a base to probe the deepest questions in the cosmos

Joseph Silk

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video

Physics

An interstellar voyage explores the ‘paradox’ of twins separated by light years

6 minutes

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essay

Cosmology

Dark horses in the cosmos

Could primordial black holes from the beginning of time explain ‘dark matter’, the mysterious missing mass in the Universe?

Briley Lewis

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video

Astronomy

From zero to 5,000 – music and visuals express 30 years of exoplanet discoveries

1 minute

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essay

Space exploration

Decolonising the cosmos

Instead of treating Mars and the Moon as sites of conquest and settlement, we need a radical new ethics of space exploration

Ramin Skibba

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essay

Cosmology

The search for alien tech

There’s a new plan to find extraterrestrial civilisations by the way they live. But if we can see them, can they see us?

Corey S Powell

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video

Physics

How would a piano sound on Mars? Embark on an interplanetary sonic journey

20 minutes