Author Archives: The Sciences | Discover Magazine

Constructing switches out of pure liquid seemed impossible. Then researchers discovered Braess’ paradox could help. Continue reading →

Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, scientists believe one of Mars’ current moons, Phobos, may have been born from a ring of dust left by former versions of itself. Continue reading →

The veteran astronaut weighs in on the first US crewed flight since 2011, and what may come next. Continue reading →

The pilot of the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery previews what the Crew Dragon launch means for the future of space exploration. Continue reading →

You don’t need a proven green thumb to give it a shot. Expert horticulturalists share their top tips for planting sprouts at home. Continue reading →

NASA veterans Nicole Stott and Cady Coleman ponder humanity’s future in space and the role women will play in it. Continue reading →

The dramatic fall in atmospheric pressure on Pluto is much larger than astronomers expected. Continue reading →

The universe is awash in islands of matter — some 100 billion galaxies make up the basic building blocks of the cosmos. Continue reading →

No matter how you spend your summer, you’ll need a good book to keep you company. Continue reading →

Quantum physicists predicted the Pauli exclusion principle should create spectacular crystals. Now they’ve found them for the first time. Continue reading →

Architects and engineers are working on ways to swap steel and glass for strong, sustainable wood-based materials. Continue reading →

The Milky Way and Andromeda rule over a motley collection of a few dozen galaxies. Continue reading →

Our best bet could be to send a swarm of nanospacecraft — propelled from Earth by a powerful laser — to take a look. Continue reading →

Our best bet could be to send a swarm of nanospacecraft — propelled from Earth by a powerful laser — to take a look. Continue reading →

If both can make a dough rise, why does your dough recipe call for both? Continue reading →

Keep that in mind the next time you hear about an asteroid that is passing ‘close’ to Earth. Continue reading →

Stephen Wolfram, a controversial physicist and computer scientist, has united relativity, quantum mechanics and computational complexity in a single theory of everything. But will other physicists be convinced? Continue reading →

When you hear the word “terminator,” you might think of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But in science, there’s a different terminator. Continue reading →

When police in London asked YouTube to remove music videos from a genre known as drill rap, the company complied. Now, researchers are searching for evidence linking the music to violent crime — and failing to find it. Continue reading →

While some traditional fashion centers exert more influence than others, new fashion centers all over the world are becoming increasingly influential. Continue reading →

In these troubled times, enforced home-working is producing remarkable results for physicists and astronomers. Continue reading →

When did human ancestors come down from the branches? A look inside a fossilized hip joint shows how bones adapted for crouching and walking on all fours. Continue reading →

Researchers thought Mars formed — and potentially created a life-supporting atmosphere — like Earth did. Continue reading →

Dark matter might still be made of sterile neutrinos — but scans of our own galaxy couldn’t find the supposed signals proving the connection. Continue reading →

We’re still learning a lot about the sun, including what cool sounds it makes. Continue reading →

We’re still learning a lot about the sun, including what cool sounds it makes. Continue reading →

Though he never stepped on the moon, Worden set a record while alone in lunar orbit during Apollo 15. Continue reading →

The creator of the new Cosmos TV series reflects on humanity’s long path toward scientific enlightenment. Continue reading →

The third edition of the legendary science TV show takes viewers to distant worlds, and to disparate possible futures. Continue reading →

The name was chosen from 28,000 entries submitted by school children across the U.S. Continue reading →