Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed
Your sprinting skills have a lot to do with genetics, but your brain also plays a big role.
April 29, 2024 • ~7 min
From thousands to millions to billions to trillions to quadrillions and beyond: Do numbers ever end?
Here’s a game: Tell a friend to give you any number and you’ll return one that’s bigger. Just add ‘1’ to whatever number they come up with and you’re sure to win.
April 15, 2024 • ~8 min
Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains
Now out in space for more than two years, the James Webb Space Telescope is a stunningly sophisticated instrument.
April 8, 2024 • ~9 min
What is dirt? There’s a whole wriggling world alive in the ground beneath our feet, as a soil scientist explains
Rock dust is only part of the story of soil. Living creatures, many of them too tiny to see, keep that soil healthy for growing everything from food to forests.
March 25, 2024 • ~7 min
How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight
People have been flying airplanes for well over a century. Engineers know how to balance all the forces at play, but still aren’t exactly sure how some of the physics of flight actually works.
March 18, 2024 • ~8 min
How is snow made? An atmospheric scientist describes the journey of frozen ice crystals from clouds to the ground
There are an infinite number of paths an ice crystal can take before you touch it.
Feb. 26, 2024 • ~6 min
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