Imagining…
Where Science Meets Creative Writing
Find a story within the topics above
How can we look at fossils and understand what creatures roamed the Earth millions of years ago?
How can we predict the behavior of materials deep within planetary interiors?
How can we reverse humanity’s impact on the global climate?
How can we predict habitats for life on other planets?
Doing impactful, innovative research requires training our brain to imagine the elusive unknown, even when bounded by scientific evidence. Now, more than ever in the history of human civilization, there is a pressing need to exercise our imagination muscles. Writing scientific fiction while accounting for the real science is a powerful way to do just that—to learn what is possible, what is probable, how we can change the future, and what our responsibility is to the future generation of our species.
Most Recent Stories
-
-
Progress Without Morals
A scientist is trying to harness microbial properties to develop a fantastic tool. He believes he can; but should he?
-
For Today’s Inspiration
- Pretty in Pink
This image of Westerlund 2 released on March 19, 2026, features Chandra X-ray Observatory data (pink) and infrared data from NASA’S James Webb Space Telescope (red, orange, green, cyan, and blue). Scores of gleaming stars ringed in neon pink stretch across the frame, highlighting a cluster where stars are between one and three million years
- Space Out This Summer with Variety of NASA STEM Activities
Summer is “Go” for launch, and NASA has a universe of ways to help you to jump in, explore, and create! Whether you prefer to spend this season fueling your creativity, going outdoors into nature, or daydreaming about your future, NASA offers ways to take your interests to the next level. Here are some opportunities
- Ancient Subduction May Have Seeded Today’s Critical Mineral Deposits
The fertilized mantle lithosphere may play an important first step in the formation of carbonatite deposits, known to host critical minerals.
- Repairing the Ozone Layer May Take Longer Than Expected
A new study reveals that if left unchecked, unaccounted-for emissions of ozone-harming substances could delay the layer’s full recovery by almost a decade.
- Importance of elephants for dung beetle biodiversity and ecosystem functions | Science
Ecologists theorize that removing highly connected species from ecological networks will trigger waves of coextinction, but empirical evidence is scant. We show that elephants are central to a generalized network of interactions between dung beetles and …
- Galileo’s Fame: Science, Credibility, and Memory in the Seventeenth Century | Science
HomeScienceVol. 392, No. 6801Galileo’s Fame: Science, Credibility, and Memory in the Seventeenth CenturyBack To Vol. 392, No. 6801 Full accessBooks et al.Podcast Share on Galileo’s Fame: Science, Credibility, and Memory in the Seventeenth CenturyScience28 May 2026Vol 392, Issue 6801p. 925DOI: 10.1126/science.aei4055 PREVIOUS ARTICLEAn uncommon introduction to chemistryPreviousNEXT ARTICLERethinki…
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 21, May 2026. <br/>
- Indoor thermoregulatory homeostasis using hydrodynamic instability
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 21, May 2026. <br/>SignificanceIndoor temperature management underpins the sustainability of nearly every global sector, from agriculture to power generation and residential housing. However, optimal temperature management remains elusive due to an unresolved tradeoff: …
- Smartphone camera takes users’ pulse passively during device use
Nature, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01488-7A machine-learning system has been developed that can monitor heart rate using facial video clips that are captured passively by the user-facing camera during everyday smartphone use. The system meets industry accuracy standards for heart-rate measurement and is as accurate as wearable technology for measuring daily resting heart rate.
- Why it’s time to bin recommendation letters in science job applications
Nature, Published online: 01 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00507-xIf hiring organizations must ask for references, they should do so closer to the end of the process, argues Bibek Aryal.