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
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Progress Without Morals
A scientist is trying to harness microbial properties to develop a fantastic tool. He believes he can; but should he?
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For Today’s Inspiration
- TB 26-10 Printed Circuit Board Assembly Chip Resistor Body Cracking
For more information, contact Joel W. Sills, Langley Research Center, joel.w.sills@nasa.gov. Download PDF here Chip resistors are widely used in NASA projects, yet cases of alumina substrate cracking during environmental testing are rare. Two instances of thick-film chip resistor cracking were observed during thermal cycling after vibration, with fractures occurring across the short axis due
- NASA Astronaut, STEM Creator Connect with Students for STEM Day
Students across the country will have the opportunity to connect directly with the International Space Station during a live, interactive in-flight call with NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Mark Rober STEM content creator and founder of ClassCrunchLabs Foundation. The event, hosted by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, celebrates National STEM Day by bringing real‑world science,
- There Are No Small Parts, Only Small Organisms
Microbes are the (mostly) unseen influencers of Earth science, but researchers are learning more about these wee beasties and better appreciating their growing contribution to the world we live in.
- Building the Cities of Tomorrow with Living Materials
Construction materials incorporating bacteria, fungi, or other living organisms could self-heal, clean the air, and create more climate-resilient cities.
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 43, October 2026. <br/>
- A functional two-pore-domain K+ channel from a large DNA virus
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 43, October 2026. <br/>SignificanceWhile the evolutionary history of the pore and its sensor domains in modern K+channels can be traced back to prokaryotes, the origin of a tandem architecture remains unknown; such structures do not occur in bacteria. Here, we highlight a …
- Chinese doctoral students in clinical medicine can graduate without a thesis — more degrees to follow
Nature, Published online: 03 November 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03480-7Postgraduate students studying professional medicine degrees can qualify with a ‘practical achievement’.
- Cities are changing — and architects must adapt
Nature, Published online: 03 November 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03508-yClimate change is reshaping urban environments. Architect Carlo Ratti tells Nature that technology offers solutions, but citizens must get the final say.