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
- Call for Creatives: NASA Seeks Help Illuminating Mission Storytelling
As NASA pushes the boundaries of exploration and innovation for the benefit of humanity, the agency is looking for partners to share mission stories covering Artemis Moon missions, nuclear propulsion, aeronautics, and more. NASA published an Announcement for Proposals on May 21 asking filmmakers, documentarians, songwriters, storytellers, poets, and others to submit proposals to partner
- NASA Sets Coverage for Roscosmos Spacewalk Outside Space Station
NASA will provide live coverage on Wednesday, May 27, as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:15 a.m. EDT and last roughly five hours. Watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 9:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn
- NASA Announces “Realignment” Toward Human Spaceflight
NASA announced an agencywide realignment that includes combining related mission directorates to sharpen the agency’s focus on human spaceflight.
- Germany to Return Contested Dinosaur Fossil to Brazil
Following a long restitution campaign, both countries announced their willingness to repatriate the 110-million-year-old spinosaurid Irritator challengeri.
- Ancient wars between microbes gave us key immune defenses
A better understanding of battles between bacteria and viruses could inspire new medicines
- A student takes on Stanford (and the world) | Science
Theo Baker spills Silicon Valley secrets and revisits his efforts to expose a shocking breach of research integrity
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 20, May 2026. <br/>
- Multiscale fatigue crack initiation in hierarchical additively manufactured alloys
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 20, May 2026. <br/>SignificanceA majority of mechanical failures are caused by fatigue, where damage progressively accumulates during cyclic loading. Hierarchical microstructures enabled by additive manufacturing offer a promising route to fatigue-resistant alloys. However, …
- Stress impairs your brain’s ability to link memories — dampening insight
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01644-zImaging suggests why the ability to make inferences declines after an episode of acute stress, such as a job interview.
- Hit a lab project glitch? Thinking about your thesis title like a storyteller can help you focus
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01392-0Cell biologist and crime novelist Frances Brodsky says writing fiction has taught her perseverance and improved her manuscripts.