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
- NASA Invites Media to Latvia Artemis Accords Signing Ceremony
The Republic of Latvia will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9 a.m. EDT Monday, April 20, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host Dace Melbārde, Latvia’s minister for education and science; Jānis Beķeris, chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the United States; and
- At the Edge of Light
In this photo taken on April 6, 2026, a portion of the Moon’s far side is seen along the terminator—the boundary between lunar day and night—where low-angle sunlight casts long shadows across the surface. A section of Orientale Basin is visible along the upper right portion of the lunar disk, its structure subtly revealed under
- Melting Glaciers Make the Coastal Ocean More Sensitive
Fresh water from retreating ice does more than raise sea levels. It affects how the ocean responds to acidification and other environmental changes.
- Navigating the Past with Ancient Stone Compass Needles
The emerging field of magnetic microscopy allows scientists to reconstruct ancient magnetic fields from individual magnetic particles. A new study evaluates the accuracy of the technique.
- Grand canyon’s origin resolved? Ancient lake’s flood may have etched famed gorge
Mineral grains show Colorado River filled a basin at the canyon’s head millions of years ago
- As helium-3 runs scarce, researchers seek new ways to chill quantum computers
Tight supplies of precious isotope are driving new approaches to ultracold tech
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 15, April 2026. <br/>
- Energetics of biomolecular shells in core–shell nanocomplexes
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 15, April 2026. <br/>SignificanceThe drug delivery efficiency of engineered nanocarriers depends critically on their stability in biological media. Here, we introduce the stabilization enthalpy concept to describe experimentally determined thermodynamic stability relations of …
- Quantum computers take on health care: light-sensitive cancer drugs win US$2 million contest
Nature, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01236-xQuantum machines are making inroads into biology, but have no ‘advantage’ over classical machines yet.
- The nine-to-five PhD: mere myth or an achievable goal?
Nature, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00509-9Can you squeeze your graduate programme into a 40-hour working week? These 13 current and former PhD candidates reveal their top time-management tips.