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
- Caltech Names Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman as NASA JPL Deputy
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman has been named Caltech associate vice president and deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The emeritus astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain begins his new role at NASA’s center of excellence for robotics and deep space exploration and at Caltech, which manages JPL for NASA, on
- NASA Welcomes Vietnam as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam became the 78th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, joining a growing coalition of like-minded nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. “Vietnam is joining at an important point in the development of its own space program,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson in recorded remarks
- Eaton Wildfire Exposed Millions to a “Cocktail of Chemicals”
Compared to a nearby wildfire that primarily burned vegetation, the smoke plume from the urban Eaton Fire contained 3 times as much arsenic and 50 times as much lead.
- Trump to Ease Methane Rules for Oil and Gas Wells
The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate some methane emissions restrictions for oil and gas companies, rolling back rules set by the Biden administration in 2024.
- 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 …
- Delayed electron–hole recombination in a pseudo-direct semiconductor
Nature, Published online: 28 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11223-xPseudo-direct bandgap character in bismuth sulfide retards bimolecular electron–hole recombination while preserving strong light absorption.
- Connectome simulations identify a central pattern generator for fly walking
Nature, Published online: 28 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11195-yComputational simulations of a neural network based on fly connectomes identify a three-neuron circuit that is organized to produce leg motor rhythms for walking.