The Universe According to Albert Einstein: Relativity
When Einstein, born 139 years ago last Wednesday, came onto the science scene, physics was in crisis. New ideas were badly needed — it was the perfect moment for a trailblazer.
March 20, 2018
Black Holes: Where Reality Beats Fiction
We know that at the heart of pretty much every galaxy, there is a giant black hole. There is a lot that we know about black holes — and a lot that we don't know.
January 23, 2018
When 2 Black Holes Dance, Space Quivers
Just as two kids jumping on a trampoline around each other send waves rippling outwards on the fabric, black holes distort space as they orbit around each other.
October 4, 2017
What Does an Expanding Universe Really Mean?
Cosmic expansion stretches space itself, as if space were made of some kind of stretchy rubber material; there is no physical border, only stretching space.
May 31, 2017
Modern Cosmology Turns 100
The expansion of the universe was sealed as fact in 1965, but the seeds for this revolutionary take on the cosmos and our place in it were planted in 1917 by a daring Einstein.
January 25, 2017
What Smart Aliens Could Teach Us About Survival
Once we mix in real science with the possibility of extraterrestrial life, we can learn much about our current dilemmas and, hopefully, about our survival as a species.
December 20, 2016
The 'Arrival' of the Hectapods: Time Holds the Key to Everything
Arrival speaks to all of us, making us think about where we are in life and what we've been doing with the time we have — confronting us at the individual and collective level.
December 6, 2016
Are Aliens Talking to Us?
There are lessons to be learned in the false detection of alien signals: Sure, we should keep on listening, but we also should understand our role as guardians of Earth.
September 14, 2016
An Enduring Lesson From the Challenger Disaster: 'The Sky Is No Limit'
Though accidents may happen, there is no stopping human exploration of space: We are bound to outer shores as we were once bound to shores on this planet.
February 23, 2016
Viewing a Universe In Flux
Observing the night sky is like looking through a time machine; every image comes from a different past — a kaleidoscope of times — each telling a different story.
June 3, 2015
Einstein's Universe Turns 100
Einstein's greatest lesson may be that reality is not what it seems; what we perceive as real is a distortion due to how our brains take in the world around, and within, us.
April 29, 2015
Black Holes and Our Cosmic Future
While Marcelo enjoys sci-fi speculation like most people, he also thinks there is a chance, in viewing recent films, to learn something about ourselves and our planet.
December 31, 2014
The Science Of 'Interstellar'
Few, if any, movies have been this faithful to science and still managed to tell a gripping tale — though some liberties are taken at points.
November 26, 2014
The Void Is a Busy Place
Is there such a thing as complete emptiness or nothingness? Not according to modern physics, where empty space gets more active all the time.
November 5, 2014