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
- Tropical Cyclone Narelle Crosses Australia
The powerful storm lashed the northern edge of the continent with damaging winds and drenching rain as it made landfall multiple times.
- NASA Data Hackathon Inspires Community Action
On Jan. 31, students, library staff, researchers, and community members gathered at the University of Florida’s (UF) Marston Science Library for the Environmental Monitoring through Education, Research, and Geospatial Engagement (EMERGE) NASA Data Hackathon. This initiative empowers libraries, educators, and individuals to engage in public health and environmental science using real-world data tools and citizen
- Monitoring pre- and post-failure InSAR-derived deformation in surface mining complexes
A new paper in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation uses InSAR to explore the complex patterns of deformation that occur in and around large mining operations. I have frequently discussed landslides in mining operations on this site, highlighting repeatedly the unacceptable losses that result from slope failures. In many cases, these
- Volcanism Could Lead to Less, Not More, Atmospheric CO₂
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide temporarily fell by 50% immediately preceding a period of intense volcanism, likely because of increased weathering, new results reveal.
- Debate explodes over age of key South American archaeological site
New study argues Monte Verde is far younger than once thought, challenging when people arrived in the Americas
- What happened when an Arab neuroscientist took the helm at an Israeli university?
Mouna Maroun’s stewardship highlights the promise—and perils—of reconciliation through science
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 11, March 2026. <br/>
- Reducing PTSD symptoms through unconscious intervention
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 11, March 2026. <br/>SignificanceTraditional posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapies can evoke emotional distress and lead to premature dropout. This study demonstrates that subliminally presenting trauma-related images during an eye-movement exercise can effectively …
- Forty-five years of progress after a key paper about the evolution of cooperation
Nature, Published online: 23 March 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00802-7A 1981 publication showed how cooperators can prevail over defectors, laying the foundation for how the evolution of cooperation between unrelated individuals is studied.
- How to measure a good life – tips for moving beyond GDP
Nature, Published online: 23 March 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00884-3Including human and environmental capital paints a different picture of national economies than does GDP alone.