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
- New Next-Gen Dish Adds Muscle to NASA’s Deep Space Network
NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in California is marking the addition of a brand new 34-meter-wide (114-foot-wide) radio frequency antenna to the agency’s deep space communications and navigation system. The network uses giant dish antennas located at three global facilities to support more than 40 spacecraft exploring the solar system and interstellar space. The new
- NASA Invites Media to LunaRecycle Challenge Finale Event in Alabama
NASA will announce the winners of the final phase of its LunaRecycle Challenge on Friday, Aug. 28, at The University of Alabama (UA) Lee Styslinger College of Engineering in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Launched in 2024, the challenge incentivizes the invention of new recycling systems that could support non-metabolic waste management efforts for future lunar missions. Media
- Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold Drive an Increase in Fatal Overdoses
As our planet’s temperatures become more volatile, communities may see an uptick in overdose deaths.
- The Magnetic Face of Plasma Irregularities on Mars
Plasma density irregularity is nothing new on Mars, but the accompanying magnetic field irregularity observed on NASA’s MAVEN satellite is.
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 33, August 2026. <br/>
- Beyond “non-significant” results: Why and how to test for practical equivalence
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 33, August 2026. <br/>Reporting comparisons withP≥ 0.05 as showing “no effect” or “no difference” remains one of the most widespread and problematic misinterpretations in the scientific literature. A statistically nonsignificant result shows only that the data do not provide …
- How to manage AI risks while reaping the benefits
Nature, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02567-5As the world debates how to regulate artificial intelligence, Europe’s lawmakers are doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
- The brain struggles to make new neurons in people with depression
Nature, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02661-8High resolution, wide-coverage map of the hippocampus reveals possible pathways for therapy.