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
- Curiosity Blog, Sols 4788-4797: Welcome Back from Conjunction
Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University, Toronto Earth planning date: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 Mars has emerged from its holiday behind the Sun, and we here on Earth have been able to reconnect with Curiosity and get back to work on Mars. Our first planning day last Friday gave Curiosity a full
- NASA, University of Texas Expand Research and Workforce Development
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and the University of Texas System (UT System) announced the signing of a collaborative Space Act Agreement on Jan. 9, 2026. The agreement expands research and workforce development partnership opportunities across NASA centers and UT System facilities. The agreement builds upon decades of collaboration between NASA and the UT
- Snowball Earth’s Liquid Seas Dipped Way Below Freezing
Iron isotopes show that salty seawater pockets beneath the ice were as cold as −15°C.
- Tsunamis from the Sky
Not all tsunamis come from the seafloor, some are triggered by the atmosphere, driven by fast-moving storms and pressure waves, and can strike coasts with little warning.
- As humans return to the Moon, scientists confront the dangers of deep-space radiation
Shields and biological countermeasures could help protect astronauts during prolonged missions beyond Earth’s magnetic bubble
- A global imperative to remediate Ukraine’s soils | Science
HomeScienceVol. 391, No. 6784A global imperative to remediate Ukraine’s soilsBack To Vol. 391, No. 6784 Full accessLetter Share on A global imperative to remediate Ukraine’s soilsErkai He, Hao Qiu, and Willie J. G. M. PeijnenburgAuthors Info & AffiliationsScience29 Jan 2026Vol 391, Issue 6784pp. 455-456DOI: 10.1126/science.aee8317 PREVIOUS ARTICLEMaking sense of diseasePreviousNEXT ARTICLEPaying …
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 4, January 2026. <br/>
- Cytoplasmic crowding acts as a porous medium reducing macromolecule diffusion
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 4, January 2026. <br/>SignificanceMolecular diffusion is a fundamental and energy-saving transport mechanism. As such, it is central to numerous functions in living cells such as cell growth, biochemical signaling, and gene synthesis. However, the intracellular space is …
- Rete ridges form via evolutionarily distinct mechanisms in mammalian skin
Nature, Published online: 04 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10055-5A spatial and single-cell transcriptomics study across multiple mammalian species identifies epidermal BMP signalling as a functional requirement for rete ridge formation, providing insight into mechanisms underlying hair density loss and wound healing.
- Integrated structural dynamics uncover a new B12 photoreceptor activation mode
Nature, Published online: 04 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-10074-2Spatiotemporal insight into photoactivation of the prototypical B12 photoreceptor CarH is revealed across nine orders of magnitude in time, identifying a transient adduct that distinguishes it from thermally activated B12 enzymes.