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
- Webb Studies Star Clusters
This near-infrared image released on May 6, 2026, shows a section of one of the spiral arms of Messier 51 (M51). M51 is one of four nearby galaxies observed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in a study of nearly 9,000 star clusters. Data from the study shows that more massive star clusters emerge more
- Keeping NASA Flying: Ground Crews Ensure Aircraft Readiness
From high‑speed research flights to high‑altitude science campaigns, NASA depends on aircraft that perform at their best and the ground crews who keep them mission ready. At NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, specially trained maintenance crews are essential to keeping the agency’s aircraft flying safely and reliably. This year, NASA added two
- NOAA Forecasts a Below-Average Hurricane Season
A potentially record-breaking El Niño may reduce the likelihood of storms, but the agency still stressed the importance of preparedness.
- Recycled Rocks Reveal Subduction Zone Dynamics Off Baja California
High-pressure rocks on Cedros Island were exhumed, eroded, and redeposited into the subduction trench multiple times, reshaping interpretations of ancient plate boundary processes.
- Ancient wars between microbes gave us key immune defenses
A better understanding of battles between bacteria and viruses could inspire new medicines
- A student takes on Stanford (and the world) | Science
Theo Baker spills Silicon Valley secrets and revisits his efforts to expose a shocking breach of research integrity
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 20, May 2026. <br/>
- Multiscale fatigue crack initiation in hierarchical additively manufactured alloys
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 20, May 2026. <br/>SignificanceA majority of mechanical failures are caused by fatigue, where damage progressively accumulates during cyclic loading. Hierarchical microstructures enabled by additive manufacturing offer a promising route to fatigue-resistant alloys. However, …
- Stress impairs your brain’s ability to link memories — dampening insight
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01644-zImaging suggests why the ability to make inferences declines after an episode of acute stress, such as a job interview.
- Hit a lab project glitch? Thinking about your thesis title like a storyteller can help you focus
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01392-0Cell biologist and crime novelist Frances Brodsky says writing fiction has taught her perseverance and improved her manuscripts.