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
-
-
Progress Without Morals
A scientist is trying to harness microbial properties to develop a fantastic tool. He believes he can; but should he?
-
For Today’s Inspiration
- APOD: 2026 August 17 – A Golden Corona Eclipse
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 17 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. A Golden
- APOD: 2026 August 16 – Milky Way over Yellowstone
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 16 – Milky… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Milky Way
- Antarctica Is Releasing Mercury Faster Than Ever Because of Climate Change
A new study shows melting glaciers are remobilizing pollutants.
- Patterns in time and space of fatal coastal cliff failures
A new analysis (Reiss et al. 2026) explores a global database of fatal coastal cliff failures, showing that these tragic events most frequently occur in the summer months when beaches are heavily populated. One significant type of fatal landslide is coastal cliff failures. Whilst I have recorded a number of these events through the years,
- In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 32, August 2026. <br/>
- Protecting episodic memory after sleep loss: Similar benefits of exercise and naps via distinct neural contributions
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 32, August 2026. <br/>SignificanceSleep is essential for learning and remembering but one-third of the population worldwide sleeps insufficiently. Sleep loss is a public health problem that costs nations billions of dollars annually. Following sleep hygiene strategies may not …
- Universities must stop protecting bullies — or more people will leave science
Nature, Published online: 17 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02526-0Letting powerful academics off the hook and punishing the people they bullied sends the message that abuse is acceptable in academia.
- How the story of life and our planet unfolded — together
Nature, Published online: 17 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02530-4Earth’s four-billion-year-long conversation with its resident life forms has shaped our world, and holds lessons for our future.