Do We Live in a Star Wars Universe?
Tis the season for science fiction fun, but could we even tell if the universe around us was filled with galactic empires and rebel forces?
Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
Salty Ceres, Martian Dunes and Venus at Last
From progress on deciphering the strange features of dwarf planet Ceres to NASA's plans to play with Martian sand and a heroic rescue of Japan's Venus-bound spacecraft, it's been an interesting past couple of weeks...
Did the Solar System Just Gain 2 New Worlds?
A pair of scientific papers suggest that the ALMA observatory may have detected 2 new "planet-scale" objects associated with the outer realms of the solar system. But should we be awed or skeptical?...
Earth as an Alien World
Remote sensing can produce spectacular, and wholly alien, views of our homeworld.
Basic Rocket Science: Sub-Orbital Versus Orbital
As the private space company Blue Origin achieves a 100 kilometer suborbital flight, and a spectacular re-landing of its rocket, it's worth pausing to consider the basic energy requirements of spaceflight from the surface of the Earth...
500-Million-Year-Old Brains and Life in the Universe
A new study provides substantial support for earlier claims of 520-million-year-old arthropod brain systems, raising interesting questions about the nature of brains, life and intelligence in the cosmos...
The Failure of Phobos
A new explanation for the strange grooves on the surface of the martian moon Phobos suggests that the entire satellite already shows signs of how it will eventually be destroyed.
An Augmented Reality Planetarium: Take the Universe with You (Review)
A review of "universe2go"—an augmented reality planetarium
The Moons of Pluto
Pluto's small moons are revealed in the latest image data and analysis from New Horizons' historic encounter—these may be the best view humanity ever gets of these distant objects
Early Origins for Life Raises Major Planetary Puzzles
A recent claim for evidence of life on Earth as early as 4.1 billion years ago runs headlong into prevailing theories about a period of heavy asteroid impacts and the reshuffling of the young solar system's orbital architecture...
Blog Index
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Anthropology in Practice
Exploring the human condition.
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Beautiful Minds
Insights into intelligence, creativity, personality, and well-being
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Budding Scientist
Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
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Cross-Check
Critical views of science in the news
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Dark Star Diaries
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Dog Spies
Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
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Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
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The Science Behind Extreme Weather
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Climate science in a changing world
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Illusion Chasers
Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
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Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
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Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from guest experts and from the editors of Scientific American
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Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
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Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
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SA Visual
STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
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Talking back
STAFFA science blog, sans blague
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The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
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