Stories for the
curious mind.
Ideas, discoveries, mysteries and questions from across our world — explored with curiosity, context and an open mind.
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The Antikythera Mechanism: The Machine That Shouldn’t Exist?
More than two thousand years ago, someone built a mechanical device containing gears capable of modeling astronomical cycles. It was recovered from a shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. The Antikythera…
September 27, 2026 · 7 MIN READREAD STORY ↗
02How James Webb Can Read the Atmosphere of a Distant Planet
The James Webb Space Telescope can study planets orbiting other stars by analyzing light that has traveled across enormous distances. It cannot…
Sep 27, 2026 · 7 MIN
03Why Mars’s Ancient Riverbeds Matter in the Search for Life
Mars is cold, dry and hostile today, but its surface contains channels, valleys, minerals and sediments that indicate water once moved across…
Sep 27, 2026 · 8 MIN
04Bennu: What an Asteroid Is Teaching Us About the Ingredients of Life
Bennu is only about half a kilometer wide, yet a sample returned from this asteroid may help answer one of the biggest…
Sep 27, 2026 · 7 MIN
05Why Do We Always See the Same Face of the Moon?
Look at the Moon from Earth and the same face always seems to be looking back. That is not because the Moon…
Sep 27, 2026 · 8 MIN
06Europa: The Ocean Hidden Beneath an Alien Sky
Europa looks like a frozen world. Its surface is covered in ice, crisscrossed by ridges and fractures. But beneath that ice may…
Sep 27, 2026 · 7 MIN
07The Mystery of Vimanas: Where Text Ends and Interpretation Begins
Ancient Sanskrit literature includes descriptions of vimanas in mythic and literary settings. Modern claims that these passages document advanced aircraft go beyond…
Sep 27, 2026 · 12 MIN
08Why Indian Stepwells, Temples and Cities Were Built Around Water
An Indian-rooted exploration of a question with global relevance.
Sep 27, 2026 · 9 MIN
09Why Indian Temples Often Face the Sky, the Sun and the Calendar
An Indian-rooted exploration of a question with global relevance.
Sep 27, 2026 · 9 MIN
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