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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Biosignatures: What Evidence Could Reveal Life Beyond Earth?
Finding life beyond Earth may not begin with a photograph of an alien organism. It could begin with chemistry. Imagine a planet orbiting a distant star. No telescope can photograph its surface in enough…
September 28, 2026 · 7 MIN READREAD STORY ↗
02What Makes a Planet Habitable?
When astronomers say that a planet might be “habitable,” they are not saying that it is another Earth. They are asking a…
Sep 28, 2026 · 8 MIN
03The Drake Equation: Can We Estimate How Many Civilizations Exist?
How many technological civilizations might exist in the Milky Way? It sounds like a question that should be impossible to answer. We…
Sep 28, 2026 · 10 MIN
04Pompeii’s Graffiti: The Everyday Voices Preserved by a Volcano
Walk through the ruins of Pompeii today and one detail can be easy to miss. Behind the monumental temples, villas and public…
Sep 28, 2026 · 8 MIN
05The Library of Alexandria: What Was Really Lost?
For centuries, the Library of Alexandria has been described as one of humanity’s greatest intellectual treasures—and as the victim of one enormous…
Sep 28, 2026 · 8 MIN
06Oak Island and the Treasure Hunt That Refuses to End
Off the coast of Nova Scotia lies a small island that has attracted treasure hunters for more than two centuries. Its name…
Sep 28, 2026 · 8 MIN
07What Is the Mystery Behind the Taos Hum?
Some people describe hearing a low, persistent sound that seems to come from nowhere. It may resemble a distant diesel engine, a…
Sep 28, 2026 · 8 MIN
08The Phaistos Disc: Why Can’t We Reliably Read It?
It is only a few centimeters across, yet the Phaistos Disc has become one of archaeology’s most stubborn puzzles. Discovered on Crete…
Sep 28, 2026 · 9 MIN
09The Wow! Signal: Did We Ever Hear From Another Civilization?
At 11:16 p.m. on August 15, 1977, a radio telescope in Ohio detected something unusual. The signal was strong, narrow-band and brief.…
Sep 28, 2026 · 7 MIN
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