From an echo to a seafloor map
Multibeam sonar measures depth and returning sound strength. Survey routes, corrections and targeted photographs turn those measurements into a map worth investigating.
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Browse published articles and complete free reads in science, nature, culture, art and design.
Published articles
Why lake-effect snow can bury one place and miss its neighbor
A narrow snow band draws warmth and moisture from open water. Its route determines both where that supply comes from and where the snow lands.
The lava river that builds its own roof
A lava tube begins as a route for moving molten rock. Its roof, walls and hanging formations preserve different parts of that journey.
How a tree keeps its structure while becoming stone
Burial and mineral-bearing water help preserve the wood’s internal architecture. The colors and apparently sawn ends tell other parts of the story.
How to read a record from an unfamiliar world
The Golden Record’s cover connects a needle, a recorded signal and a set of pictures—and gives a recipient ways to work out where the message began and how much time has passed.
How a moving planet gives a spacecraft a boost
Voyager left Jupiter with the same Jupiter-relative speed it had on arrival. Yet measured relative to the Sun, it gained speed. The difference lies in direction—and in Jupiter’s own motion.
Why floating ice stays mostly underwater
Freezing spreads water molecules apart. The resulting density difference lets ice float—but leaves most of its volume below the surface.
Why a harder mortar can hurt an old brick wall
A Missouri basement shows how mortar protects historic masonry—and why finding a compatible replacement begins with reading the material already there.
Why a blocked nose can take the flavor out of dinner
Aromas reach your nose from inside your mouth as you chew. Following that route explains why food can seem bland during a cold—and how taste, smell, temperature and texture create a recognizable mouthful.
Saving sunshine for the hour everyone gets home
The duck curve reveals a timing problem: solar production fades as evening electricity needs rise. Storage can bridge that gap, but the amount it holds and the speed it releases energy both matter.
Why NIST urged a head start on quantum-resistant encryption
A look back at the August 2024 standards: what the three tools are for, and why being ready to use them was only the beginning of the work.
What Pluto’s orbital rhythm tells us about the worlds beyond Neptune
The Kuiper Belt holds remnants of the solar system’s beginnings. Their paths around the Sun help astronomers distinguish ancient stability from the effects of Neptune’s gravitational reshuffling.
Free reads
There is no final prime.
An ancient argument defeats every list you could ever finish.
Five words with other passports.
Ordinary English carries traces of journeys you may never have noticed.
One message. Three ways to write it.
The Rosetta Stone mattered because part of its mystery came with a readable comparison.
A tiny tunnel closes your jacket.
The zipper's useful part is hiding inside the bit you pull.
A forest with its feet in the sea.
Mangrove roots are a shoreline, a breathing system and a neighbourhood.
The sky's almost-still point.
Polaris is useful because of where it is, rather than how brightly it shines.