Surprising Science — January 29, 2010

Don’t Forget Where We Parked

The American Museum of Natural History has produced a handy video map of the entire known universe, all to scale. Hypnotically fascinating (it’s a reminder, for one thing, that over big distances, space travel and time travel are the same thing). And totally safe for work, unless you’re part of that advance team for the invasion from Betelgeuse.

A Chinese philosophy book with open pages.

Thinking

5 philosophy books that shaped Chinese thought

Dive into China's profound intellectual legacy through five seminal texts that have shaped millennia of thought.

Dolly Parton on stage with an acoustic guitar showcases her musical talent.

High Culture

Are America’s distinct accents dying out?

In Georgia, it's becoming less common to pronounce words like "prize" as "prahz."

The Well

When neutron stars collide

NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains what happens when the densest stars in the galaxy collide.

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5 min

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with

Michelle Thaller

Hard Science

How Mars lost its magnetic field — and then its oceans

Chemical changes inside Mars' core caused it to lose its magnetic field. This, in turn, caused it to lose its oceans. But how?

Starts With A Bang

JWST discovers the farthest gravitational lens ever

A more distant galaxy liked the lens so much that it went and put a ring on it. Here's the science behind this remarkable cosmic object.

Up Next

Culture & Religion

J.D. Salinger

Following the death of iconic American author J.D. Salinger yesterday, publisher Roger Lathbury recalls a book deal with the eccentric writer which went sour.