The Past

Absence makes the heart (and public opinion) grow fonder.

Democritus also did not believe in free will but was still known as the “laughing philosopher.”

A new study makes a compelling case for the origin of unexplained masses of underground rock causing changes to the Earth’s magnetic field.

How do you get usable phosphorus into a system? A new study suggests lightning can do the trick.

A reversal in Earth’s magnetic field 42,000 years ago triggered climate catastrophes and mass extinctions. Can the field flip again?

A study of europium crystals shows the planet was mostly flat during its middle ages.

Even tyrants and despots offer wisdom worth heeding.

While other factors exist, sexual prowess appears to have helped determine the role of Protoceratops frills.

A new model of plate tectonics offers a chance to look back a billion years with new found accuracy.

Some mysteries take generations to unfold.

“Deepfakes” and “cheap fakes” are becoming strikingly convincing — even ones generated on freely available apps.

A crash course in the history of money, the birth of Bitcoin, and blockchain technology.

Meet a spectacular new blue—the first inorganic new blue in some time.