February 25, 2014

Our Flat Solar System

Why is our solar system flat? We started off as a shapeless blob of gases after the Big Bang. How did our solar system flatten out? From Saturn’s rings to other galaxies, it turns out that “flatness” is common in our 3D universe. It has to do with collisions.

MinutePhysics breaks down the mathematics for our 3D-thinking brains:

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Jetpack Rocket Science

Ever wonder how jetpacks work? The motorcycles of tomorrow may not be populating the skies just yet, but you can test drive a jetpack. There’s a famous jetpack instructor who […]