science fiction
The Science — and Fun — Behind “Moonfall”
The master of disaster has struck again, and this time our Moon is the ominous villain. In “Moonfall,” film…
Perseverance’s Landing Site Named for Octavia Butler
The Perseverance rover's landing site was renamed the Octavia E. Butler Landing, in honor of the groundbreaking author who passed…
Alcubierre Gives us an Update on his Ideas About Warp Drives
A new look at warp drive fuels hope that it might be possible after all.
Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” XVI: What is the “Dark Forest” Hypothesis?
A recent addition to the list of possible resolutions to the Fermi Paradox: nobody is broadcasting because they don't want…
An Astronomer Checked to see if There’s a Secret Message in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
One way to look for a message in the cosmic microwave background is to convert thermal fluctuations into a binary…
Could There Be a Form of Life Inside Stars?
A new study proposes that alien life could evolve from nuclear interactions rather than atomic ones.
Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” VII: What it the Planetarium Hypothesis
In this installment, we explore the possibility that we haven't heard from aliens because they've got us in a simulated…
How Science Journalism Helped Me Become a Better Sci-Fi Writer
My work with Universe Today has helped fashion me into a better science fiction writer and led to the publication…
Why Do Rockets Need Stages? The Quest to Build a Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO)
Science fiction has promised us a rocket that blasts off into space without stages. How close is reality to the…
Book Review: The Caloris Network
Thinking of taking a vacation this summer? Maybe you want to distract yourself with a bit of light science fiction…