Physics
Cosmic timeline: What’s happened since the Big Bang
Energy, mass and the cosmos' structure evolved a lot over the past 13.82 billion years — much of it within just the first second.
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
The universe: How will it end?
The Big Bang likely brought our universe into existence. What will mark its grand finale? Scientists blend imagination and data to make predictions.
Explainer
Technically Fiction
Animals
Is it possible to be invisible?
Fiction is full of characters with the power to vanish. But some animals have real-life ways to become nearly invisible.
Profile
Space
This cosmologist studies the invisible parts of the universe
Katie Mack started out building solar-powered LEGO cars as a kid. Now she studies dark matter to better understand how galaxies form and evolve.
Features
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Cities across the world are sinking. Here’s how they might rebound
Affected coastal cities tend to flood more often — a growing threat in this era of continuing sea level rise.
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The universe: How will it end?
The Big Bang likely brought our universe into existence. What will mark its grand finale? Scientists blend imagination and data to make predictions.
More Stories from the March 1, 2026 issue
- Health & Medicine
Short exercise workouts can boost classroom performance
When students spend just nine minutes doing high-intensity interval exercises, their brains can work more efficiently, new data show.
- Plants
Physics explains how rose petals get their iconic shape
Scientists thought they knew what was behind rose petals’ geometry. They were wrong.
- Microbes
Ants are the secret ingredient to this tasty yogurt
The traditional yogurt-making technique was once popular in parts of Europe and Asia. But don’t try this at home!
- Physics
These parachutes unfurl thanks to Japanese paper-cutting techniques
Parachutes inspired by Japanese kirigami are full of holes. When dropped, they open automatically and fall more predictably than standard parachutes.
- Tech
A modified glue gun squirts a material to help heal broken bones
The handheld printer might someday apply bone-repair patches directly onto fractures — complete with antibiotics to prevent infection.
- Earth
Experiment: Weather and climate in your neighborhood
In this experiment, use historical weather data to investigate how weather and climate conditions have changed in your area over time.
