One of the most powerful objects in the universe is a radio quasar^[1] – a spinning black hole spraying out highly energetic particles. Come too close to one, and you’d get sucked in by its gravitational pull, or burn up from the intense heat surrounding it. But ironically, studying black holes and their jets can give researchers...

In 1990, George Franklin was convicted of murder^[1] and sentenced to life in prison based on the testimony of his 28-year-old daughter Eileen. She described seeing him rape her best friend and then smash her skull with a rock.

When Eileen testified at her father’s trial, her memory of the murder was relatively fresh. It was less than a...

In the 20th century, when a routine infection was treated with a standard antibiotic^[1], recovery was expected. But over time, the microbes responsible for these infections have evolved to evade the very drugs designed to eliminate them.

Each year, there are more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections^[2] in the United States, leading...