Our two-person team loaded the car with a GPS, a drone, notebooks, sample bags, a trowel and a flat spatula lovingly called a scoopula. Then we drove 30 minutes in our rented truck from Yuma, Arizona, to the Algodones Dunes[1], a sandy field bordering California, Arizona and Mexico. The day was sunny, with a strong breeze. Turning off the...
Turbulent research landscape imperils US brain gain − and ultimately American prosperity
Despite representing only 4% of the world’s population[1], the United States accounts for over half of science Nobel Prizes[2] awarded since 2000, hosts seven of The Times Higher Education Top 10 science universities[3], and incubates firms such as Alphabet (Google)[4], Meta[5] and Pfizer[6] that turn federally funded discoveries into...
Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast
Astronomers manning an asteroid warning system[1] caught a glimpse of a large, bright object zipping through the solar system late on July 1, 2025[2]. The object’s potentially interstellar origins excited scientists across the globe, and the next morning, the European Space Agency confirmed[3] that this object, first named A11pl3Z and then...
From glass and steel to rare earth metals, new materials have changed society throughout history
Many modern devices – from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines – rely on strong magnets made from a type of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and the United States has moved toward renewable energy, accessing these minerals has become critical...