Science & technology
Flying in a flash
A new type of jet engine could revive supersonic air travel
It would also be simpler and more fuel-efficient
An old friend, back on Earth
How scientists went to an asteroid to sample the Sun
...and how listening to its return helped prepare them for Venus
Palaeovirology
Reviving ancient viruses can help fight modern ones
Insights from evolution can also improve vaccines
Future of chipmaking
Jensen Huang says Moore’s law is dead. Not quite yet
3D components and exotic new materials can keep it going for a while longer
Seismology (Taylor’s version)
The excitement of 70,000 Swifties can shake the Earth
As recorded by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
The chicken of tomorrow
Will lab-grown meat ever make it onto supermarket shelves?
The meat of the future remains too expensive in the present
Meep-meep. Boom!
A startup called Anduril has unveiled a reusable missile
Palmer Luckey’s firm hopes “Roadrunner” will shake up America’s arms industry
It does what it says on the tin
The Extremely Large Telescope will transform astronomy
It will be the world’s biggest optical telescope by far—and a powerful time machine
Forty thousand winks near the sea
Why chinstrap penguins sleep thousands of times a day
But only for four seconds at a time
The other greenhouse gas
Politics and technology are pushing oil firms to cut methane
When it comes to climate change, methane is low-hanging fruit
Termination shock?
Do rising methane levels herald a climate feedback loop?
A scientist notes ominous similarities to the ends of previous ice ages