Science & technology
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Flying in a flash
A new type of jet engine could revive supersonic air travel
It would also be simpler and more fuel-efficient
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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
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Palaeovirology
Reviving ancient viruses can help fight modern ones
Insights from evolution can also improve vaccines
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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
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Seismology (Taylor’s version)
The excitement of 70,000 Swifties can shake the Earth
As recorded by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
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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
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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
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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
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Forty thousand winks near the sea
Why chinstrap penguins sleep thousands of times a day
But only for four seconds at a time
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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
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Termination shock?
Do rising methane levels herald a climate feedback loop?
A scientist notes ominous similarities to the ends of previous ice ages