Most Recent
Before Clovis
Were people in North America long before the so-called "first Americans"? Explore an interactive map.
Stone Age Toolkit
Would you know how to use an ancient stone tool if you unearthed one? Try your hand here.
Photographing the Big Melt
James Balog describes his Extreme Ice Survey in this audio slide show.
Population Explosion
In this interactive, trace the effects of the best-understood mass seeding of all, that of oak-tree acorns.
Energy's Future
Steven Chu, slated to be the next U.S. Energy Secretary, offers his take on California's policies and the nation's options.
The Journalist
The Economist's Vijay Vaitheeswaran sees the pros and cons of California's approach.
The Skeptic
Marlo Lewis of the Competitive Enterprise Institute warns that the state's green agenda could lead to economic ruin.
The Governator
Arnold Schwarzenegger remains fearless about his state's energy bet.
Design a Parachute
Create a parachute strong and light enough to safely slow the rovers in their descent toward Mars.
Anatomy of a Rover
Examine the robotic geologists and their suite of scientific instruments.
Radiocarbon Dating
What is carbon-14 anyway, and how can it reveal the date of an ancient artifact?
Who Wrote the Flood Story?
Examine evidence suggesting that at least two sources contributed to the famous story of Noah.
Archeological Evidence
On this time line, explore discoveries related to the earliest Israelites, the writing of the Bible, and the birth of monotheism.
Who's Who in Human Evolution?
Meet your increasingly distant cousins in this clickable illustration of the past seven million years.
Compare the Brains
How does the hobbit's brain measure up to those of a modern human, a chimp, and others?
A Sense of Scale
Explore the infinite detail of a Mandelbrot set as you zoom to a magnification of 250,000,000x.
Design a Fractal
Create and save your own wildly colorful fractals using our generator.
Science Fiction and Fact
Follow a time line of parallel worlds—those of sci-fi and quantum physics.
Force of Impact
How could a lightweight piece of debris cause catastrophic damage? Find out in this simulation of the shuttle's launch.
Decode Stela 3
"Read" Maya hieroglyphs carved on an eighth-century stone monument, and hear them spoken aloud.
Time Line of Decipherment
Trace key discoveries in the effort to understand the Maya script.
Two Worlds
In this quiz, see how women in rich and poor countries face very different realities when it comes to childbearing and maternal health.
Anatomy of Childbirth
Review the three stages of having a baby as well as some of the risks women face.
Wind Tunnel Test
How did Microraptor use its second pair of wings to glide? See for yourself in this virtual experiment.
Built to Fly
Compare the anatomy of the oldest known bird and its dinosaur cousins.
Scenes From a Quarry
Detailed line drawings reveal the tools and techniques of ancient Greek craftsmen.
A Sense of Scale
Travel from absolute zero to what may be the highest temperature.
Spy Photos
A surveillance-image specialist examines photos of Iraq, North Korea, and other political hotspots.
MiG vs. Sabre Anatomy
Compare the two fighters—one Russian, one American—whose pilots dueled to the death over "MiG Alley."
