We spoke to a genuine astrophysicist about the accuracy of Star Trek's approach to interstellar travel, the holodeck, and the ...

If an alien in the Alpha Centauri star system were craving pizza, it would take tens of thousands of years to deliver it ...

“There is a silence in the night sky that has bothered me for as long as I can remember.” That observation, attributed to American physicist Richard Feynman, captures a tension many people feel when ...

The laws of physics may place hard limits on our ability to explore the galaxy. From time dilation to extreme energy demands, the barriers are staggering. This video explores whether interstellar ...

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Exploring beyond our solar system could have lasting impacts here on Earth, and scientists, creatives and industry experts gather at the University of Texas at Austin this week to ...

Hibernation can vary by species. Martin says some hibernators, such as ground squirrels, rewarm—or wake up from hibernation from internal heating, rather than with the help of warm weather. This ...

Engineers are developing a concept for interstellar travel using a swarm of 1,000 ultra-light "laser sails." The mission aims to send these sails to Proxima b, an exoplanet 4.25 light-years away, ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American In an earlier blog post about Christopher ...