How ISSpresso Made Coffee Work in Space
An espresso machine, a sealed pouch and a capillary cup solved three different problems aboard the space station. Here is what each one did—and what the million-dollar comparison leaves out.
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Stories about physics
The Arecibo Message: How 1,679 Bits Spoke for Earth
A radio transmission in 1974 encoded a picture of humanity. Its ingenious layout exposes the challenges of decoding a message—and deciding who may send it.
Why Are the Northern Lights Different Colors?
Trace an aurora's greens, reds and purples to collisions high in the atmosphere.
How Do You Test an Extremely Precise Clock?
What clock comparisons can measure, what uncertainty means, and why a very large number needs context.
How Chandra Found Hidden Cosmic Sources
Discover what X-ray observations can uncover beyond the view of visible-light telescopes.
What Marie Curie's Notebook Still Carries
A notebook connects the history of radioactivity with the physical traces research can leave behind.