Aristotle on the Moon

“It was a kind of faith, that watching: / my brother trained his eyes to bear / the sharp erasure of sand and glass, prayed / there’d be nothing more to see.” —from Natasha Tretheway’s poem “Watcher: After Katrina, 2005.”

Hardware start-ups face different challenges from those for software or other industries. New strategies are needed to see more promising hardware companies succeed and reach their market potential.

With the two-decade effort to tie climate policy to a stratigraphic decision concluded, there is an opportunity to think more imaginatively about engaging publics in environmental policies.

Computer scientist and “godmother of AI” Fei-Fei Li explains why artificial intelligence and public life are at an inflection point—and contemplates how to unleash positive changes while mitigating risks.

As science continues to more powerfully blend, overlap, and intermix with society, it is crucial to embrace what social science can bring to the entire scientific enterprise.

Disease surveillance in the thawing Arctic requires international cooperation, but fractured relations between Russia and the other Arctic states demand deliberate approaches to science diplomacy.

Local collaborations among schools, higher education institutions, businesses, and community groups can achieve what top-down directives cannot.

A wind-to-ammonia pilot project shows how localized green energy applications can slash carbon intensity, empower farmer cooperatives, and keep wealth in rural communities.

Centering the goals and knowledge of Native land stewards in federal data and definitions of “climate smart” agriculture could nourish communities while incentivizing carbon sequestration across millions of acres.

A close examination of Mexico’s public earthquake warning system demonstrates that if these technologies are to be effective, they must be integrated into institutional and social infrastructure.

How the Gulf Research Program, created after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, is working to support the Gulf of Mexico’s energy sector, coastline, and communities.

Recent disasters have strained the Gulf’s ability to respond. Building capacity for local emergency management agencies and disaster research could help the region cope—and thrive.

For space exploration to benefit all of humanity, it needs a philosophy—a rigorous engagement on values, impact, and meaning.

Even in the absence of broader regulations on artificial intelligence, federal procurement provisions could set expectations for data quality, model performance, risk assessments, and documentation.

How can policymakers and education leaders build a more affordable and equitable path to higher education, particularly in STEM disciplines?