A Little Wonder collection
The Unanswered
At the edge of what we know, there is room to wonder.
10 illustrated discoveries10 discoveries to explore
What Is Dark Matter Made Of?
Galaxies behave as though they contain far more mass than their shining stars and gas reveal. The missing ingredient is called dark matter, but the name describes a puzzle, not a substance we have identified.
What Is Making the Universe Expand Faster?
The universe is expanding, and observations show that its expansion has accelerated over cosmic time. Astronomers call the cause dark energy, a label for an observed effect whose underlying nature remains unknown.
How Did Life Begin on Earth?
At some point, chemistry on the young Earth crossed into biology. We know life exists and evolves, but no one has reconstructed the sequence that first turned nonliving chemistry into a self-sustaining, evolving system.
Why Does Brain Activity Feel Like Anything?
A brain can detect light, remember a song, and report pain. But why should physical activity in a brain be accompanied by an inner point of view—by the felt redness of red or the sting of pain? That question remains disputed.
Why Did Matter Survive the Big Bang?
Matter and antimatter annihilate when they meet. If the early universe made equal amounts of each, they should have mostly erased one another, leaving radiation—and no stars, planets, or people. Yet a little matter remained.
What Happens to Information in a Black Hole?
A black hole can swallow matter, and quantum theory says information about physical states should not simply vanish. Hawking’s calculation of black-hole radiation exposed a conflict between that expectation and gravity’s most extreme objects.
Is There Life Beyond Earth?
Thousands of planets beyond our solar system are now known, and the galaxy is likely to contain vastly more. But despite that growing census, Earth remains the only world where life has been confirmed.
What Do the Indus Signs Say?
The cities of the Indus civilization left behind seals, pottery, and tablets marked with repeated signs. Archaeologists can study the objects and their settings, but the symbols have not yielded an accepted reading of the words or language behind them.
Where Did the Universe’s Magnetic Fields Begin?
Magnetic fields thread stars, galaxies, and even the space between galaxies. Astronomers can detect their effects across cosmic distances, but the origin of the universe’s first large-scale fields is still unknown.
Can We Be Free in a Law-Governed Universe?
If every choice has causes, does that make it less ours? Philosophers have argued for centuries about whether free will can coexist with determinism, the idea that the past and the laws of nature fix what happens next.
An unplanned detour
What will you find?
Sometimes the best place to begin is anywhere.