While the magazine has closed, its living archive endures—open to all and preserving the many ideas, voices, and discoveries that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
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A Relic of the Past Soars Into the Final FrontierWhat object would you choose to send into space?
How to Host an ExtraterrestrialYou might be a superb host to human guests, but if an alien showed up on your doorstep looking for some hospitality, would your usual offerings be enough?
American Confederates and the Origins of Archaeology in the Amazon BasinSoutherners who settled along the Amazon River after the Civil War stumbled upon rich soils for their plantations—but they also discovered an even richer past.
Interplanetary Environmentalism (Part 2)We usually think that exploration and settlement of outer space are all about technological innovation, but we’ll need more than that to do it right.
How Did We Ever Live Without GPS?GPS is everywhere these days, but if it suddenly disappeared all would not be lost: We’ve been making cognitive maps for eons.
Interplanetary Environmentalism (Part 1)We’ve already left permanent marks on other worlds. Do we have a responsibility to protect the solar system?
Our Living Message for ExtraterrestrialsA brief encounter with a new artificial intelligence suggests we may not be able to control the message we send to extraterrestrial intelligences.
Dancing “My Humps” in Rural ChinaMiddle-aged women use private online space to organize their public square-dancing performances. The new technology has changed their dance moves—and their lives.
Unmanning Space LanguageDo the terms we commonly use to discuss space exploration reflect the reality of humankind and our engagements with outer space?
