Once upon a time, most of the worldly elements came from stars.
What one of our most common fears — arachnophobia — can teach us about human decisions.
With campus commotion returning to pre-pandemic levels, we’ve continued to grow and expand our site. Here's a look back at 2021-22.
How chemistry and our sense of touch contribute to the way we experience food and drink.
Quantum physics is weird, but this very weirdness could propel a technological revolution if we learn to control it.
With the pandemic slowing and the campus sputtering back to life, we take a look back at our favorite reads from last year.
Are policies curbing drug use as effective as they seem? Mathematical modeling can help us answer that question.
When we live in earthquake country, science helps us prepare for the next Big One, and our community ties help us recover
What does it mean to be alive and how can scientists differentiate living from nonliving things? The concept of "Lyfe" may provide an answer.
In the shadow of LA's San Gabriel mountains, scientists are learning the language of life
In a year like no other, Caltech Letters continued to give voice to our community
The microbial connection between your digestive tract and your brain may explain how diet affects mental health
Synthetic biologists can now engineer bacteria to perform a variety of tasks, but bacteria do not always wish to be engineered
Deep down in the ocean, Caltech scientists explore the rhythm of life at a methane seep
From Tehran to Los Angeles, earthquakes control the landscape, and the landscape controls where we live. This means learning to live with earthquakes
Smart robots & AI technologies are transforming how chemists make molecules
As we design smarter and smarter machines, are we paying too much attention to ourselves?
Genetically modified organisms have a bad rap these days, but this story of synthetic biology saving a species provides a different perspective
Studying galaxies far away can tell us a surprising amount about the galaxy we call home
The recent Earthquakes in California sent scientists racing to understand how they happened and what they mean
Scientists rush to determine the origins of a strange cosmic explosion
We’re celebrating our first full academic year of sharing amazing science! These are our 5 favorite articles of the past year
The first detection of gravitational waves, and how they provide a look at cosmic cataclysms of the distant past
How seismology at the turn of the 19th century transformed our knowledge of the Earth
Galaxies may be terrible at their one and only job—producing new stars—but they are doing the best they can
Life has evolved complex survival mechanisms via equal parts hacking and engineering. Math tells us how these systems work
Nature produces colors with an intensity and diversity that humans have tried to replicate for centuries
In a remote desert valley, Caltech scientists are hunting for glaciers that once covered the Earth
Distant black holes collide and release abundant secrets about the universe, and advanced computer simulations are helping us interpret them faster than ever
New research suggests that the traditional left brain/right brain model may be vastly oversimplifying the act of creativity
Long before probiotics were in the news, our bodies recognized that the bacteria in our gut could be valuable lifelong partners
The shells of tiny, ancient organisms buried deep in ocean mud hold the secrets of Earth's history and clues to its future
Earthquakes caused by humans can be unexpected and destructive, but also have a lot to teach us about how natural earthquakes originate
Unscrambling light can give us an unprecedented view inside our own bodies
By learning from nature, scientists hope to harness the power of the sun to build a more sustainable future
Modern theories of human color vision are derived from both the arts and the sciences
A flying laboratory gives us unprecendented insight into the far reaches of the Earth's atmosphere
By studying the origins of life Earth, we can imagine where it might exist elsewhere in the universe
Cyclones lasting centuries rage across the surfaces of distant planets
Art and science, seemingly opposite forces, are driven by the same desire to understand the nature of existence
Deep in the frigid waters of Antarctica, ocean robots are teaching us important things about climate change
Digging through a brilliant mind in search of lessons for today's world
The best ideas can come from the most unexpected places
Science and engineering are powerful tools, but the lessons of one must be applied to the other so we're ready when disaster strikes
Not content to look at the stars, Caltech scientists search for the planets orbiting them
Using powerful telescopes, we can look back in time to untangle our chemical history
Inch by inch, Caltech scientists are learning about the mystery of how we learn
One scientist's quest to understand an unexplained flash from the sky
How scientific tools can be used to find patterns in messy swirls of air
Why robots taking our jobs isn't so bad for science
