Cosmic Crossword 2024

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Across
  1. 1. The reason the sky appears blue on Earth.
  2. 6. Venusian volcanic formations, flat and circular.
  3. 8. The graph that tells the story of rising CO2.
  4. 11. Lixing Sun proposed two laws governing this universal behavior in nature.
  5. 14. The universe’s properties are naturally-tuned for our existence.
  6. 16. The catastrophic asteroid impact that rewrote Earth’s biological script.
  7. 22. The assumption that humans are the universe’s pinnacle.
  8. 23. Placental mammals thriving after the Chicxulub impact.
  9. 25. According to Sapolsky, free will would be proven if this could act on its own independent of prior cause.
  10. 31. Heat bouncing off greenhouse gases, keeping Earth warmer.
  11. 33. The nearly unsolvable task of predicting the motion of three gravitationally interacting bodies.
  12. 35. Thresholds where small changes unleash irreversible climate impacts.
  13. 41. A thought experiment featuring a being capable of perfect prediction if it knew the precise location and momentum of every particle.
  14. 44. Saturn’s explorer, revealing its rings and moons.
  15. 45. Revolutionary gene-editing tool rewriting the rules of biology.
  16. 49. The tendency of a convicted person to reoffend.
  17. 50. The process where quantum spacetime transitions into the classical geometry we observe today.
  18. 53. Ultra-cooperative communities, epitomized by bees and ants.
  19. 56. The capacity to override impulses, central to debates on free will.
  20. 58. Human spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.
  21. 59. The oceans’ subtle swelling as water warms and expands.
  22. 61. Astronauts’ life-changing view of Earth from space.
  23. 62. The quantum state where particles exist in multiple configurations simultaneously.
  24. 64. The starting state of a system that determines how it evolves over time.
  25. 66. Neptune’s icy moon with a retrograde orbit.
  26. 67. How complex phenomena arise from simple individual interactions.
  27. 70. The ancestral mothers whose genes echo in us today.
  28. 74. The study of planets by comparing their features and processes.
  29. 75. Misguided predictions from past futurists; Novella’s 10 rules aim to keep future visions on track.
  30. 76. Substellar objects too small to ignite nuclear fusion.
  31. 77. Bold, disruptive patterns designed to baffle and mislead predators or prey.
  32. 78. Mobile DNA elements that can move within the genome, reshaping its structure.
  33. 79. The evolutionary principle stating males gain more from multiple mates than females.
Down
  1. 2. The birthplace of the Keeling Curve and modern climate science.
  2. 3. This Eve was a "handy woman."
  3. 4. The first human in space, an icon of exploration.
  4. 5. A model of spacetime where past, present, and future coexist equally as a “frozen” whole.
  5. 7. A fundamental rule or equation dictating how systems transform across time.
  6. 9. Hameroff and Penrose suggest that consciousness and free will emerge from this sub-neuronal structure.
  7. 10. The method of understanding complex systems by breaking them into simpler components.
  8. 12. Bohannon’s pick for humanity’s most game-changing invention.
  9. 13. The tendency to feel the sting of loss more acutely than the joy of an equivalent gain.
  10. 15. The rapid rotation of Venus’s atmosphere, far exceeding its surface rotation.
  11. 17. Ambitious project to send tiny spacecraft to neighboring stars.
  12. 18. How trapped gases heat a planet’s atmosphere.
  13. 19. Groundbreaking effort to map humanity’s genetic blueprint.
  14. 20. The brain’s remarkable ability to rewire and adapt throughout life.
  15. 21. When greenhouse gases can’t absorb more heat.
  16. 24. The spacecraft that carried Yuri Gagarin into orbit.
  17. 26. The philosophical challenge of justifying predictions about unobserved events based on past observations.
  18. 27. The conviction that one’s group is uniquely superior to all others.
  19. 28. A cosmological model proposing that the universe alternates between expansion and contraction cycles.
  20. 29. Surreal, oppressive, and illogical situations that defy understanding.
  21. 30. Hypothesis that physics prevents time travel paradoxes.
  22. 32. Hypothetical cloud of icy bodies at the edge of the solar system.
  23. 34. The philosophical stance reconciling free will with deterministic principles.
  24. 36. Fertilizing life outside the womb—a modern marvel.
  25. 37. The ingenious “backwash” mechanism aiding mother-infant immunity.
  26. 38. The biological clock’s final tick in women’s reproductive lives.
  27. 39. The delusion of being better, smarter, or more capable than others.
  28. 40. A sneaky tactic where eggs are laid in another species’ nest to avoid parenting.
  29. 42. Sapolsky used the “Turtles all the way down” metaphor to illustrate this chain of causes.
  30. 43. The study of hormones and their effects.
  31. 46. A harmless species masquerading as a harmful one to evade predators.
  32. 47. Saturn’s moon with methane lakes and a dense atmosphere.
  33. 48. The philosophy that every event, including moral decisions, is governed by prior causes.
  34. 51. NASA’s planned lunar hub for deeper space missions.
  35. 52. Probe that landed on Titan, unveiling its mysterious surface.
  36. 54. Nature’s endless loop of carbon through air, water, and earth.
  37. 55. A life-sustaining organ that’s part baby, part mom, all genius.
  38. 57. Early Jurassic mammal nicknamed “Morgie.”
  39. 60. High-speed transportation system operating in low-pressure tubes.
  40. 63. The philosophy prioritizing individual freedom, often clashing with determinism.
  41. 65. The apparent motion of stars due to Earth’s orbit.
  42. 68. Protective behaviors to fend off rivals and ensure reproductive exclusivity.
  43. 69. A realm of icy objects and dwarf planets beyond Neptune.
  44. 71. Named after Vulcan, the fiery Roman god.
  45. 72. The trio of toxic traits: narcissism, Machiavellian cunning, and psychopathy.
  46. 73. The boundary where the Sun’s solar wind meets interstellar wind.