Across
- 1. The graph that tells the story of rising CO2.
- 6. Nature’s endless loop of carbon through air, water, and earth.
- 10. The spacecraft that carried Yuri Gagarin into orbit.
- 11. A realm of icy objects and dwarf planets beyond Neptune.
- 12. The catastrophic asteroid impact that rewrote Earth’s biological script.
- 14. Ambitious project to send tiny spacecraft to neighboring stars.
- 15. According to Sapolsky, free will would be proven if this could act on its own independent of prior cause.
- 16. The rapid rotation of Venus’s atmosphere, far exceeding its surface rotation.
- 17. Heat bouncing off greenhouse gases, keeping Earth warmer.
- 18. Early Jurassic mammal nicknamed “Morgie.”
- 19. Saturn’s explorer, revealing its rings and moons.
- 23. NASA’s planned lunar hub for deeper space missions.
- 24. NASA’s successful Mars missions from the 1970s.
- 25. Substellar objects too small to ignite nuclear fusion.
- 27. The method of understanding complex systems by breaking them into simpler components.
- 29. A thought experiment featuring a being capable of perfect prediction if it knew the precise location and momentum of every particle.
- 32. Thresholds where small changes unleash irreversible climate impacts.
- 38. Fertilizing life outside the womb—a modern marvel.
- 39. Bohannon’s pick for humanity’s most game-changing invention.
- 41. Energy produced by splitting atomic nuclei.
- 42. This Eve was a "handy woman."
- 44. The ingenious “backwash” mechanism aiding mother-infant immunity.
- 45. The nearly unsolvable task of predicting the motion of three gravitationally interacting bodies.
- 49. Human spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.
- 51. Venusian volcanic formations, flat and circular.
- 54. Named after Vulcan, the fiery Roman god.
- 58. Saturn’s moon with methane lakes and a dense atmosphere.
- 62. Groundbreaking effort to map humanity’s genetic blueprint.
- 63. Purgi; the pioneering genus of primates, a small step into the primate lineage.
- 65. A phenomenon where particles influence each other instantaneously over vast distances.
- 66. A hypothetical megastructure harvesting a star’s full energy.
- 67. High-speed transportation system operating in low-pressure tubes.
- 68. The first human in space, an icon of exploration.
- 69. The universe’s properties are naturally-tuned for our existence.
- 71. Neptune’s massive storm, a rival to Jupiter’s Red Spot.
- 72. Probe that landed on Titan, unveiling its mysterious surface.
- 73. The philosophy that every event, including moral decisions, is governed by prior causes.
- 74. The study of planets by comparing their features and processes.
- 75. A quantum mystery—when does a particle’s potential state collapse into reality?
- 76. Known as “Donna,” this species bridges the age of dinosaurs and mammals.
Down
- 2. The study of hormones and their effects.
- 3. Lucy; the star ancestor who walked the Earth 3 million years ago.
- 4. The boundary where the Sun’s solar wind meets interstellar wind.
- 5. The quantum counterpart to a classical computing bit.
- 6. Hypothesis that physics prevents time travel paradoxes.
- 7. The philosophy prioritizing individual freedom, often clashing with determinism.
- 8. The birthplace of the Keeling Curve and modern climate science.
- 9. Misguided predictions from past futurists; Novella’s 10 rules aim to keep future visions on track.
- 13. A fusion of man and machine; better known as a cyborg.
- 15. The brain’s remarkable ability to rewire and adapt throughout life.
- 20. When greenhouse gases can’t absorb more heat.
- 21. Tiny pioneers that gave Earth its first breathable air.
- 22. When two particles are intertwined so that one’s state instantly determines the other’s, no matter the distance.
- 26. The assumption that humans are the universe’s pinnacle.
- 28. Sapolsky used the “Turtles all the way down” metaphor to illustrate this chain of causes.
- 30. Placental mammals thriving after the Chicxulub impact.
- 31. Ardi; a hominin who walked upright but still clung to the trees.
- 33. The capacity to override impulses, central to debates on free will.
- 34. Hameroff and Penrose suggest that consciousness and free will emerge from this sub-neuronal structure.
- 35. Neptune’s icy moon with a retrograde orbit.
- 36. The oceans’ subtle swelling as water warms and expands.
- 37. The biological clock’s final tick in women’s reproductive lives.
- 40. Hypothetical cloud of icy bodies at the edge of the solar system.
- 43. Greek for “wanderer”; celestial bodies in motion.
- 46. Ultra-cooperative communities, epitomized by bees and ants.
- 47. The ancestral mothers whose genes echo in us today.
- 48. The reason the sky appears blue on Earth.
- 50. Revolutionary gene-editing tool rewriting the rules of biology.
- 52. How complex phenomena arise from simple individual interactions.
- 53. Astronauts’ life-changing view of Earth from space.
- 55. The quantum state where particles exist in multiple configurations simultaneously.
- 56. A life-sustaining organ that’s part baby, part mom, all genius.
- 57. The tendency of a convicted person to reoffend.
- 59. How trapped gases heat a planet’s atmosphere.
- 60. The apparent motion of stars due to Earth’s orbit.
- 61. The philosophical stance reconciling free will with deterministic principles.
- 64. Chose the gasoline engine, shaping the cars of present day.
- 70. Energy generated by combining atomic nuclei.