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