UChicago Explainer Series

Learn about some of the intellectual contributions pioneered at the University of Chicago, and how its scholars continue to shape the world and our understanding of it.

Featured

A 2,000 wood artifact from an ancient Egyptian coffin.

Carbon-14 dating, explained

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Plant growing out of a Kilauea lava eruption
Ecological succession, explained
Illustration depecting Behavioral economics
Behavioral economics, explained
Hand moving the Doomsday Clock; Photo by Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
The Doomsday Clock, explained
Illustration of an object crashing into the proto-Earth
How the Earth and moon formed, explained
Child learning music
Perfect pitch, explained

All Explainers

The first nuclear reactor, explained Illustration depicting CP-1

The first nuclear reactor, explained

Cancer immunotherapy, explained T-cells work to fight cancer

Cancer immunotherapy, explained

Social work, explained A social worker talks with a senior citizen

Social work, explained

Field experiments, explained Illustration depicting A/B testing

Field experiments, explained

How sleep affects human health, explained A patient lays on a bed for a sleep research study

How sleep affects human health, explained

The quantum internet, explained Quantum technology

The quantum internet, explained

The Fertile Crescent, explained Fertile Crescent Explainer hero image

The Fertile Crescent, explained

Black holes, explained Artists conception of a black hole surrounded by a bright ring and stars

Black holes, explained

The origin of life on Earth, explained Earth

The origin of life on Earth, explained

The Fujita Scale, explained Tornado

The Fujita Scale, explained