Explainers

We now know there are thousands of planets out there in our galaxy alone. Learn what we know about them, and what mysteries remain.

When we look at the world around us, we see a wondrous variety of living things. How do species evolve into all these different forms? UChicago scientists explain.

Does the Monopoly Man have a monocle? The answer may be a false memory. At UChicago, scientists are studying this phenomenon, known as the Mandela effect, and how false memories form.

Coined by University of Chicago astrophysicist Michael Turner in 1998, dark energy—the force causing the universe to expand faster over time—remains one of the great mysteries of physics.

Modern improv comedy began at the University of Chicago in the 1950s.

Trillions upon trillions of cosmic rays hit the Earth every day. What are they?

The world’s first reactor was built underneath the stands of a University of Chicago stadium as part of the Manhattan Project—kicking off the Atomic Age.

First developed in the late 1940s at UChicago, carbon dating can determine the age of organic materials as old as 60,000 years.

Scientists are very hopeful about these new treatments, which use the body’s own defense system to shut down cancer.

Social work is a field of study and profession aimed at addressing problems in society—from educational inequality to health disparities to child and family welfare.