Space, Quantum, Ancient History, Economics, Our World, Explained

Alpha Centauri A Planet Candidate (Artist’s Concept)
The UChicago Explainer Series invites you to 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 Explainer

The first nuclear reactor, explained

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.

Most Viewed

Earth

The origin of life on Earth, explained

The origin of life on Earth stands as one of the great mysteries of science. Several seminal experiments have been conducted at UChicago, including the famous Miller-Urey experiment that suggested how life could form in a primordial soup.

Fertile Crescent Explainer hero image

The Fertile Crescent, explained

A term coined by UChicago Egyptologist James Henry Breasted, “The Fertile Crescent” refers to a region in Western Asia that gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations.

A 2,000 year old painted wood mask from an ancient Egyptian coffin.

Carbon-14 dating, explained

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

YouTube Shorts

What is the visual Mandela effect?

Can you pick the real Monopoly Man? If not, you may have experienced the visual Mandela effect. Hear from UChicago Prof. Wilma Bainbridge why we sometimes share false memories.