A Road Trip with Commander Chris

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This System Reveals How Super-Earths Are Born January 10, 2026
One of the best things about being able to see thousands of exoplanetary systems is that we’re able to track them in different stages of development. Scientists still have so many questions about how planets form, and comparing notes between systems of different ages is one way to answer them. A new paper recently published […]
Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 1: The Unreasonable Tool January 10, 2026
Imagine you walk into a parking lot full of cars. You have in your pocket one single key. It’s the key to your car. The same key you’ve always used, the same key you’ve always trusted, the same key that you always manage to realize that you’ve lost right when you’re rushing out the door.
The Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Quiet Now, But Its Recent Past Was Far More Active January 9, 2026
The supermassive black hole in the Milky Way's galactic center, Sagittarius A-star, is known for being quiet and dim. But that wasn't always the case. The powerful XRISM x-ray telescope shows that it flared brightly at least once in the very recent past.
How the Most Common Types of Planets Are Created January 9, 2026
A new study finds that hot super-Earths begin as large puffy worlds with low densities. Over time their atmospheres are stripped away to leave more dense planets orbiting close to their stars.
Does Free Will Exist? Part 4: An Emergent Universe January 9, 2026
But we’re not going for one thing or another, are we? We’re here to explore ideas – that’s most of the fun anyway. And there’s one more aspect of physics that takes part in the free will discussion, and that’s the concept of emergence.