Rebecca Boyle

2 months ago | nationalgeographic.com | Rebecca Boyle

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Wild greens and herbs have been part of our diet since the dawn of time, and it was only at the beginning of the 20th century, when food and farming became heavily industrialised, that their popularity dropped off. In the 2010s, however, they saw a resurgence, with high-end chefs like Rene Redzepi in Copenhagen, Michel Bras in Laguiole, France, and Dan Barber in New York incorporating hyperlocal, foraged ingredients into their menus.

Nov 20, 2024 | atlasobscura.com | Rebecca Boyle

In April of 1066, a streak of cool fire appeared in the heavens. The comet, called a “bearded star” back then, had appeared before. There are mentions of it around the world dating as far back as the fifth century B.C. It’s now called Halley’s Comet, for the 18th-century scientist who first calculated its return. But in the spring of 1066, the people of England saw this particular comet as a bad omen. Across the English Channel, Duke William of Normandy viewed the bearded star as a good sign.

Oct 30, 2024 | quantamagazine.org | Charlie Wood |Jonathan O'Callaghan |Rebecca Boyle

Introduction Detecting a graviton — the hypothetical particle thought to carry the force of gravity — is the ultimate physics experiment. Conventional wisdom, however, says it can’t be done. According to one infamous estimate, an Earth-size apparatus orbiting the sun might pick up one graviton every billion years. To snag one in a decade, another calculation has suggested, you’d have to park a Jupiter-size machine next to a neutron star. In short: not going to happen.

Oct 23, 2024 | quantamagazine.org | Jonathan O'Callaghan |Rebecca Boyle |Charlie Wood

Introduction Galaxies have been merging into ever-bigger structures over the course of cosmic history. When galaxies merge, the supermassive black holes that sit in their centers must eventually merge, too, forming an even more gargantuan black hole. For decades, though, a question has vexed astrophysicists: How can supermassive black holes get close enough to spiral together and coalesce?

Oct 15, 2024 | nationalgeographic.com | Rebecca Boyle

As a machine learningscientist at NASA, Hamed Valizadegan once trained an algorithm to examine images of blood vessels in astronauts’ retinas, improving efforts to understand vision changes in microgravity. It was important work, but Valizadegan, who never lost his childhood love of the night sky, couldn’t shake his desire to study the stars. “I could watch the sky for hours, contemplating the meaning of life and whether we are alone in this vast universe,” he says.