Science labs

Every story comes with something to try: an interactive model or a kitchen-table experiment.

InteractiveSound intensity, decibels and waves on a spherefrom: The Sound That Circled the EarthInteractiveWhy a cloud 80 km up can glow at midnight: at midsummer the Sun barely dips below the horizon, so very high clouds stay in sunlight while the ground is dark.from: The Summer Nights You Could Read ByInteractiveMagnetic-influence mines fire when the magnetic field around them changes fast. A solar storm shook Earth's field quickly enough to fake a passing ship.from: The Day the Sun Blew Up a MinefieldInteractiveA nuclear burst in space releases gamma rays that knock electrons loose in the upper air; Earth's magnetic field turns them, and together they radiate one enormous electromagnetic pulse (EMP).from: The Night America Nuked the SkyInteractiveSulfur dioxide turns into a sulfate haze. Laki's stayed low and sank over Europe as air pollution, while cooling the northern lands enough to weaken the African monsoon that feeds the Nile.from: The Fog That Starved Egypt