Are we alone? It’s a question that has obsessed us for centuries, and now we have the technology to do more than wonder. Scientists on the hunt for distant planets and extraterrestrial intelligence explore faraway galaxies and barely visible realms.

Powerful new genetic tools allow scientists to alter the DNA of any organism—with tests on human embryos already underway. Even more ambitious, synthetic biologists on the verge of creating the genetic material for a living organism from scratch are setting their long-term sites on fashioning a fully synthetic human genome.

In his first World Science U Q+A session, Brian Greene takes questions on a variety of subjects including relativity, quantum, the cosmos and his WSU course, Space, Time and Einstein. …

Improving your athletic ability is possible with technology created by engineers William “Buddy” Clark and Mike Ressler. See how their innovations can be easily used to analyze and step up …

Bestselling author Dan Brown joins physicist Brian Greene for a fascinating conversation on reality, religion, and the future of AI—just as Brown’s newest book The Secret of Secrets hits shelves. …

The prestigious biennial Kavli Prizes recognize scientists for major advances in three research areas: astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience—the big, the small and the complex. The 2014 winners, sharing a $1 million award in each field, will be announced live via satellite from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo.