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The article discusses research on the level of oxygen in the Earth's early history in relation to searches for extraterrestrial life, noting comments from biogeochemist Noah Planavsky in the July 2018 issue of the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA."

The article explores evacuation for big cities during hurricanes and other storms. Particular focus is given to how getting out of storm paths has historically provoked mass panic and clogged escape routes. Additional topics discussed include how scientists might be able to help with these issues, and a new type of risk-map being tested in Houston, Texas, which is prone to floods.

The article profiles several works of art that use mathematical principles. Works noted including "Manchester Illuminated Universal Turing Machine, #23" by artist Roman Verostko, "Borromean Rings Seifert Surface" by artist Bathsheba Grossman, and "Buddhabrot" by computer programmer Melinda Green. Topics include the notion of a universal Turing machine (UTM), the use of non-Euclidean geometries, and the inspiration of artist Bjarne Jespersen by artist M. C. Escher.

An introduction is offered to the articles within the special report of the journal on the theme of questions in science with topics, including star motion, the human mind and scientific discoveries.

The article discusses how science fiction films successfully predict future technologies. It gives instances of self-opening doors in Star Trek that are now seen in grocery stores and the connected technology seen in the film "Her", comparing it to the Google Glass project. The article also mentions the film "What Happened to Monday" on Netflix and the television series "Westworld". The article mentions technologies such as the Cicret wristband and pico projectors.

The article discusses the ongoing work of the Center for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Research) based in Mountain View, California. It particularly focuses on senior astronomer Seth Shostak, who waged in 2003 that humankind will find extraterrestrial life in 24 years. The article also discusses an effort called Breakthrough Listen to survey the million closest stars. The article also discusses the possibility of sending messages inviting contact with intelligent aliens.

The article discusses efforts to understand the evolution of snakes and how they came to be limbless. It presents current insights into the evolutionary process. The article discusses fossil records that allow evolutionary experiments, computed tomographic scanning of snake ears, and statistical snake analyses to find differences in snake vestibules. It mentions researches by University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Indiana University Bloomington and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.