Engineers constantly push the boundaries of scale, working with everything from vast energy sources to tiny particles like electrons and photons. Their innovations have transformed the world—for example, scaling the first point-contact transistor into trillions of modern chips that power today’s technology. They also tackle massive scientific challenges, such as sequencing 1.8 million species’ genomes and preventing space debris collisions in Earth’s orbit.
A major theme of this issue is how engineers measure, model, and visualize things that are incredibly difficult to grasp. Whether it’s defining human-level AI, quantifying extreme vacuums, or scaling humanoid robots for real-world use, engineers create new tools to understand the unimaginable. Infographics are highlighted as powerful ways to convey these complex ideas instantly, revealing the scale of carbon emissions, interstellar travel, and semiconductor manufacturing.
The issue also explores the human perspective. Writer Paul Bogard travels to Chile to study how light pollution affects astronomy and our connection to the night sky. His reflections remind us how engineering, science, and humanity intertwine.
Overall, this issue celebrates the people who measure the unmeasurable, build the impossible, and ignite our sense of wonder.