The Full Spectrum

 

This puzzle has a visual trick that's central to the theme. The solution below explains what's going on, but if you'd like a hint while you're solving, consider this: what changes about the grid and the entries as you move down?

Cubism

 

This puzzle isn't strictly science-related, though there is a mathematical fascination with this topic. I don't want to give anything else away, so all I'll say is this: it's a puzzle within a puzzle, about another puzzle.

Bad news: there's no online version this week. (Extra bad news for 2026 me: I have to re-convert the PDF from a PNG to change the name on it. Why the hell does Crossfire use PNG exports???)

Good news: that means an extra interesting theme...

PDF; solution

All The Way Up

This theme is a bit smaller than some others on this site, but I think it's still a satisfying payoff, especially since I couldn't believe my luck how well the revealer fit into the puzzle. 

I actually sent this puzzle to the Nobel winner the phenomenon is named after, but I haven't heard back. If you're reading this, 18-Across, it's never too late to write back... (I checked, in 2026; he's still alive!)

The Hole Thing

I had trouble coming up with a title for this puzzle because most of the relevant terms I could think of were already in the grid. It has lots of theme-related words and phrases that help reveal the trick. 

This puzzle may require a bit of manipulation, so it's fun to print it out and do it on paper if you're able.

Power Play

Me from the future here! This wasn't the first ever puzzle published on Cruciverbology, but it's the first one that isn't either updated with better fill/clues later on in the archive or not worth doing. I was going to copy some of the text from the first post into here, but there's no "Welcome!..." stuff, it seems like I just jumped right in. I forgot a lot of stuff about the early blog posts. I wrote almost nothing back then. Maybe that's why I made so many more posts. (It has nothing to do with university, of course.) Okay, back to me from 2022. This is the version of the puzzle updated in 2023 for Words on Fire.

This one is a bit more science policy-oriented, but I promise it's still fun!

In other news, my second Crucinova grid was published this Thursday! It may or may not also have a science theme... (RIP Crucinova, you are missed in 2026.)