Advances

The “coastline paradox” helped to define fractals, but coastlines themselves turn out to be less fractal than thought

Some of Earth’s tiniest life-forms inhabit slowly sinking particles of fish poop and debris, playing a crucial role in ocean carbon storage

Research suggests depression assessment questionnaires can’t reliably compare people with differing intelligence

Long-held assumptions tell us that atoms with the same number of protons, neutrons and electrons are indistinguishable, but one physicist wants to put this idea to the test

An oddity among exoplanets, L 98-59 d is (so far) in a class all its own, but astronomers expect powerful new telescopes will eventually reveal more like it

AI models and people played “collaborative” Battleship to test strategies for efficiently solving problems

Take apart the grid in this math puzzle

Scientists thought glassy substances had to be either moldable or impact-resistant—but compleximers are both

Parasitic beetles are the first animals known to imitate floral scents

With performance three times better than copper’s, this new material could substantially improve heat management of electronics, data centers and energy systems

Researchers pinpointed the purpose of mysterious heart neurons in mice—and humans have them, too

Here’s how scientists drilled 8,000 feet through ice to place the world’s deepest seismometers