Joseph Howlett is a staff reporter at Scientific American covering physics, math, astronomy and more. He was previously a math staff writer at Quanta Magazine, and holds a Ph.D. in particle physics from Columbia University.
A new study says homing pigeon livers act like compasses. Other experts aren’t so sure
How animals use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate is one of biology’s biggest unsolved mysteries. This study proposes a totally new source for the sixth sense
Gigantic, ancient black hole threatens to upend cosmic history
Debate still swirls around the nature of “little red dots,” black holes glimpsed in the early universe by the James Webb Space Telescope. A controversial new weigh-in may settle the matter
Scientists discover why gold doesn’t ‘rust’
Gold doesn’t tarnish like similar metals do. A new paper says that the key is the intricate “herringbone” pattern of its atoms.
OpenAI announces AI’s biggest math breakthrough yet
A chatbot’s result for the 80-year-old “unit distance” conjecture is the first AI proof that would likely be published in math’s top journal if humans had done it alone
‘Sensational’ proof topples decades-old geometry problem
The sudden resolution of a well-known conjecture highlights the growing adoption of AI as an assistant in high-level mathematics
The million-dollar math problem hardly anyone is trying to solve
The intimidating legacy of the scariest problem in mathematics
Were the first dentists Neanderthals?
Archaeologists analyzed a Neanderthal molar that seems like it was intentionally drilled, but some experts are skeptical
Tanking is ruining NBA basketball. Can math save it?
Several teams appeared to spend the second half of the U.S. professional basketball season losing games on purpose for a better chance at a high draft pick. New ideas propose to fix this incentive problem
A massive neutrino experiment is taking shape in an abandoned gold mine
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment will study nature’s most mysterious particle a mile beneath South Dakota’s Black Hills and will potentially reveal the origins of matter
Alien comet reveals our solar system is the oddball
Measurements of this interstellar comet’s molecular makeup show an excess of heavy water molecules that is dramatically different from anything known to have ever formed around our sun
An amateur just solved a 60-year-old math problem—by asking AI
A ChatGPT AI has proved a conjecture with a method no human had thought of. Experts believe it may have further uses
Master of chaos wins $3-million math prize for ‘blowing up’ equations
For decades, mathematician Frank Merle has been embracing the messy math behind lasers and fluids
What’s this fast-moving wave of darkness creeping across Mars?
Observations by the Mars Express orbiter reveal rapid changes on the Red Planet’s surface from windblown volcanic ash
Artemis proves NASA can return to the moon. Now comes the hard question: Why?
Artemis II’s safe return from lunar orbit sparks a debate over the costs, climate effects and long‑term value of going back to the moon
See NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon in 12 stunning photos
The Artemis II mission’s 10-day odyssey around the moon and back was captured in stunning photographs at every moment. Here are 12 of our favorite images
NASA’s Artemis II moon mission is focusing on its return to Earth
The Artemis II spacecraft is due to splash down on April 10, and NASA officials and the astronauts onboard are gearing up for that return
NASA’s Artemis moon missions are a game changer for astronomy
After decades of planning, NASA’s Artemis program is giving astronomers their long-awaited moonshot
Tracking Artemis II: After its historic lunar flyby, NASA’s moon mission heads home
The astronauts of Artemis II phoned home—and the International Space Station—between stretches of well-earned rest on day seven of the mission
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts celebrate epic lunar flyby with stunning new images
Artemis II’s sixth day was a whirlwind of science and awe, with the mission’s astronauts glimpsing parts of the moon never before seen by any human—and talking to the U.S. president
NASA’s Artemis II moon mission is gearing up for its lunar flyby
NASA officials and the Artemis II crew are starting to prepare in earnest for Monday’s lunar flyby—while also trying to fix the mission’s toilet
NASA Artemis II astronauts in ‘great spirits,’ space agency officials say, as mission nears moon
Friday is the Artemis II mission’s third official day as it makes a 10-day journey around the moon and back
NASA’s Artemis II moon mission just committed to leaving Earth orbit
The Orion spacecraft just completed its last planned major fuel burn, setting its course for the rest of its 10-day journey around the moon and back
Humans have been gambling since the last ice age
A new archeological finding shows that Native Americans were exploring probability through games of chance far earlier than their Old World counterparts
Artemis II’s journey to the moon, day by day
The four astronauts onboard the Orion spacecraft will carry out a packed schedule during their trip around the moon’s far side