Stories by Mary Randolph

A floating island in a Canadian reservoir moved more than 30 kilometers across the water—here’s why

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is headed toward a Lagrange point, a critical position in outer space where gravitational forces behave in specific ways

The fast-growing private-school network is handing much of instruction over to artificial intelligence. Researchers say the science is far from settled

Spirals, ellipticals, irregulars, oh my!

Two robots beat Usain Bolt’s 100-meter-dash record—but likely couldn’t survive in the real world

The mosquito-borne illness has sickened hundreds of people this year

A new study finds that China’s solar energy boom is hurting bird diversity

Could this secret cellular weapon be the key to longevity?

This state, which has seen more than 200 twisters this year, could beat Texas’s all-time record of 244 tornadoes in 12 months

A new study of the Helix Nebula shows a never-before-seen detail of how dying stars recycle elements. Researchers found it by accident

This dying star appears to have a face of gas and a mane of space dust

The vagus nerve is the autonomic nervous system’s highway, connecting every major organ

Doctors used to warn coffee drinkers. Now research reassures them

This seismic event is of a similar magnitude to the pair of earthquakes that hit Venezuela in June

July also saw its second-highest air temperatures on record this year

The backlash raises a bigger question for science communicators: Where should AI fit into their work?

This artificial intelligence system largely accomplished the task it was built to solve, and researchers outside DeepMind have already been carrying its work forward

Charles Darwin predicted in 1875 that some members of the Saxifraga genus could be carnivorous—now scientists have finally proven him right

Dry conditions and climate change are putting forests across the country at risk for disaster

The extreme conditions of atomic bomb explosions create “uncontrolled microexperiments” that, in Hiroshima, forged a never-before-seen metallic alloy

Giant black holes adrift in deep space are normally invisible—unless they’re dining on stars

Thousands of people have gotten sick from Cyclospora. Experts can’t agree whether the end is in sight

Nobody knows why insects aren't found living in the ocean. Scientists just eliminated one theory

The nation’s first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale facilities gives officials up to one year to work out how to measure their environmental effects amid the AI building boom