Particle Physics
Rule-Breaking Particles Pop Up in Experiments around the World
Several physics measurements suggest that novel particles and forces exist in the universe
Features159098 articles archived since 1845
Evolution
Fossils Upend Conventional Wisdom about Evolution of Human Bipedalism
For most of human evolution, multiple species with different ways of walking upright coexisted
Mathematics
Citizens’ Assemblies Are Upgrading Democracy: Fair Algorithms Are Part of the Program
Math helps to randomly select the fairest citizens’ assemblies since antiquity
Neuroscience
Some People Who Appear to Be in a Coma May Actually Be Conscious
Brain scans reveal that some people who can’t speak or move are aware of the world around them
Climate Change
Antarctica’s Collapse Could Begin Even Sooner Than Anticipated
Two expeditions to the Thwaites Ice Shelf have revealed that it could splinter apart in less than a decade, hastening sea-level rise worldwide
Quantum Physics
The Universe Is Not Locally Real, and the Physics Nobel Prize Winners Proved It
Elegant experiments with entangled light have laid bare a profound mystery at the heart of reality
Particle Physics
See the Facility That Tests whether Nuclear Weapons Work
Gargantuan lasers induce a fusion reaction to test the U.S. nuclear stockpile
Pollution
The Sky Needs Its ‘Silent Spring’ Moment
A surge of new research underscores the growing global problem of light pollution—as well as the urgent need for public awareness and action
Planetary Science
NASA’s DART Mission Could Help Cancel an Asteroid Apocalypse
Our planet is vulnerable to thousands of “city-killer” space rocks. If—when—one is found on a collision course with Earth, will we be ready to deflect it?
Neurology
How Squishy Math Is Revealing Doughnuts in the Brain
Topology, sometimes called rubber sheet geometry, is finding patterns in the brain, drugs and evolution
Psychology
How Gaslighting Manipulates Reality
Gaslighting isn’t just between people in a relationship—it involves social power, too
Black Holes
The First Milky Way Black Hole Image Lets Scientists Test Physics
The first image of the behemoth at the center of our galaxy opens new avenues for understanding the nature of black holes
Animals
How Facebook Is Saving Snakes
Snake-identification groups on social media are turning serpent haters into appreciators
Archaeology
Viking Textiles Show Women Had Tremendous Power
Cloth from Viking and medieval archaeological sites shows that women literally made the money in the North Atlantic
Neuroscience
U.S. Kids Are Falling behind Global Competition, but Brain Science Shows How to Catch Up
Paid parental leave and high-quality child care improve children’s brain development and prospects for a better future
Cosmology
JWST’s First Glimpses of Early Galaxies Could Break Cosmology
The James Webb Space Telescope’s first images of the distant universe shocked astronomers. Is the discovery of unimaginably distant galaxies a mirage or a revolution?
Public Health
The Hidden Toll of Wildfires
A huge aerial campaign seeks to understand the effects of biomass smoke on human health
Education
Subverting Climate Science in the Classroom
Oil and gas representatives influence the standards for courses and textbooks, from kindergarten to 12th grade
Black Holes
Black Hole Discovery Helps to Explain Quantum Nature of the Cosmos
New insights from black hole research may elucidate the cosmological event horizon
Climate Change
This Hot Summer Is One of the Coolest of the Rest of Our Lives
Heat waves broke temperature records around the world this past summer, but it will still be one of the coolest summers of the next few decades
