Why the Northeast blizzard’s snow is ideal for snowballs and snowmen
School is out as heavy, wet snow blankets parts of the Northeast. Though it will be a pain to shovel, it makes for perfect snowballs and the most structurally sound snowmen
Poetry was humanity’s first language technology. AI is the next
Sasha Stiles turned GPT-2 experiments into a self-writing poem at a Museum of Modern Art installation—and a new way to think about text-generating AI optimization
Desert dino find, flu shot U‑turn, universal vaxx hope, air toxin warning
A surprising FDA reversal on Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine, early promise from a universal inhaled vaccine, and a desert fossil find that is reshaping spinosaurid history.
How a bomb cyclone is bringing blizzard conditions to the Northeast
Blizzards can bring a ton of snow, but here’s what else they feature
Science journalism on the ropes worldwide as U.S. aid cuts bite
Federal freezes to foreign assistance are affecting grants for investigative reporters everywhere—but especially in poorer countries
NASA reveals new problem with Artemis II rocket, further delaying launch
Just a day after NASA set a March 6 target date for its upcoming moon mission, the agency’s head announced it will roll back Artemis II’s rocket from the pad entirely
‘An AlphaFold 4’—scientists marvel at DeepMind drug spin-off’s exclusive new AI
Isomorphic Lab’s proprietary drug-discovery model is a major advance, but scientists developing open-source tools are left guessing how to achieve similar results
Italy promised durable Olympic medals. Science had other plans
A small design flaw in the medals for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina turned a durability promise into a very public stress test
How Anthropic’s safety-first ethos collided with the Pentagon
As Anthropic releases its most autonomous agents yet, a mounting clash with the military reveals the impossible choice between global scaling and a “safety first” ethos
Incredible image shows what 2026’s first solar eclipse looked like from space
A satellite captured a recent “ring of fire” eclipse from a stunning new angle
What if most medications were sold over the counter?
The FDA is reportedly considering broadening the types of drugs that can be sold without a prescription, a move some pharmacy experts say could raise safety risks
Trump’s order to release evidence for aliens obscures the scientific search for extraterrestrial life
On Thursday the U.S. president ordered the release of federal files related to UFOs and aliens, although no evidence of extraterrestrials visiting Earth is known to exist