How Drone Swarms Work—From Iran’s Shahed Attack to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb
Iranian Shahed drones, Ukrainian quadcopters and the U.S.’s Golden Horde program reveal three paths to massed autonomy, and each rewrites the rules of air defense
What I Wish Parents Knew about Social Media
I study social media for a living. Here’s what parents need to know so that kids can use it safely and productively
Truly Intelligent AI Could Play by the Rules, No Matter How Strange
To build safe but powerful AI models, start by testing their ability to play games on the fly
Could Iran Have Been Close to Making a Nuclear Weapon? Uranium Enrichment Explained
When Israeli aircraft recently struck a uranium-enrichment complex in the nation, Iran could have been days away from achieving “breakout,” the ability to quickly turn “yellowcake” uranium into bomb-grade fuel, with its new high-speed centrifuges
Thermal Runaway Explains Why Waymo Cars Burned So Completely in the Recent Los Angeles Protests
During recent protests in Los Angeles, fires triggered “thermal runaway” in several Waymo robotaxis’ lithium-ion battery packs. The phenomenon sent temperatures past 1,000 degrees Celsius, vaporized much of the cars and spewed lung-searing hydrogen fluoride
At Secret Math Meeting, Researchers Struggle to Outsmart AI
The world's leading mathematicians were stunned by how adept artificial intelligence is at doing their jobs
Kids See a Lot More Misinformation Than We Think
Thanks to faulty artificial intelligence, deepfakes and plain bad actors, children encounter a lot on the Internet that isn’t true. Here’s how to help them spot it
YouTube Science Star Derek Muller Confronts PFAS “Forever Chemicals”—In His Own Blood
YouTube star Derek Muller built an 18-million-subscriber YouTube empire by challenging misconceptions about science. Now his own blood test and a sudden EPA reversal give his work urgent relevance.
New Contacts Let You See Infrared Light—Even with Your Eyes Closed
Straight out of science fiction, these contact lenses convert infrared light into visible light that humans can see
Building an LLM for Dolphin Chatter
A large language model for dolphin vocalization could let us better understand these beloved marine mammals.
Is Your Tech Listening? Apple Settles Claim for Siri Eavesdropping
Apple is paying $95 million over claims that Siri secretly recorded private chats and fed targeted ads
Lawmakers Push to Legalize Emissions-Heavy ‘Supersonic’ Planes
A bill to repeal the ban on supersonic flights over the U.S. could increase the demand for the gas-guzzling jets from around a dozen to as many as 240