Technology

A Google DeepMind system improves chip designs and addresses unsolved math problems but has not been rolled out to researchers outside the company

AI chatbot companions may not be real, but the feelings users form for them are. Some scientists worry about long-term dependency

A new AI platform called Xanthorox markets itself as a tool for cybercrime, but its real danger may lie in how easily such systems can be built—and sold—by anyone

An unhinged 2026 U.S. budget proposal would hollow NASA to a husk bent to Elon Musk’s whims. Only one mission can save the space agency

Many people believe AI will one day cause human extinction. A little math tells us it wouldn’t be that easy

We live in an era of constant surveillance. Psychology research shows how this might change how we perceive the world—even unconsciously

New rules that trim crash reporting requirements and widen testing access for U.S. robotaxis are hailed as an innovation edge and criticized for eroding safety oversight

AI systems could show signs of consciousness. We need to develop better tests to show whether they are actually aware

Amazon has launched its first operational Project Kuiper satellites in its attempt to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink—but experts remain concerned about space debris and astronomy

Science is key to diplomacy, unity and democracy. What the Trump administration is trying to do to it will weaken the U.S.

Hear takeaways from 35 years at Scientific American from Gary Stix, our recently retired mind and brain editor.

Discarded authors Sarah Gabbott and Jan Zalasiewicz, observers of the geological past, look into the future