Coastal Flooding Is Much Worse Than Official Records Show — and No One’s Measuring It
There were big flaws in how we estimated floods in coastal communities.
AI Designs Computer Chips We Can’t Understand — But They Work Really Well
Can we trust systems we don’t fully understand?
“Self-termination is most likely.” This expert believes our civilization is on a crash course led by narcissistic leaders
Our civilization may be facing a “single gargantuan crash,” but collapse isn’t destiny. It’s a choice.
These Male Tarantulas Have Developed Huge Sexual Organs to Survive Mating
Size really does matter in tarantula romance.
Anthropic says it’s “vaccinating” its AI with evil data to make it less evil
The Black Mirror episodes are writing themselves now.
Optimists Are All the Same; Pessimists Are All Different
Researchers found the brain activity of optimists looked strikingly similar to that of other optimists.
Brazil’s ‘Big Zero’ Stadium on the Equator Lets Teams Change Hemispheres at Half Time
Each team is defending one hemisphere!
Helsinki went a full year without a traffic death. How did they do it?
Nordic capitals keep showing how we can eliminate traffic fatalities.
These wolves in Alaska ate all the deer. Then, they did something unexpected
Wolves on an Alaskan island are showing a remarkable adaptation.
Why You Should Stop Using Scented Candles—For Good
They're seriously not good for you.
People in Thailand were chewing psychoactive nuts 4,000 years ago. It’s in their teeth
The teeth Chico, they never lie.
Potatoes were created by a plant “love affair” between tomatoes and a wild cousin
It was one happy natural accident.
Scientists Discover Life Finds a Way in the Deepest, Darkest Trenches on Earth
These findings challenge what we thought we knew about life in the deep sea.
What if the Secret to Sustainable Cities Was Buried in Roman Cement?
Is Roman concrete more sustainable? It's complicated.
An AI Ran a Vending Machine. It Ended Just How You’d Think It Would, But Worse
For a few surreal weeks, the dystopian future ran inside a mini-fridge in San Francisco.
We Might Be Ingesting Thousands of Lung-Penetrating Microplastics Daily in Our Homes and Cars — 100x More Than Previously Estimated
Microscopic plastic particles are everywhere and there's more than we thought.
After 100 years, physicists still don’t agree what quantum physics actually means
Does God play dice with the universe? Well, depends who you ask.
The AI Boom Is Thirsty for Water — And Communities Are Paying the Price
What if the future of artificial intelligence depends on your town running out of water?
The 400-Year-Old, Million-Dollar Map That Put China at the Center of the World
1602 Ricci map - detail from a China panel. All images via Wikipedia. In 1602, the Wanli Emperor of the...
What If We Built Our Skyscrapers from Wood? It’s Just Crazy Enough to Work (And Good for the Planet)
Forget concrete and steel. The real future is wood.
Athens Is Tapping a 2,000-Year-Old Roman Aqueduct To Help Survive a Megadrought
Sometimes new problems need old solutions.
Inside the World’s Oldest Medical Text Where Science and Sorcery Were One
The Babylonians had quite a knack for organizing things.
If You’re Nostalgic for a Place, It’s Probably Somewhere Near Water
There's just something about the sea.
This New Museum Lets You Order and Handle Unique, Ancient Exhibits
From Roman artifacts to Picasso's gowns, this museum lets you hold the past.
Tooth nerves aren’t just for pain. They also protect your teeth
We should be more thankful for what's in our mouths.
Researchers tore down a Tesla and BYD battery to see which one’s better
The two companies have different approaches, but is one better?
Living Tattoos Could Transform Buildings Into Air-Cleaning, Self-Healing Organisms
Microbial inks may soon give buildings the power to breathe, heal, and fight pollution.
Uranus Is Hotter than We Thought and Probably Deserves a Visit
Uranus is heating up from the inside.
Google’s DeepMind builds AI that helps archaeologists piece together Roman writings
Generative AI turns to helping historians decipher ancient Roman history.
Over 90% of global renewable power projects are now cheaper than fossil fuels
Solar is 40% cheaper, and onshore wind is under half the price.
Ozzy Osbourne’s Genes Really Were Wired for Alcohol and Addiction
His genome held strange secrets: a turbocharged alcohol gene, rewired brain chemistry, and a slow-burn caffeine receptor.
The Book That All Americans Should Be Reading Now
It's not The Handmaid's Tale, though that could also come in handy.
ChatGPT advised women to ask lower salaries than men
It's happening again.
Ozempic Works Wonders Until You Stop. Then, the Weight Starts to Come Back
When the prescription runs out, the kilos come back.
An AI Just Took Gold at the World’s Hardest Math Contest and It Wasn’t Even Trained For It
Could a machine outthink the brightest young mathematicians on the planet?
Your Workout Might Be Coaching Your Gut Bacteria to Help Fight Cancer
You gut microbes seem to produce more formate when you exercise and this may be key to fighting tumors.
Meta’s New Bracelet Lets You Control Computers Directly
It's a completely new way to interact with computers.
A Simple Heat Hack Could Revolutionize How We Produce Yogurt
In principle, the method could be deployed tomorrow, researchers say.
Scientists Create a ‘Smart Sponge’ That Knows When to Heal and When to Fight Inflammation
This hydrogel could help millions of people lead a better life.
The Race to the Bottom: Japan Is Set to Start Testing Deep-Sea Mining
There's a big hidden cost to this practice.
Not Just Hunters: Wooden Tools Unearth the Sophisticated, Plant-Eating World of Early Humans
What if the Stone Age wasn't really about stone?
NASA finally figures out what’s up with those “Mars spiders”
They're not actual spiders, of course, but rather strange geological features.
Scientists Just Showed How Alien Life Could Emerge in Titan’s Methane Lakes
What if the ingredients of life could assemble on a methane world?
Can Dogs Really Smell Parkinson’s? These Two Good Boys Say Yes
Our best friend is even more awesome than we thought.
Researchers Recreate the Quintessentially Roman Fish Sauce
Would you like some garum with that?
Researchers stop Parkinson’s symptoms in mice using a copper supplement. Could humans be next?
Could we stop Parkinson's by feeding neurons copper?
There’s a massive, ancient river system under Antarctica’s ice sheet
This has big implications for our climate models.
Forget the honeybee. These unusual pollinators show just how crazy plant sex can really be
A pollinator story featuring sex, deceit, and tequila.
For the first time in history, solar was Europe’s top source of electricity
Europe is quietly becoming a solar powerhouse.
Deadly Heatwave Killed 2,300 in Europe, and 1,500 of those were due to climate change
How hot is too hot to survive in a city?