All Stories
- Math
A human set a new mathematical record. Then AI came for it
OpenAI is at the center of another controversy over machines tackling big math problems. This one’s about the twin prime conjecture.
- Climate
How the body adapts to extreme heat
As heatwaves become more frequent and severe, scientists are studying whether heat acclimation can help protect vulnerable populations.
- Science & Society
Historical art can hide scientific secrets
Scientists are working closely with art historians to uncover scientific documentation in historic paintings.
- Health & Medicine
The Sept. 11 disasters still shape people’s health 25 years later
The anniversaries come and go, but the physical and mental health of workers and survivors is still being affected by September 11, 2001.
- Health & Medicine
Climate change is shifting malaria hot spots in Africa
Historic data and predictions suggest cases will rise in East Africa and southern regions, while the threat may ease in West and Central Africa.
- Paleontology
Tyrant Lizard Queen offers a nuanced look at T. rex
Paleontologist Riley Black’s latest book explores how this misunderstood carnivore might have lived.
- Animals
Could a whale swallow a person whole?
In the movie Whalefall, a sperm whale accidentally swallows a scuba diver. It’s technically possible, but unlikely to play out in real life.
- Math
AI may have solved one of math’s biggest puzzles, raising controversy
For decades, researchers wondered if the Navier-Stokes equations, which describe fluid flow, break down. OpenAI put thousands of agents on the question.
- Health & Medicine
The shingles vaccine may protect the heart
Shingrix, the same vaccine that protects people from the blistering shingles rash, might also lower risk of heart disease.
- Paleontology
Newfound fossils are spilling Denisovan secrets
Teeth and bone fragments unearthed in a cave in China, along with animal bones and stone tools, help paint a picture of Denisovan life.
- Animals
Winter work shows it really pays to be a smart mountain chickadee
By studying chickadee cognition in the wild, researchers learned smarter birds stay smart in old age, produce more young and have better gut bacteria.
- Paleontology
A choir of katydid ancestors filled the Jurassic rainforest with song
An analysis of sound-making structures on preserved wings reveals the mating calls of ancient Jurassic insects, re-creating part of an ancient soundscape.
