Science & Tech

Science & Tech

Explore the discoveries that reveal how the world works, alongside the technologies that extend, reshape, and sometimes challenge what’s possible.

What was this mammoth tusk doing on the ocean floor 150 miles from land?
James Webb Space Telescope
After decades of development, whether NASA's Webb succeeds or fails all comes down to five critical milestones that are only days away.
diabetes cure
One patient’s surprising results have experts cautiously optimistic.
A woman stands looking at her phone in the center of an artistic display of data.
“Think defensively about how you can protect yourself from an almost inevitable attack, rather than assuming you’ll avoid harm.”
carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen
Life largely owes its existence to this equation. Be sure to hug your house plant today.
sex robot
The AI remembers that you are 32 years old and like to eat sushi, except on Thursdays.
A hand holding an old photo of three girls over the present day location.
Memory errors may actually indicate a way in which the human cognitive system is “optimal” or “rational.”
spinal cord injuries
The scientists are headed "straight to the FDA" to begin human trials.
gpt-3
GPT-3, which features 175 billion parameters, just might fool you in a conversation.
Silhouettes of three people watching a screen.
In spreading politics, videos may not be much more persuasive than their text-based counterparts.
scientism
Science is a method of inquiry about nature, while scientism is philosophy. And scientism is no longer up to the challenge of meeting the most pressing issues of our day.
metaverse
The metaverse has the potential to be revolutionary, for both good and bad. Here is how we can maximize the former and prevent the latter.
warp drive
The same (former) NASA engineer who previously claimed to violate Newton's laws is now claiming to have made a warp bubble. He didn't.
science politics
“To be ignorant of causes is to be frustrated in action.” So wrote Francis Bacon, counsel to Queen Elizabeth I of England and key architect of the scientific method. In […]
Laetoli
Bears, chimps, or humans? A track of five poorly preserved footsteps at Laetoli has puzzled paleontologists for decades. Now, a research paper from Nature claims to have solved the mystery.
Geminids
Every December, the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak. Its 2021 show will be spectacular, but only if you do it right.
Bird drone
Drones have a lot to learn from the landing abilities of birds.
Metastatic Melanoma Cells
Evolutionary game theory could tip the advantage to medicine.
Forget little green men: These scientists say we should be more worried about little green germs.
uncanny robot
The most technically impressive feats of animation often strike us as eerie instead of impressive, and it’s all thanks to the uncanny valley.