For decades, astronomers treated the interstellar medium as a static backdrop to the goings-on of the universe. Now, a wave ...

A new topological model connects a centuries-old voting paradox to a surface with no distinct inside or outside.

A spider, when knocked off a wall, doesn’t fall for long. Within milliseconds, it spins a soup of proteins into sturdy climbing gear. Using a thin, shimmering strand of silk, the spider hauls itself ...

Winning entries in the 2026 Nikon Small World competitions reveal the hidden interactions that govern everyday life.

To invade red blood cells, the deadly protists create temporary molecular portals that disappear behind them — doors we can now see in fine detail.

Unlike other recent AI proofs, this one has been unpacked by human experts. The implications, one mathematician said, are ...

Astrophysicist Shep Doeleman explains how capturing the first image of a black hole required a telescope the size of the world, and why the next goal is to create a movie. The biggest breakthrough in ...

A healthy brain maintains a harmony of neurons that excite or inhibit other neurons, but the lines between different types of cells are blurrier than researchers once thought. Climate science is the ...

Astronomer David Kipping discusses why claims of extraterrestrial life keep dissolving under scrutiny, why we need a more statistically grounded approach to searching for life beyond Earth, and why it ...

Paul Nelson has solved the subconvexity problem, bringing mathematicians one step closer to understanding the Riemann hypothesis and the distribution of prime numbers. A number theorist recalls his ...