Latest

Text graphic displaying the words “The Latest” in large, bold, black serif font on a light background.
Oppenheimer on the left and Heisenberg on the right.
As the Manhattan Project headed for completion, German attempts to build a nuclear weapon had already been dismantled.
A painting depicting sleep deprivation and a woman asleep at a table.
Bad news: Sleeping in on the weekends probably won't cut it.
Edwin Hubble and Andromeda galaxy
The first observational evidence showing the Universe is expanding is 100 years old now: in 2023. Here's the story of its 100th anniversary.
A silhouette of a woman reading a book, embodying a growth mindset.
Studies on "growth mindset" interventions fail to show significant benefits.
a painting of a naked man holding a sword.
Explore how belief shapes destiny, from Oedipus Rex to modern geopolitics.
Illustration of an astronaut being propelled through a futuristic, tunnel-like structure against a black background.
9mins
Ever wonder what would happen if we got sucked into a black hole? Turns out we could live in it for a while — if it was big enough.
NGC 5584 cepheid hubble
How fast is the Universe expanding? Two major methods disagree. New JWST data, just released, strengthens this Hubble tension even further.
A termite mound
Smarter building materials can control indoor temperatures without external power.
A monochrome picture depicting a band embracing the philosophy of music.
Music is part of the human experience, which is why some philosophers have written about it. Some had wacky ideas.
An artist's rendering of a spacecraft near an asteroid.
Whether you call it 10 quintillion, 10 million trillion, or 10 billion billion, it's a 1 followed by 19 zeroes.
A man is using mitti attar on a clay pot in front of a fire.
In Kannauj, perfumers have been making monsoon-infused mitti attar for centuries.
A comparison of two rice plants focusing on their immunity.
The technology could yield "made-to-order resistance genes" to protect crops against pathogens and pests.
A tooth and a piece of wood juxtaposed in an unsettling manner.
A 1.5-million-year-old hominin bone shows signs that the victim was eaten by lions — and humans.
A faint, grayscale image of a classical statue’s face with soft features and minimal details visible against a plain background.
4mins
How do “you” emerge from a collection of cells? A biologist explains.
A man in a suit and tie is pointing to a quantum computer.
11mins
Theoretical physics professor Michio Kaku outlines the evolution of computers from analog to digital and introduces quantum computers as the next frontier.
standard model structure
Some constants, like the speed of light, exist with no underlying explanation. How many "fundamental constants" does our Universe require?
A woman poses in front of the letter x in a black and white photo.
The use of the letter x as an unknown is a relatively modern convention.
A man exploring quantum computing in a room with red lights.
Nature may not allow us full access to the weirdness of quantum mechanics.