Technology
What a 5,700-Year-Old Piece of Gum Reveals About Its Chewer
From a wad of pitch less than an inch long, researchers have painted a detailed portrait of an ancient human—and added another layer...
The Largest Scientific Structure Ever Powers Up in Africa
When the Square Kilometre Array is complete, the telescope will scan the universe to probe some of science's deepest mysteries.
Nature Deserves Legal Rights—and the Power to Fight Back
If we want to forestall the worst of climate change, we need innovation not just in tech but in law, the rule sets that guide our...
An Early Flu Season, a *Flight Simulator* Revival, and...
Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.
This Year's Flu Season Is Off to a Weird (and Early) Start
According to the CDC's latest influenza update, both the timing and the strain are highly unusual.
Mathematician Terence Tao Cracks a ‘Dangerous’ Problem
Tao has made huge progress on the Collatz conjecture, a simple-seeming puzzle that has bedeviled hapless mathematicians for decades.
When a Mantis Shrimp Fights a Disco Clam, It Meets Its...
The mantis shrimp beats the hell out of almost anything it can get its hammers on. Except, that is, for the disco clam, which unleashes...
Utility Executives Kept Flint's Tainted Water a Secret
Email exchanges show senior employees and Flint officials knew the tap water was poisoned with lead months before the city alerted...
The Next Nuclear Plants Will Be Small, Svelte, and Safer
A new generation of reactors will start producing power in the next few years. They're comparatively tiny—and may be key to hitting...
Revolt\! Scientists Say They're Sick of Quantum Computing's...
A Twitter account called Quantum Bullshit Detector reflects some researchers' angst about overhyped claims and other troubling trends.
