Amid renewed calls to slow frontier AI, experts are considering what an emergency stop would entail—and who would decide when ...

Moser’s circle problem can be used to divide a pizza into one, two, four, eight, 16 or 31 slices. It’s a perfect example of ...

After an OpenAI model presented a possible solution to the Navier-Stokes problem, mathematicians are speculating about which ...

A high-ranking official announced yesterday that the U.S. military has deployed weapons into orbit to counter threats from ...

Experts say free lunch for every child improves academic performance. Whether it does is murky, according to a Scientific ...

These questions inspired our special package on “Impossible Questions,” which explores mysteries that are not just unsolved but potentially unsolvable. Scientific American spoke to Unexplainable host ...

After decades of hype, directed-energy weapons may offer the U.S. military a cheaper answer to the expensive problem of stopping drones ...

The possibly never-ending quest toward an explanation is the purview of a scientific field called Origins of Life, or OoL (a word that seems like it would be a good name for the first-ever organism).

The Bullet Cluster is nigh impossible to explain by modifying Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein’s theories of gravity. So are other recent observations, such as galaxies with anomalously slight or ...

Ever since humans recognized we have a limited lifespan, that knowledge has shaped our cultures, religions and philosophies. Although we make plans, pursue careers and behave as though we will live ...

But whether it comes from paprika additives or foraged greens, the pigment in the eggs you eat may still benefit your health. Xanthophylls such as lutein and zeaxanthin reach the retina and accumulate ...

The combined statistical significance of the datasets surpassed the threshold needed to claim a discovery. The Higgs boson was real. Celebratory cheers erupted down the corridor. “Everybody smiled ...