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How Top Trump Officials Stoked Fears of a Nuke That Could Fry the Power Grid

WILLIAM J. BROAD

For more than a decade, conservative activists held that a single atomic bomb could, without killing Americans directly, lay waste to the country — a claim that built fervor for war with Iran.

NIH appears to shut down public comments on science peer-review rule change ahead of schedule

The proposed change to how the National Institutes of Health handles grant applications has been criticized by scientists as reducing transparency

Microplastics are linked to inflammation—scientists might have finally worked out why

Microplastics interact with water to create highly reactive molecules, a new study finds

New ‘First Proof’ exam reveals how AI-powered math is a pay-to-play sport

The benchmark confirms that some AIs are becoming exceptional tools for research-level math. But open-source models still struggle

They Created a Cell That’s Almost Alive. What to Do With It Now?

CARL ZIMMER

SpudCells may one day produce new medicines and materials. But first scientists have to improve them — and make sure they aren’t misused.

Bleached Coral Rebounded After Touching Healthy Coral, Study Finds

RAYMOND ZHONG

After sick corals were placed in direct contact with healthy ones of the same genetic make-up, they recovered at “incredible” speed, scientists found.

Honeybees deemphasize potential ‘misinformation’ in their waggle dances

Confident bees work harder to convince their peers of tasty treats

Anthropic’s AI worm research raises new fears about smart device security

Researchers explored how AI could spread through everyday gadgets. But cybersecurity experts have seen these tricks before

What would it take to terraform Mars? Erika DeBenedictis has ideas

The CEO of Pioneer Labs, a biotech startup developing Mars-adapted microbes, is on a quest to make alien worlds nice places to live

Scientists vote to end leap seconds, redefining how the world keeps time

A new system, called the "leap hour," will allow the Earth's rotation and official time to fall out of alignment by a full hour

There’s Worlds Out There More Habitable Than Earth

NATALIE WOLCHOVER

Scientists believe there are planets outside our solar system where life is even more abundant and sustainable.

Inside the Plague Research Labs at the Heart of a Russian Mystery

K. R. CALLAWAY

A Russian researcher, who died from an unknown illness, worked at a remote anti-plague facility. Few foreigners have visited these labs, which dot the former Soviet states, and are shrouded in secrecy.

Can AI break encryption? OpenAI’s new math has cryptographers divided

OpenAI's bumper crop of 722 math papers wowed and worried the research community—and cryptographers are split over whether the algorithms that protect our texts and bank log-ins are next

Scientists discover an ancient shipwreck dating to when the Great Pyramid was built

The wreck was found with relatively intact cargo on the seabed off the coast of Türkiye and is believed to be between 4,400 and 4,700 years old

Google’s quantum Willow chip may be able to grow ‘magic states’

The work could help improve quantum computers' accuracy in complex calculations