Alexander Grothendieck was a titan in his field, making deep connections that fuelled a revolution in mathematics, before giving it all up and disappearing. Jacob Aron explores what his work meant ...

As the nucleus splits, it also releases its neutrons. These neutrons bounce around at incredible speeds until some eventually collide with other nuclei. This sets off a chain reaction as each ...

For decades, scientists have observed, but been unable to explain, a phenomenon seen in some soft materials: When force is applied, these materials exhibit not one, but two spikes in energy ...

Real-world experiments and computer simulations support the controversial idea that the Moai statues on Rapa Nui were walked into place.

Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more ...

A new study suggests yet another theory for a possible extra planet in our solar system, likely of a size between Mercury and Earth. The authors dubbed it Planet Y.

For decades, the popular theory was bleak: the islanders, obsessed with their statues, supposedly deforested their island to move the moai using wooden rollers and sledges. This narrative, popularized ...

New data from the James Webb Space Telescope may solve a riddle from the universe’s beginnings. A compact, distant object called “The Cliff” appears to show that many of the mysterious “little red ...

At Scripps Institution of Oceanography, geophysicist Vashan Wright analyzed data from NASA’s InSight lander, co-authoring a 2024 study that found that liquid water may be stored deep beneath the ...

Join us as we provide analysis and commentary in the run up to the announcement of the biggest prize in chemistry ...

Usually, an ambigram takes me about an hour from the moment of tackling the challenge with crude pencil sketches until the final artistic product has been rendered in felt-tip pen, in full color. Here ...

Who would’ve thought that the worlds of Friends and The Big Bang Theory could actually collide, and make perfect sense while doing it? Imagine Sheldon Cooper awkwardly navigating through Central Perk ...