I n the past year, drone warfare in Ukraine has undergone a chilling transformation.

We can't predict or control them—but that doesn't matter

In a cosmic fireworks display, scientists observed two objects colliding around a bright star outside our solar system

Many shots seem to have “off-target” benefits, such as lowering the risk of dementia, studies have found

DM How do you define curvilinear? Curvilinear refers to anything that consists of, is bounded by, or characterized by curved lines rather than straight ones. The term combines the Latin roots curvus (meaning "bent" or "curved") and linea (meaning "line"). The concept appears across several domains, each with slightly different emphases: In geometry and mathematics , curvilinear describes shapes, paths, or coordinate systems based on curves. For instance, curvilinear motion

This documentary focuses on the propaganda surrounding the development and deployment of the atomic bomb and the journalism that sought to cut through it, with lessons for our own age of ascendant AI. Excerpt: " But it’s also a cautionary tale. “It has never been the habit of the scientists of this country or the policy of this government to withhold from the world scientific knowledge,” said President Harry S. Truman. That is something “Bombshell” establishes wasn’t true in

A biotech start-up says the ovaries may hold clues to aging — a finding that could reshape IVF while opening a frontier in women’s health.

Futurists disagree over how much the future lends itself to control and foreknowledge. Many focus too much on the grandiose. Excerpt: " If futurists really want to help everyday people, perhaps their goal should be to help us deal with our anxiety about the future rather than to simply predict what will happen. From this perspective, the most valuable section in Mr. Foster’s book recounts his first trip in a self-driving taxi. Mr. Foster was initially awestruck, but he soon f

Anti-science mysticism is enabling autocracy around the globe. Related

Reviewing Project 2025’s year of successes and shortcomings Related: The Trump Administration’s Most Paralyzing Blow to Science Related: How Social Security has gotten worse under Trump

DM What are your thoughts as "indispensability" as an applied construct within science? I see a critical epistemological mechanism at play. Declaring something "indispensable" can function as a powerful closure technique, potentially stifling alternative investigative pathways. The declaration of indispensability might represent an intellectual defense mechanism that prematurely constrains scientific imagination and exploratory thinking. The mechanism suggests an intriguing p

Science and philosophy explain why color is objectively real, even when people see the same shade differently. Related UII

The necessary technical advances are likely 15 to 20 years away, but research yields quick dividends.

Properly deciphering the branching pathways of evolution could unlock the history of every component of natural biology.

It’s not just okay for some things in life to be hard—it’s essential.

Scientists are redefining autism as a complex condition with multiple forms, challenging traditional notions.

Neuroscience isn’t dissolving philosophy’s hardest problems — it’s forcing us to rethink where they live. Excerpt: " Philosophers and scientists have always kept close company. Look back far enough, and it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Before we had instruments to measure reality, we had to reason our way into it, but that intellectual lineage is what eventually gave us the scientific method. As technology advanced and the scope for observation expanded,

In a year when the United States seemed more split than ever, Americans united in one way: We demanded results and we wanted them now.

Can the agency that invented modern drug development survive so many assaults on its reputation? A former FDA insider reads an 800-page book to find out.

By tracking brain activity as primates move freely in the wild, neuroethology could reshape what we think we know about our own minds. Excerpt: "If asked to describe what sets a cognitively complex species like humans apart from others, many would list specific behaviors, such as telling stories, creating art, planning for the future, or navigating complex social structures. Given that, you might expect that neuroscientists attempting to understand the advanced brain would s