Why Computer Scientists Need Magic 8 Ball-Like Oracles
Hypothetical devices that can quickly and accurately answer questions have become a powerful tool in computational complexity theory.Read More
Moon or Mars? The US Might Face a Tough Choice for Future Missions
Continuing the Artemis program and using its planned lunar space station as a staging post would be a more energy efficient but slower way to reach Mars, and it’s unlikely to be Elon Musk’s preference.Read More
RFK Jr.’s Organic Crusade Has Sparked a Weird Political Realignment
Eating organic is normally associated with tote-wielding liberals, but RFK Jr. is shifting the politics of food in unusual ways.Read More
The Federal Funding Freeze Will Cause Lasting Damage to Medical Research
Clinical trials may have to be scrapped, research applications will be pushed back, and unpaid researchers will quickly leave the sector—even if the Trump administration’s funding pause is only temporary.Read More
RFK Jr.’s Senate Testimony Is Haunted by His Track Record
During his confirmation hearings this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would promote vaccines as HHS secretary, despite a long history of promoting anti-vax positions.Read More
Washington, DC Plane Crash: Everything We Know So Far
Air traffic controllers asked Flight 5342 to switch runways when coming in to land. Black box recordings from the jet and the military helicopter it collided with will help reveal if this contributed to the accident.Read More
Trump’s Plan for Elon Musk to Bring the ‘Stranded’ Astronauts Home ASAP Is a Headache for NASA
Bringing forward the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams would leave just a single astronaut operating the US portion of the International Space Station.Read More
Federal Spending Freeze Threatens Ecosystems and Public Safety
A White House memo ordered a halt to federal assistance and a review to align spending with Donald Trump’s priorities. Many legal experts say the order is unconstitutional.Read More
This Blood Vessel Was Grown in a Lab With Real Human Cells
The FDA recently approved a bioengineered blood vessel, which becomes part of a patient’s body over time. It’s designed to help treat victims of traumatic injuries.Read More
Scientists Recreate the Conditions That Sparked Complex Life
Evolution was fueled by endosymbiosis, cellular alliances in which one microbe makes a permanent home inside another. For the first time, biologists made it happen in the lab.Read More