A new explanation for the solar system's radioactive elements suggests Earth-like planets might be found orbiting up to 50 per cent of sun-like stars
Urban populations in southern Britain experienced a decline in health that lasted for generations after the Romans arrived
The world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide is on the cusp of a turning point that could herald the beginning of a global decline in fossil fuel use
This Changes Everything columnist Annalee Newitz on how AI-generated content went mainstream in 2025
Biologists poured cold water on Colossal Biosciences’ claim to have brought the dire wolf back from extinction, and some worry the overblown headlines will undermine conservation work
Our visual highlights from the animal world this year include a mouse caring for its companion, dolphins communicating in an unexpected way and a colossal squid caught on camera for the first time
Big AI firms have built their models by hoovering up copyrighted material from the internet as training data. They say this is legal, but copyright holders disagree - and this year they hit back in a major way
The first Denisovan skull, an ancient hunter’s toolkit and a Roman man’s brain that has turned to glass: here are our picks of the year’s most striking findings about prehistoric humans
Scientists found a way to let people perceive an intense blue-green hue unlike anything they had seen before – and the technique could help people with colour blindness
The Trump administration has targeted everything from public health to space missions for funding cuts, bringing an end to the longstanding US policy of scientific pursuits as a path towards progress and economic prosperity
A bizarre Christmas dinner invitation, some mysterious carol singers and even a spot of charades. Can you solve all 12 of our unique festive riddles?
We knew that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy did more than just help control type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss, but the extent of that potential really came to light in 2025
Three thought experiments involving “demons” have haunted physics for centuries. What should we make of them today?
A building-sized asteroid had a 1-in-32 chance of hitting Earth at its peak, but astronomers soon found there was zero chance of it impacting the planet
Though there were setbacks on climate change and funding for science this year, there was still plenty of amazing discoveries to marvel at
There are a host of celestial events to get excited about next year – including a total solar eclipse. Abigail Beall is lining up her calendar
Scientist and photographer Felice Frankel has zoomed in on everyday occurrences with her camera for her new book, Phenomenal Moments, which reveals the hidden science in our daily lives
Neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson on how she discovered a host of evidence-based ways to keep her brain healthier in 2026
Feedback has spent some time sifting through 2025's key scientific achievements to come up with a range of weird and wonderful (and less wonderful) winners for our inaugural Backsies awards
Our gut microbiome has a huge influence on our overall health, but we haven't been clear on the specific bacteria with good versus bad effects. Now, a study of more than 34,000 people is shedding light on what a healthy gut microbiome actually consists of
From a particle smasher encircling the moon to an “impossible” laser, five scientists reveal the experiments they would run in a world powered purely by imagination
The rollout of a type of genetic technology called a gene drive for tackling malaria could be edging closer after a lab study supports its success
An excavation in Suffolk, UK, has uncovered pyrite and flint that appear to have been used by ancient humans to light fires some 400,000 years ago
Stormgate Press, publisher of Captain Hawklin and Pulp Reality, has put out the third wave in their series of Stormgate Press Quick Read Books with three new books. All are written by Charles F. Millhouse, who is the man behind Stormgate Press.
From bonobos and rats to tickling robots, research is finally cracking the secrets of why we’re ticklish, and what that reveals about our brains
As Australian teenagers lose access to social media, observers say there are still many unknown questions about the ban, which came into force on 10 December
For centuries, Europeans thought that eternal daylight saturated the cosmos. The shift to a dark universe has had a profound psychological impact upon us
New evidence suggests that alcohol was a surprisingly big motivator in our monumental transition from hunting and gathering to farming – but was beer really more important to us than bread?
Skin fossils from a sauropod dinosaur examined with an electron microscope feature structures called melanosomes, which are similar to those that create the bright colours in birds' feathers
From an incredible series of revelations about the ancient humans called Denisovans to surprising discoveries about tool making, this year has given us a clearer picture of how and why humans evolved to be so different from other primates
Scientists were amazed to discover a 507-year-old clam that was already 100 in Shakespeare’s day, but why did it live so long and what can we learn from it?
Excavations of a workshop that was buried in Pompeii almost 2000 years ago have given archaeologists unique insights into Roman construction techniques and the longevity of the empire’s concrete
Our writers and contributors have chosen their favourite ever science-y books, films, TV shows, music, video games, board games and more to see you through the festive period
The time of day that cancer drugs are administered could make a big difference to a patient's outcomes, and would be a relatively simple intervention to roll out
How a Finnish physicist named Karl Lemström once became obsessed with recreating the aurora borealis from scratch – and may have ended up creating something even more intriguing
From machine learning to voting, the workings of the world demand randomisation, but true sources of randomness are surprisingly hard to find. Now quantum mechanics has supplied the answer
Mean temperatures this year approached 1.5°C above the preindustrial average, making it the second hottest year after 2024
Some of the elements used by living systems are far more abundant in Cassiopeia A than we thought, hinting that some parts of our galaxy might be more suitable for life than others
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At the end of November, NVIDIA put out an internal memo (that was
Screen time has been linked to all sorts of problems, from depression and obesity to poor sleep. But how worried should you really be? Jacob Aron sifts through the evidence
A hybrid grolar bear saga is unfolding in the Arctic, and the tale of this strange family has much to tell us about nature on our changing planet
My latest, as published in TIME.
Many creators often have several characters they have created, but usually have one that overshadows all the rest. This is true for many, including Robert E. Howard (1906–36), a pulp writer who is credited as the father of sword & sorcery.
The idea that we might be living in a simulated reality has worried us for centuries. Now physicists have found some tantalising clues – and devised an experiment that might reveal the truth
One of the difficult things about describing a grift, or at least what became
a grift, is judging the sincerity with which the whole thing started. Scams
often crystallize around a kernel of truth: genuinely good intentions that
start rolling down the hill to profitability and end up crashing through every
solid object along the way.
The 'new' national security strategy is the admission of defeat from a declining country
A recording of my latest Q+A with subscribers
The West's decision to give up interventions has created a new trend
[Editor's Note: this piece previously said "Blackstone" instead of "Blackrock," which has now been fixed.]
I've been struggling to think about what to write this week, if only because I've written so much recently and because, if I'm
A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis.
Yes it's eager. Yes it's censorious. But it has the very considerable advantage of not being fascist.
After too long, we finally get the second Doc Atlas volume from Airship 27. Doc Atlas was created by Michael A. Black and Ray Lovato as a clear homage to Doc Savage. I have posted on him before, but Airship 27 teamed up with the authors to reprint all the stories in a consistent set […]
My most recent projects and publications
We have long struggled to determine how the first living organisms on Earth came together. Now, surprising evidence hints that poorly understood prions may have been the vital missing ingredient
I obtained a new work on Solomon Kane by Fred Blosser: The Solomon Kane Companion. It’s a new addition to his “Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard” series from Pulp Hero Press. This brings this series to six volumes.
Populism has damaged the economy. And to fix the economy, you have to damage populism.
Populism has damaged the economy. And to fix the economy, you have to damage populism.
This piece has a generous 3000+ word introduction, because I want as many people to understand NVIDIA as possible. The (thousands of) words after the premium break get into arduous detail, but I’ve written this so that, ideally, most people can pick up the details early on and
Quantum theory fails to explain how the reality we experience emerges from the world of particles. A new take on quantum cause and effect could bridge the gap
The Putin-Trump surrender plan will lay the groundwork for Russia to expand its attacks on other parts of Europe
And that pivot does not serve American national interests.
I have at least a few readers for which the sound of a man's voice saying
"government cell phone detected" will elicit a palpable reaction. In
Department of Energy facilities across the country, incidences of employees
accidentally carrying phones into secure areas are reduced through a sort of
automated nagging.
People voted for Starmer because they wanted grown-up government. He should respect the mandate.
People voted for grown ups. Starmer should respect the mandate.
