The neocortex of our brain is the seat of our intellect. New data suggests that mammals created it with new types of cells that they developed only after their evolutionary split from reptiles.

Large language models still struggle with basic reasoning tasks. Two new papers that apply machine learning to math provide a blueprint for how that could change.

Mathematicians have struggled to understand the moduli space of graphs. A new paper uses tools from physics to peek inside.

“Virovores” — organisms that survive and multiply by eating viruses — might influence the flow of energy through ecosystems.

The quantum energy teleportation protocol was proposed in 2008 and largely ignored. Now two independent experiments have shown that it works.

Big Freeze, Big Rip, Big Crunch, Bounce or vacuum decay? Steven Strogatz speaks with theoretical cosmologist Katie Mack about the five ways that scientists think the universe could come to an end.

Several real-life pathogens can change a host’s behavior against their will. Here’s what we know about these zombie-like infections.

There appear to be too many gamma rays coming from the sun. New higher-energy measurements reveal that this excess continues for a bit, then disappears — a cutoff that could help clarify what’s going on.

Feelings of loneliness prompt changes in the brain that further isolate people from social contact.

Lek-Heng Lim uses tools from algebra, geometry and topology to answer questions in machine learning.

Cryptographers have shown how perfect security can undermine machine learning models.

Explore a universe of numbers and arithmetic in our new interactive math game, Hyperjumps!

By replacing thousands of equations with just one, ecology modelers can more accurately assess how close fragile environments are to a disastrous “tipping point.”

New calculations suggest that the event horizons around black holes will ‘decohere’ quantum possibilities — even those that are far away.

A paper in Nature reports the discovery of a superconductor that operates at room temperatures and near-room pressures. The claim has divided the research community.

By genetically instructing cells to perform tasks that they wouldn’t in nature, synthetic biologists can learn deep secrets about how life works. Steven Strogatz discusses the potential of this young field with researcher Michael Elowitz.

Using “refreshingly old” tools, mathematicians resolved a 50-year-old conjecture about how to categorize important functions called modular forms, with consequences for number theory and theoretical physics.

Arvind Narayanan uses quantitative methods to expose and correct the misuse of quantitative methods.

Cosmologists are using secondary signatures from the cosmic microwave background to map the universe’s hidden matter.

The most comprehensive survey of how we share our microbiomes suggests a new way of thinking about the risks of developing some diseases that aren’t usually considered contagious.

In a recent paper, two mathematicians showed that a particular pattern is unavoidable when fractions are categorized.