Despite representing only 4% of the world’s population[1], the United States accounts for over half of science Nobel Prizes[2] awarded since 2000, hosts seven of The Times Higher Education Top 10 science universities[3], and incubates firms such as Alphabet (Google)[4], Meta[5] and Pfizer[6] that turn federally funded discoveries into...
Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast
Astronomers manning an asteroid warning system[1] caught a glimpse of a large, bright object zipping through the solar system late on July 1, 2025[2]. The object’s potentially interstellar origins excited scientists across the globe, and the next morning, the European Space Agency confirmed[3] that this object, first named A11pl3Z and then...
From glass and steel to rare earth metals, new materials have changed society throughout history
Many modern devices – from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines – rely on strong magnets made from a type of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and the United States has moved toward renewable energy, accessing these minerals has become critical...
Humans and animals can both think logically − but testing what kind of logic they’re using is tricky
Can a monkey, a pigeon or a fish reason like a person? It’s a question scientists have been testing in increasingly creative ways – and what we’ve found so far paints a more complicated picture than you’d think.
Imagine you’re filling out a March Madness bracket. You hear that Team A beat Team B, and Team B beat Team C – so...