Science + Technology – The Conversation – new research, AI, space, psychology and more

An illustration of a black hole, which looks like a small black dot with bright dust and gas swirling around it and a jet of particles coming from its center.

An illustration of a black hole, which looks like a small black dot with bright dust and gas swirling around it and a jet of particles coming from its center.

What are supermassive black holes? Everything you need to know – and what astronomers are still learning – about these mysterious objects

Mary Ogborn, Penn State

a horizontal smartphone against a multicolor background

a horizontal smartphone against a multicolor background

What 20 million bans reveal about the strain on Wikipedia’s volunteers

Ryan McGrady, UMass Amherst

coqui frog with enlarged vocal sac

coqui frog with enlarged vocal sac

How young coquí frogs balance the competing demands of growth and fighting disease

Zuania Colón-Piñeiro, University of Florida; Ana V. Longo, University of Florida; Miguel A. Acevedo, University of Florida, and Nich W. Martin, University of Florida

three ships and a speedboat at sea

three ships and a speedboat at sea

From Hormuz to the cockpit: How warfare and criminal activity undermine GPS and the race to safeguard navigation

Zak Kassas, The Ohio State University

Hand of robot adjusting a microscope

Hand of robot adjusting a microscope

Anyone can fake a scientific image with AI, tricking even academic journals – and undermining trust in science

Nan Li, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A baseball player with cap on looks in the mirror and applies eye black.

A baseball player with cap on looks in the mirror and applies eye black.

Why do baseball players put a black mark under their eyes?

Adam Annaccone, University of Texas at Arlington

Quantum sensors could spot hidden damage in the thousands of US bridges rated ‘structurally deficient’

Alex Krasnok, Florida International University

A large bridge over water

A large bridge over water

The drawer problem: Why so many of us can’t let go of our old electronics, and what we can do about it

Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology; Payam Saeedi, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Stacey Watson, University of Waterloo

various old electronic devices in a drawer

various old electronic devices in a drawer

The Artemis III crew standing together in front of several flags and a NASA sign, wearing blue jumpsuits.

The Artemis III crew standing together in front of several flags and a NASA sign, wearing blue jumpsuits.

NASA announces its Artemis III crew, which will test important equipment and systems in Earth orbit and is testing public opinion

Margaret Landis, Arizona State University

Where nature draws the map – here are 5 ways to look at the US, without state boundaries

Stewart Edie, Smithsonian Institution and Torben Rick, Smithsonian Institution

Satellite view of North America showing forests, plains, deserts, mountains, lakes and coastlines, with geographic borders omitted.

Satellite view of North America showing forests, plains, deserts, mountains, lakes and coastlines, with geographic borders omitted.

Asteroid or comet? Meteor or meteorite? How to identify and classify the rocks you see streaking through the sky

Adam Lark, Hamilton College

Streaks of light cross the sky, with the Milky Way galaxy visible in the background.

Streaks of light cross the sky, with the Milky Way galaxy visible in the background.

Building data centers in space is an intriguing idea on paper, but major engineering challenges must be solved

Sven Bilén, Penn State and Wangda Zuo, Penn State

An illustration of a satellite with two large solar panels over Earth.

An illustration of a satellite with two large solar panels over Earth.

Sonic booms from meteors can release the energy of hundreds of tons of TNT – here’s how they work

Shawn Laatsch, University of Maine

A vapor trail of dust shown in the sky over a tree line.

A vapor trail of dust shown in the sky over a tree line.

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Space

A building with an observatory tower atop it under a starry sky showing the Milky Way galaxy.

A building with an observatory tower atop it under a starry sky showing the Milky Way galaxy.

Upcoming telescopes could shed light on dark matter – astronomers are looking for these ‘fingerprints’ of the elusive substance

Marco Ajello, Clemson University and Christopher Karwin, Clemson University

Methane rocket fuel is easier to handle and convenient but, as Blue Origin saw, it can be very explosive

Ryan C. Fortenberry, University of Mississippi

A huge explosion of flame, smoke and showering sparks.

A huge explosion of flame, smoke and showering sparks.

Blue Origin rocket exploded on launchpad, throwing the future of NASA’s Artemis program into question

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Air University

A rocket at a launchpad with the sunset in the background.

A rocket at a launchpad with the sunset in the background.

Scientists used a method from ecology to identify whether icy moons could hold conditions for life

Gideon Yoffe, Weizmann Institute of Science

A photo of a gray moon with a plume of light and material spraying upward into space from the surface

A photo of a gray moon with a plume of light and material spraying upward into space from the surface

Could aliens ever visit Earth? An aerospace scientist unpacks the challenges of interstellar spaceflight

Kai James, Georgia Institute of Technology

Lots of bright stars against the darkness of space

Lots of bright stars against the darkness of space

More articles about space

Digital life

two small windowless aircraft in the air with a tree line in the background

two small windowless aircraft in the air with a tree line in the background

Drone use poised to soar as FAA homes in on rule change allowing pilots to fly them out of sight

Agamemnon Crassidis, Rochester Institute of Technology

Powerful AI is making facial recognition better at identifying you

Vijayan Asari, University of Dayton

A man looks into a device with an aperture and green lights that illuminate his face.

A man looks into a device with an aperture and green lights that illuminate his face.

Your phone screen doesn’t have the same color range as the human eye – and AI widens the gap between digital images and the real thing

Douglas Goodwin, University of California, Los Angeles; California Institute of the Arts

An abstract image of clouds of different colors

An abstract image of clouds of different colors

Privacy isn’t dead – it’s just that tech companies have made it inconvenient

Sandra Matz, Columbia University

Close up of a privacy policy computer screen with a cursor arrow on the submit button

Close up of a privacy policy computer screen with a cursor arrow on the submit button

AI is replacing humans in responding to some surveys – but simulated opinions are not the same as public opinion

Ambuj Tewari, University of Michigan

Five yellow boxes, one with a checkmark in it

Five yellow boxes, one with a checkmark in it

More articles about artificial intelligence

New research

Killing cancer requires immune cells to infiltrate tumors’ hostile microenvironment – sugar shields can help them break in

Charles J. Dimitroff, Florida International University and Lee Seng Lau, Florida International University

Digital illustration of a hostile tumor microenvironment depicted as a dark, ruined alleyway. A blue-glowing CAR-T cell soldier attacks a red cancer cell while green galectin-3 (Gal-3) blobs are released from a “Gal-3 Nest” and spread through the environment; warning signs label the area as a “Cancer Zone” and “Immune Suppression.” A translucent blue glycan shield protects the CAR-T cell from an incoming Gal-3 molecule secreted by a cancer cell.

Digital illustration of a hostile tumor microenvironment depicted as a dark, ruined alleyway. A blue-glowing CAR-T cell soldier attacks a red cancer cell while green galectin-3 (Gal-3) blobs are released from a “Gal-3 Nest” and spread through the environment; warning signs label the area as a “Cancer Zone” and “Immune Suppression.” A translucent blue glycan shield protects the CAR-T cell from an incoming Gal-3 molecule secreted by a cancer cell.

Glucosamine supplements may speed memory loss from Alzheimer’s, new research shows

Ramon Sun, University of Florida

Different sized bottles of glucosamine/chondroiton on a supermarket shelf.

Different sized bottles of glucosamine/chondroiton on a supermarket shelf.

HIV enters the brain and doesn’t leave – paradoxically, drugs intended to reduce brain inflammation increase virus levels

Smita S. Iyer, University of Pittsburgh

Illustration of spiked virus particles rising toward a branched structure against a dark background

Illustration of spiked virus particles rising toward a branched structure against a dark background

Fossil fishes buried in the desert reveal a missing chapter in marine history

Sanaa El-Sayed, University of Michigan

A skeleton of a long, bony fish imprinted in rock, with a coin for scale.

A skeleton of a long, bony fish imprinted in rock, with a coin for scale.

We analyzed paper money printed by Ben Franklin to uncover his anti‑counterfeiting techniques and materials innovations

Khachatur Manukyan, University of Notre Dame

An illustration of Ben Franklin overlaid on vintage illustrations.

An illustration of Ben Franklin overlaid on vintage illustrations.

Breakthrough drug nearly doubles survival with advanced pancreatic cancer – an oncologist explains how daraxonrasib overcame an ‘undruggable’ disease

Christopher Lieu, University of Colorado Anschutz

Microscopy image of two pancreatic cancer cells, resembling an egg sunny side up with a long extension to another fibrous lump

Microscopy image of two pancreatic cancer cells, resembling an egg sunny side up with a long extension to another fibrous lump

PFAS leave fingerprints in your blood – researchers are figuring out how forever chemicals transform in your body to read these clues

Carrie McDonough, Carnegie Mellon University

Illustration of blood vessels with PFOA molecules floating amid red and white blood cells

Illustration of blood vessels with PFOA molecules floating amid red and white blood cells

Self-censorship, more stress, tougher recruiting – we asked US researchers how the Trump administration’s science policies have affected them

Eric Welch, Arizona State University and Timothy P. Johnson, University of Illinois Chicago

Lab coats on hooks outside a closed door to a lab

Lab coats on hooks outside a closed door to a lab

Brain and mind

Kids learn to bully from adults’ threats, manipulation and criticism – a child psychologist explains how parents can model better tactics

Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver

Displeased girl leans on table while man and woman have heated discussion in background

Displeased girl leans on table while man and woman have heated discussion in background

Eroding a virtue: AI trains people to expect instant answers – and that’s bad news for patience

Christian B. Miller, Wake Forest University

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

Is my brain wired to never see a ghost? A psychologist on three factors that make a paranormal experience more likely

Melissa Maffeo, Wake Forest University

Dark hallway with a shadowy light at the end

Dark hallway with a shadowy light at the end

How you map numbers in your mind isn’t universal, even among people who read the same language

Olga Lazareva, Drake University and Reggie Gazes, Bucknell University

Several rows of numerals 1 through 9 with 0 at the end

Several rows of numerals 1 through 9 with 0 at the end

More articles about psychology

Curious Kids

Real kids ask real questions and real experts answer them

statue of a sphinx

statue of a sphinx

Who was the first transgender person?

Ky Merkley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Nick Winters, Northwestern University

Can kids go to prison? A legal expert explains how young people can be tried and sentenced as adults

Jay Blitzman, Northeastern University

A judge in a black robe bangs a gavel on a desk.

A judge in a black robe bangs a gavel on a desk.

What happens to debt when someone dies?

James Malm, College of Charleston

A piggy bank stuffed with U.S. $20 bills has a post-it note stuck on the side that says IOU.

A piggy bank stuffed with U.S. $20 bills has a post-it note stuck on the side that says IOU.

Kids ask the questions. Scholars answer them.

Be sure to include your name, age and where you live. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Send in your question!

Graphic that says 'connecting experts with curious kids', with words in background saying 'how? why? who?'

Graphic that says 'connecting experts with curious kids', with words in background saying 'how? why? who?'

Why are buttons and zippers on different sides of men’s and women’s clothes?

JuYoung Lee, Mississippi State University and Caroline Kobia, Mississippi State University

Closeup view of a white button against blue-and-white striped textile

Closeup view of a white button against blue-and-white striped textile

More Curious Kids articles

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Trump’s AI security order acknowledges risks but stops short of regulating industry
Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University