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

A huge explosion of flame, smoke and showering sparks.

A huge explosion of flame, smoke and showering sparks.

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

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

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

Christian B. Miller, Wake Forest University

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.

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

Sanaa El-Sayed, University of Michigan

An illustration of Ben Franklin overlaid on vintage illustrations.

An illustration of Ben Franklin overlaid on vintage illustrations.

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

Khachatur Manukyan, University of Notre Dame

From oversight to coercion: How authoritarian governments are twisting AI safety to get tech companies to fall in line

Michael Gregory, Clemson University

a seated smiling older man in a business suit holds up a document

a seated smiling older man in a business suit holds up a document

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

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.

Powerful AI is making facial recognition better at identifying you

Vijayan Asari, University of Dayton

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.

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

Dr. ChatGPT is getting remarkably good at diagnosing health problems - but actual doctors are still better at weighing treatment options

Andrew Parsons, University of Virginia

A phone with several AI apps in a folder labeled AI

A phone with several AI apps in a folder labeled AI

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

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Space

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

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

Gideon Yoffe, Weizmann Institute of Science

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

SpaceX is poised to go public and test the latest version of its massive Starship rocket amidst criticism about its environmental impact

Scott Solomon, Rice University

A rocket launching, with a plume of smoke and flame coming from below it and palm trees nearby.

A rocket launching, with a plume of smoke and flame coming from below it and palm trees nearby.

Solar activity follows an 11-year cycle – here’s how it controls eruptions and solar flares

Yeimy J. Rivera, Smithsonian Institution

A photo of the Sun's surface

A photo of the Sun's surface

Will future missions to the Moon be sustainable? It may depend on whom you ask

Marco A. Janssen, Arizona State University; Afreen Siddiqi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Parvathy Prem, Johns Hopkins University

The Earth shown in space from behind the Moon. Only a sliver of the Earth's surface is visible -- the rest of it is shadowed.

The Earth shown in space from behind the Moon. Only a sliver of the Earth's surface is visible -- the rest of it is shadowed.

More articles about space

Digital life

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

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

Sandra Matz, Columbia University

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

Should AIs be required to report a human user contemplating violence?

Anat Lior, Drexel University

A group of young people, some holding flowers, stand in front of a collection of flowers on the ground

A group of young people, some holding flowers, stand in front of a collection of flowers on the ground

Dark patterns on the web are designed to manipulate you – why aren’t they all illegal?

Gregory M. Dickinson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Institute for Humane Studies

an older woman wearing glasses has one hand on her forehead as she looks at a laptop screen

an older woman wearing glasses has one hand on her forehead as she looks at a laptop screen

AI interviewers can’t connect with people the way human researchers can – they can produce only data, not meaning

Kelley Cotter, Penn State; Ankolika De, Penn State, and Priya C. Kumar, Penn State

Person standing amid an array of glowing text bubbles, back to camera, against a neon magenta background

Person standing amid an array of glowing text bubbles, back to camera, against a neon magenta background

More articles about artificial intelligence

New research

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

How a shifting Nile landscape shaped the rise of the ancient empire of Kush in Sudan

Geoff Emberling, University of Michigan

A flat mesa rises out of sandy ground with river flowing in the distance

A flat mesa rises out of sandy ground with river flowing in the distance

Teens aren’t as disengaged as you may think: What adults get wrong about adolescents’ civic contributions

Kimia Shirzad, Penn State and Jen Agans, Penn State

One boy puts his hand on the shoulder of another as they work together at a table

One boy puts his hand on the shoulder of another as they work together at a table

Galaxies of life are collecting dust in museums – digitizing microscope slides can uncover billions of fossils for natural history

Ingrid C. Romero, Smithsonian Institution and Scott L. Wing, Smithsonian Institution

Two stacked program windows, the top of a mosaic of golden yellow and amber circles converging towards a center, and the bottom a specimen resembling a shoulder blade next to an excerpt from a written description

Two stacked program windows, the top of a mosaic of golden yellow and amber circles converging towards a center, and the bottom a specimen resembling a shoulder blade next to an excerpt from a written description

Biological age tests reveal what slows or hastens aging – but they’re useful only for researchers, not consumers

Idan Shalev, Penn State and Abner Apsley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Two chains of clocks and dollar signs twisted in a double helix shape

Two chains of clocks and dollar signs twisted in a double helix shape

Tapping your genome with AI and quantum computing could deliver on the promise of personalized medicine – but practical and ethical hurdles remain

Gary Skuse, Rochester Institute of Technology and Sherry Dadgar, George Washington University

Illustration of twisting ribbon composed of digital particles against a purple-blue gradient backdrop

Illustration of twisting ribbon composed of digital particles against a purple-blue gradient backdrop

Placebo effect can work as well as real medicine – but your body may need permission to use it

Phil Starks, Tufts University

Hand holding empty pill capsules

Hand holding empty pill capsules

It’s a myth that baby boys are less social than girls – a new look at decades of research shows all babies are born to connect

Lise Eliot, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Elevated view of two babies, one in pink hat, one in navy blue, lying on backs facing opposite directions

Elevated view of two babies, one in pink hat, one in navy blue, lying on backs facing opposite directions

Brain and mind

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

You can change your emotions – but it’s a 2-step process that takes some effort

Christian Waugh, Wake Forest University

Businesswoman at a table with laptop has closed eyes and holding fingers to her forehead

Businesswoman at a table with laptop has closed eyes and holding fingers to her forehead

How does your brain decide between the road not taken or the same old route? Resolving conflicting memories is key to navigation

Paulina Maxim, Georgia Institute of Technology

Illustration of person standing in the middle of a maze with arrows drawn on the walls

Illustration of person standing in the middle of a maze with arrows drawn on the walls

More articles about psychology

Curious Kids

Real kids ask real questions and real experts answer them

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.

What happens to debt when someone dies?

James Malm, College of Charleston

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

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?'

What are those orange balls on some power lines?

Rui Bo, Missouri University of Science and Technology

power lines with orange and white balls on them stretch from a tower with blue sky in background

power lines with orange and white balls on them stretch from a tower with blue sky in background

Why did Tyrannosaurus rex have such short arms?

Sarah Sheffield, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Artist's rendition side view of a T. rex dinosaur baring its large teeth.

Artist's rendition side view of a T. rex dinosaur baring its large teeth.

More Curious Kids articles

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