Science

Trust Fall

A New Study Details How Cats Almost Always Land on Their Feet

The secret to this acrobatic skill lies in an extremely flexible part of the spine that allows cats to twist in the air and land safely.

Dot Physics

You Can Approximate Pi by Dropping Needles on the Floor

Breakthroughs

Japan Approves the World’s First Treatment Made With Reprogrammed Human Cells

Health

The Shingles Virus May Be Aging You More Quickly

Evidence suggests reactivations of the varicella-zoster virus may accelerate aging and raise dementia risk. Now scientists want to know if vaccines and antivirals could help protect the brain.

The South Carolina Measles Outbreak Is Slowing Down

The biggest US measles outbreak in decades may be over sooner than expected.

Technology Is Reshaping Sleep Apnea Treatment

For decades, cumbersome CPAP machines have been the primary way to help people with sleep apnea. A range of new options has recently come into focus.

Why RFK’s CDC Is Endorsing ‘Shared Decisionmaking’ for Vaccines

The MAHA movement is recasting the term—developed in the 1980s to help protect patients against paternalistic medicine—in service of its own agenda.

Environment

Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers

The Middle East supplies a huge amount of the world’s fertilizer. Conflict in the region has sent prices soaring ahead of the critical spring planting season.

The Last Mystery of Antarctica’s ‘Blood Falls’ Has Finally Been Solved

New research sheds light on what drives reddish water to emerge from underground to pour onto the Taylor Glacier.

A North Atlantic Right Whale Baby Boom Is On—but the Species Remains at Risk

Researchers have documented the births of nearly two dozen North Atlantic right whale calves this season. It’s an encouraging sign for a species whose population is estimated to be below 400.

‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool

This is the first recorded instance of a bovine using tools from her environment to relieve an itch—leaving scientists astonished.

Climate

The US Had a Big Battery Boom Last Year

Despite Donald Trump’s unrelenting attacks on renewable energy, there’s a quiet revolution happening on US grids.

Could AI Data Centers Be Moved to Outer Space?

Massive data centers for generative AI are bad for the Earth. How about launching them into orbit?

Big Tech Says Generative AI Will Save the Planet. It Doesn’t Offer Much Proof

A new report finds that of 154 specific claims about how AI will benefit the climate, just a quarter cited academic research. A third included no evidence at all.

Record Low Snow in the West Will Mean Less Water, More Fire, and Political Chaos

Snowpack levels across a wide swath of western US states are among the lowest seen in decades, even as regulators struggle to negotiate water rights in the region.

Energy

War in Iran Spiked Oil Prices. Trump Will Decide How High They Go

The conflict in the Middle East is driving oil prices up in a midterm year when Americans are already focused on high energy bills.

The Data Centers Have Arrived at the Edge of the Arctic Circle

As AI labs gorge themselves on compute, data center operators have headed north in search of cheap and plentiful energy.

The Nothing That Has the Potential to Be Anything

You can never truly empty a box. Why? Zero-point energy.

New York Is the Latest State to Consider a Data Center Pause

Red and blue states alike have introduced legislation in recent weeks that would halt data center development, citing concerns from climate to high energy prices.

Space

Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas Has Another Surprise: It’s Full of Alcohol

Analysis of the tail of 3I/Atlas reveals that it contains an anomalous proportion of methanol, a class of alcohol used in fuels.

Don’t Expect Big Surprises in the Government’s Alien Files

Donald Trump has ordered the release of files related to aliens, UAP, and UFOs. If previous disclosures are any indication, get ready for a letdown.

NASA Is Making Big Changes to Speed Up the Artemis Program

America’s journey back to the moon has run into a few missteps. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman is banking on a new approach.

This Is the Worst Thing That Could Happen to the International Space Station

There’s a good way to throw out the ISS. And then there’s a really bad way.

Physics and Math

How Can a Locomotive Pull a Long Train That’s Much Heavier?

For railroads, it’s all about managing static and kinetic friction.

Two Titanic Structures Hidden Deep Within the Earth Have Altered the Magnetic Field for Millions of Years

A team of geologists found for the first time evidence linking regions of low seismic velocity and the shape of the Earth’s magnetic field.

How to Use Physics to Escape an Ice Bowl

Here are three smart tricks, based on an understanding of frictional forces, to beat a slippery slope.

How Does the Hive Mind Work in Pluribus?

The “Joining” seems to connect people via radio waves. Let’s dig into the physics at play.

Biotech

What It’s Like to Have a Brain Implant for 5 Years

No one has had a Synchron brain-computer interface longer than Rodney Gorham. He’s still finding new ways to use it.

This Chinese Startup Wants to Build a New Brain-Computer Interface—No Implant Required

Gestala is the latest company to emerge from China’s burgeoning brain-computer interface industry. It plans to access the brain with noninvasive ultrasound technology.

He Went to Prison for Gene-Editing Babies. Now He’s Planning to Do It Again

Chinese scientist He Jiankui wants to end Alzheimer’s and thinks Silicon Valley is conducting a “Nazi eugenic experiment.”

OpenAI Invests in Sam Altman’s New Brain-Tech Startup Merge Labs

Merge Labs has emerged from stealth with $252 million in funding from OpenAI and others. It aims to use ultrasound to read from and write to the brain.

Psychology and Neuroscience

Study of Buddhist Monks Finds Meditation Alters Brain Activity

Meditation isn’t thinking about nothing. New research reinforces that it’s a mind-altering, dynamic state that promotes focus, learning, and well-being.