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AnalysisAI found a weakness in one of the world's most studied encryption systems — is your data under threat?No, AI hasn't cracked the encryption protecting your bank account. But experts say Anthropic's latest research could change how tomorrow's cryptography is tested.
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AnalysisHalf of the world's dams could be 'functionally inoperable' by 2060 from being flooded with sediment — and the American West is a major hotspotResearch shows a fifth of the world's reservoirs are currently at high risk of filling with sediment, creating a "ticking time bomb" that threatens lives and livelihoods.
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AnalysisDid fungi give mammals an evolutionary edge after the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit? New evidence revives a provocative hypothesisA revived hypothesis argues that a fungus-filled world after the Chicxulub asteroid impact may have given mammals an evolutionary edge. The idea could reshape how scientists think about mass extinctions, but it is still controversial.
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AnalysisCould we prevent dementia? A new trial may point the way.While much funding for dementia research goes toward treatments, some scientists want to reduce people's risk of developing the condition in the first place.
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AnalysisMilitary's testosterone screening program could lead to overtreatment and side effects, including impaired T productionThe U.S. Department of Defense plans to conduct regular testosterone screening of service members, but this practice is not recommended by professional medical organizations.
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Space ExplorationControversial startup's plan to 'sell sunlight' using giant mirrors in space would be 'catastrophic' and 'horrifying,' astronomers warnCalifornia-based startup Reflect Orbital aims to build a swarm of 4,000 giant mirrors in low Earth orbit to "sell sunlight" to customers at night. Experts warn that the mirrors could mess with telescopes, blind stargazers and impact the environment.
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PrimatesJane Goodall revolutionized animal research, but her work had some unintended consequences. Here's what we've learned from them.Following Jane Goodall's death, chimp experts explain how her early observations still influence our understanding of our ape cousins.
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Climate changeExtreme weather caused more than $100 billion in damage by June — smashing US recordsAfter damaging wildfires in LA, tornadoes and series of floods, the first six months of this year smashed multiple extreme weather records in the U.S., data show — and experts say this trend is likely to continue.
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Viruses, Infections & DiseaseAI can now be used to design brand-new viruses. Can we stop it from making the next devastating bioweapon?Scientists have used AI to design bacteriophages, or viruses that infect only bacteria. Does the prospect of designing viruses with AI pose threats to biosecurity?
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TechnologyScientific breakthrough leads to 'fluorescent biological qubit' — it could mean turning your cells into quantum sensorsFluorescent proteins can be turned into qubits within cells and could give us a deeper understanding of biology at the nanoscale level.
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NeuroscienceTiny 'brains' grown in the lab could become conscious and feel pain — and we're not readyLab-grown brain tissue is too simple to experience consciousness, but as innovation progresses, neuroscientists question whether it's time to revisit the ethics of this line of research.
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ElectronicsElectronics breakthrough means our devices may one day no longer emit waste heat, scientists sayA new "optoexcitonic switch" already achieves state-of-the-art performance over current electronics and could serve as the basis for classical and quantum computing devices capable of operating at room temperature.
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Artificial Intelligence'Extremely alarming': ChatGPT and Gemini respond to high-risk questions about suicide — including details around methodsResearchers have found that OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude can give direct responses to 'high-risk' questions about suicide. In Live Science's testing, ChatGPT and Gemini responded to even more extreme questions.
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WeatherForecasters predict La Niña conditions this fall: What to expectNOAA forecasts suggest we could experience La Niña conditions in the fall and early winter. However, this potential La Niña spell is unlikely to break records.
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