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A braided stream, not a family tree: How new evidence upends our understanding of how humans evolvedEvidence is mounting that the evolution of our species is more convoluted than we imagined — more like a braided stream than a branching tree.
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AI is entering an 'unprecedented regime.' Should we stop it — and can we — before it destroys us?The technological singularity — the point at which artificial general intelligence surpasses human intelligence — is coming. But will it usher in humanity's salvation, or lead to its downfall?
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Earth's magnetic field is weakening — magnetic crystals from lost civilizations could hold the key to understanding whyArtifacts from the Iron Age have revealed an intense historical magnetic anomaly in the Middle East. Could using a similar approach elsewhere help us unravel the mysteries of Earth's magnetic field?
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'No radio astronomy from the ground would be possible anymore': Satellite mega-swarms are blinding us to the cosmos — and a critical 'inflection point' is approachingInvisible radiation leaking out of private satellites, like SpaceX's Starlink spacecraft, is disrupting radio astronomers' ability to detect important signals from across the universe. If left unchecked, we could reach an "inflection point" beyond which we can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.
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'If it was a man, we would say that's a warrior's grave': Weapon-filled burials are shaking up what we know about women's role in Viking societyNew research is finding that some women in Viking Age Scandinavia were buried with war-grade weapons. Experts are divided about what that means.
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Atlantic ocean currents are weakening — and it could make the climate in some regions unrecognizableA cold blob of water in the North Atlantic is an ominous sign that a system of currents that regulate the planet's climate could be weakening.
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A long-lost ice sheet could predict the future of New York City — one in which Lower Manhattan and Coney Island are 'perpetually submerged'Scientists are rethinking what we knew about a vanished ice sheet — and that could spell trouble for New York City.
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Is there really a difference between male and female brains? Emerging science is revealing the answer.Feature Brain scans, postmortem dissections, artificial intelligence and lab mice reveal differences in the brain that are linked to sex. Do we know what they mean?
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Invisible DNA lurks everywhere in the environment — and we're on the verge of decoding its secretsFeature Environments are littered with the DNA of the creatures that inhabit them. Analyzing it could provide a real-time view of how our planet is changing.
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