Science

Yes, there was a case in Siberia, which is bound to cause alarm. But the real reason is why a Russian lab is studying the plague in the first place

Back in the 1990s, the scientist Peter Shor devised a quantum computer algorithm that could undermine almost all digital security. Has its time come?

A company is offering a service that lets parents select the embryo they find most genetically acceptable. If you think this sounds sinister, that’s because it is

Physicist Carlo Rovelli’s new book says quantum mechanics has demolished one of our most basic assumptions about the world we live in

It sounds like a grotesque idea, and also a morally dubious one. What does a group of scientists at Stanford hope to achieve?

It’s going to turn us all into paperclips, and wages will become a thing of the past – as will water. Here’s how they really see the future of AI

Forget the idea of major breakthroughs by a lone genius – the truth is always much messier

And this one really is a big deal – although, as with everything connected with the new technology, it comes with a healthy side-order of controversy

The equations say that something has to be holding all these galaxies together, or they’d just fly apart. That’s dark matter – has a new experiment finally found it?

Those defending Jason Arday’s accuser consider themselves to be politically neutral defenders of academic values. They are deluded

Trump knows nothing about science, and neither does his health secretary RFK Jr. Both are paranoid fantasists with no grasp of the facts – it could prove deadly

It was once a great search engine. But then along came AI, and that was that

The White House’s chief medical adviser was not perfect during Covid, but science must resist his persecution by conspiracy-deranged Republicans

The bottled water industry is booming - but that says as much about anxiety as it does hydration

It was an observatory so successful that the Soviets tried to assassinate its head scientist. If the government closes it now, it will complete the KGB’s work

New DNA evidence cannot settle the centuries-old debate – in fact it adds another twist to one of history’s greatest mysteries

Maupertuis developed a fundamental theory of nature, became a star, but then died forgotten and in shame. Where did it all go wrong?

Extraordinary new experiments suggest these remarkable insects may think and feel in ways we are only beginning to understand

A new threat assessment says the country’s water system faces a new, more troubling level of threat – the only answer is nationalisation

The problem is that it’s impossible to separate what a brain does from what it actually is

Typing on a keyboard is fast and convenient, but it puts your brain in neutral. Scientists have found that writing by hand can have very different effects

The Hayward Gallery’s new exhibition showcases artworks so black that they seem to undermine the very rules by which we perceive the world

Fresh analysis of dietary trials raises some awkward questions about UPFs and evidence-based science

Photographs of iron curtain research labs reveal the depth of communist ambition – and the fatal flaw buried within it

Steven Spielberg's new aliens movie arrives at the perfect moment for US conspiracy culture

The Gemini 7 mission was a reminder that for all the glamour of space flight, it’s important to get the small things right – and that includes the plumbing.

Victor Orbán waged a war on science so fierce that it amounted to a political attack on knowledge itself. Now he’s gone, Hungary’s scientific recovery is a lesson for the world

Jared Isaacman’s bid to restore Pluto’s planetary status looks less like science and more like populism in space

Decisions taken by the department he led to reduce aid to Africa have made the current Ebola outbreak worse. The total effect of what he did will be catastrophic

The curious history of language purists hating ‘mongrel’ words

The Conservative peer has assured Spectator readers that artificial intelligence is nothing to worry about - just like climate change

But just because the Facebook founder got it all wrong, that doesn’t mean others won’t be able to construct successful digital worlds. And if you want to see what that might look like, check out what the kids are up to