Science & Tech

Adam Aleksic — aka the ‘Etymology Nerd’ — discusses how social media algorithms are transforming language

Philosophers, psychiatrist consider what we lose when we outsource struggle to AI

Scholars from business, economics, healthcare, policy offer insights into areas that deserve close look

Astrophysicists think mysterious ‘little red dots’ are generated from spinning dark matter, studying them may yield insights into evolution of universe

Researcher outlines vision for implants that could help patients reclaim vital connection with their surroundings

Chemist Richard Liu harnesses sunlight to trap greenhouse gases

New study identifies genetic, developmental shifts that resculpted pelvis, setting ancestors apart from other primates

Brain Science grants promote new approaches to treat the condition and discover underlying causes

Humans can track a handful of objects visually, but their imaginations can only handle one

Rodent study suggests different signaling ‘languages’ in parts of brain for learned skills, natural behaviors

Houghton exhibit looks at how punched cards — invented 300 years ago to streamline weaving — led to modern computing

Grant terminated at critical point of ambitious study following students for five years

Experts describe how rapid advances are transforming field and classroom and expanding idea of what’s possible — ‘sky’s the limit’

New study suggests what has long been considered innate aspect of human cognition may be more a matter of schooling

Neural study shows how evolution prepared two species to adopt different survival strategies to take advantage of native habitats

Experiment with synthetic self-assembling materials suggests how it all might have begun

Faculty detail scramble to save work and talented researchers, both those in labs and in pipeline

It may be getting smarter, but it’s not thinking like humans (yet), say experts

Parent emerged over 4,000 years ago in Siberia, farther east than many thought, then rapidly spread west

Harvard team argues oldest meteorite strike to Earth may be more recent, smaller than claimed; site may offer hints on asteroid craters, life on Mars

Research finds 18-million-year-old enamel proteins in mammal fossils, offering window into how prehistoric animals lived, evolved

Projects targeting heart health, data demands, quantum computing win Grid Accelerator awards

Elizabeth Spelke studies French testing data, finds no gender gap until instruction begins

David Ginty probes pleasure and pain to shed light on autism and other conditions 

Psychologists found OpenAI’s GPT-4o showing humanlike patterns of cognitive dissonance, sensitivity to free choice

Study finds some sea slugs consume algae, incorporate photosynthetic parts into their own bodies to keep producing nutrients

New finding underscores need to intervene before kids start school, say researchers

Vera Rubin, whose dark-matter discoveries changed astronomy and physics, gets her due with namesake observatory, commemorative quarter

New research reveals how the octopus uses arms to sense chemical clues from microbiomes

By 15 months, children can learn the names of objects they’ve never seen