The mysteries of dark matter and dark energy may be evidence that we don’t fully understand the force of gravity. But when it comes to a force that has been studied mathematically and probed observationally for hundreds of years, what do we still need to learn?

Visual illusions, from magic tricks to images that have sparked internet feuds, are providing scientists with evolving insight into the complex act of seeing. Illusions play with the way our …

What’s the most complex structure in the known universe? Hint: You’re using it right now to answer to this question. While you keep brainstorming, let’s discuss your cerebral cortex. This …

How fast is the universe expanding? Two prominent approaches are finding different answers, propelling cosmology toward a crisis. Wendy Freedman, a renowned astronomer who has spent decades seeking the expansion …

A universe that continually expands has long been the dominant cosmological framework. But a universe that undergoes cycles of expansion and contraction, perhaps for all time, has recently been analyzed …

It’s an old question: What is consciousness? Today, sophisticated brain imaging technologies, clinical studies, as well as the newfound ability to listen to the whisper of even an individual nerve cell, are bringing scientists closer than ever to the neurobiological basis of consciousness.