In recent years, machines have grown increasingly capable of listening, communicating, and learning—transforming the way they collaborate with us, and significantly impacting our economy, health, and daily routines. Who, or what, are these thinking machines? As we teach them to become more sophisticated, how will they complement our lives?

Every successful scientist seems to have a “once in a blue moon” discovery during his or her lifework: an accident or epiphany that unexpectedly leads to a serendipitous breakthrough. Geneticist …

Recent breakthroughs in dating ancient samples of DNA and human remains have led to a radical reassessment of human origins. At least ten other early human groups–some with the cognitive capacity to make …

Probability is the backbone of science, but how well do you understand it? Odds are, not as well as you think; it is a surprisingly subtle concept that is often misunderstood, sometimes even by professionals who use it to guide crucial and far-reaching decisions.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, we examine its essential insights, its lingering questions, the latest work it has sparked, and the allied fields of research that have resulted.

Amber Straughn brings you on her journey from the big sky of her hometown in Arkansas to studying astrophysics at NASA and demonstrates the infrared technology that will be crucial …