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Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli painted Simonetta Vespucci as Venus rising from the waves. Now scientists think they’ve solved how she died

When the roads get crowded, many drivers start changing lanes. Mathematics suggests this intuition is typically wrong

Starship demonstrated key abilities on its path to becoming a fully reusable transport to take astronauts to the moon

This biodegradable textile is alive and can host engineered microbes that can change its color or add UV protection

After fatal crashes in which occupants or rescuers could not open Tesla doors, federal regulators are considering rules that would require obvious mechanical releases—but any new standard could take years

Thousands of people have gotten sick from Cyclospora. Experts can’t agree whether the end is in sight

The European continent is facing a dual reckoning this summer—extreme heat is killing thousands and draining its rivers, soils and reservoirs at a record pace

Joan Birman popularized the Burau representation problem decades ago. Now she and two colleagues have a proof that reveals brand new insights into the geometry of braids

Smell is one of the most complex and least understood senses

Using the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, astronomers are beginning the largest and deepest survey of the sky. What will they see?

Could sunlight actually improve your health? New research suggests we may need to rethink total sun avoidance

Thousands of shipping containers vanish every year—what becomes of them?

Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, or Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La in Persian, is part of a volcanic arc that formed tens of millions of years ago and is made of a tough-to-penetrate rock

The history of testicular transplants is long and often sordid, but this successful procedure offers hope for survivors of cancer and other diseases that affect fertility

If approved, this deal would give SpaceX hundreds of acres that are currently part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for private land

Nobody knows why insects aren't found living in the ocean. Scientists just eliminated one theory

During a lost ‘golden age’ of language, humans may have spoken tens of thousands of different tongues, a new study suggests

Actor Tom Hiddleston reflects on the first time he visited Pompeii as a teenager and explains why the ancient city’s preserved tragedy continues to shape his understanding of history and humanity

Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 shows how opening a model to outsiders can turn other companies’ computing power into a competitive advantage

The 2026 Fields Medals recognize breakthroughs in the math of messy fluids, tangled knots, spinning pencils, and more