- New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people
The findings show how the H5N1 bird flu virus is evolving in livestock and what that may mean for human health.
- Smithsonian secrets most likely to blow your mind
Millions of objects stashed at a site open only to select visitors tell the history of Earth's inhabitants.
- Is AI bad for critical thinking? It depends on when you use it
Using AI later in solving tough problems boosts critical thinking and memory, a study shows, highlighting trade-offs between speed and reasoning.
- Fluoride in U.S. drinking water does not reduce IQ, a new study finds
Claims that fluoride in drinking water causes cognitive delays in kids are driving U.S. policy. A new study finds no evidence to back them.
- Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language
Advances in decoding animal sounds might someday make animal translators a possibility.
- For gray whales, San Francisco Bay is becoming a deadly pit stop
Climate change could be forcing gray whales to seek food in San Francisco Bay, where vessel strikes may be driving rising deaths.
- Artemis II ends its historic lunar journey
After looping around the moon, the Artemis II crew — and their capsule’s heat shield — passed the mission’s final major test: coming home.
- Exploding black holes could explain an antimatter mystery
Shock waves from tiny black holes in the early universe could explain how antimatter became so rare while matter is common.
- Crossword: Traveling Light
Solve the crossword from our May 2026 issue, in which we expand the way we see the universe.
- Seeing and imagining activate some of the same brain cells
By recording brain activity directly, scientists showed that imagining an object can revive parts of the neural pattern used to see it.