Complex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times.

When pigeons outnumber pigeonholes, some birds must double up. This obvious statement, and its inverse, have deep connections to many areas of math and computer science.

Those epic battle scenes in space are awesome—and physically impossible. But hey, it’s more fun this way!

It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do so for some critical optimization tasks.

By understanding the churning region near singularities, physicists hope they might be able to reconcile gravity and quantum mechanics.

Larger models can pull off a wider variety of feats, but the reduced footprint of smaller models makes them attractive tools.

Basic research often pays huge dividends—but that’s not why we do it.

Math and computer science researchers have long known that some questions are fundamentally unanswerable. Now physicists are exploring how physical systems put hard limits on what we can predict.

Baseball season just started, and everyone’s talking about these crazy new bats. Will they change the game?

Ten years ago, researchers proved that adding full memory can theoretically aid computation. They’re just now beginning to understand the implications.

Scientific experiments run today are based on research practices that evolved out of a British tea-tasting experiment in the 1920s.

Britta Späth has dedicated her career to proving a single, central conjecture. She’s finally succeeded, alongside her partner, Marc Cabanes.

The latest Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument results fall short of the discovery threshold but strengthen evidence for dynamical dark energy.

A young computer scientist and two colleagues show that searches within data structures called hash tables can be much faster than previously deemed possible.

Pi is an irrational number, and like some irrational people it just goes on and on. What is it with this crazy, crucial number?

By proving a broader version of Hilbert’s famous 10th problem, two groups of mathematicians have expanded the realm of mathematical unknowability.

Physics is weird. Especially when you’re dealing with moving reference frames.

Research suggests that free-moving panels on aircraft wings can improve stability, reduce turbulence, and add fuel efficiency.

In the late 19th century, Karl Weierstrass invented a fractal-like function that was decried as nothing less than a “deplorable evil.” In time, it would transform the foundations of mathematics.