News
Math puzzle: A sequence of odd events
1+ hour, 23+ min ago (212+ words) Solve the math puzzle from our August 2026 issue, in which a family investigates an odd happening. In Spring 2025, we — Lilly Fang, Lester Mackey and our two children — noticed that something odd was happening to our family. First, Noah turned the…...
AI tools meant to vet science are surprisingly easy to fool
1+ week, 2+ day ago (215+ words) AI peer review doesn’t produce diverse feedback and can be tricked to boost research scores For decades, there have been more new papers than scientists can review. AI tools have been touted to help alleviate the workload, but the tech…...
An AI math breakthrough sparks calls for new guardrails
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (661+ words) The model disproved a famous conjecture, raising questions about trust, credit and access Think about placing dots on a flat surface. You want as many pairs as possible to be separated by the same distance. For any amount of dots,…...
AI bots ignore evidence. Can we trust them with science?
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (851+ words) Studies show AI agents struggle to use the results of experiments to revise their ideas Sound reasoning produces trustworthy scientific results. New research shows that AI agents routinely mess up scientific reasoning, making claims without testing them, ignoring evidence from…...
The Proof in the Code traces efforts to digitally verify mathematical truths
2+ mon, 3+ week ago (217+ words) A journalist chronicles the rise of computer programs that can tackle difficult math problems The Proof in the Code details the dawning of a new era in the mathematics world. The Proof in the CodeKevin HartnettQuanta Books, $30 Many of these…...
AI could radically change how math proofs are verified
3+ mon, 1+ day ago (1607+ words) Modern formalization, supercharged by AI, could radically change the way people do mathematics Illustration by Melvin Galapon April 15, 2026 at 9:00 am This is a human-written story voiced by AI. Got feedback? Take our survey. (See our AI policy here.) Mathematician Kevin…...
AI-designed proteins test biosecurity safeguards
9+ mon, 2+ week ago (483+ words) New fixes to monitoring software boosts its ability to catch AI-altered toxic proteins Biosecurity screening software monitors DNA manufacturing orders for potentially harmful proteins. AI can design toxins that slip past security filters, but a new study shows software patches…...
Huge Numbers tackles mathematics at its most incomprehensibly large
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (467+ words) Mathematician Richard Elwes surveys googology, the study of enormous numbers, in a new book In a new book, mathematician Richard Elwes shares how mathematical boundaries have been broken time and time again, thanks to the creative explorers of the biggest…...
Why is math is harder for some kids? Brain scans offer clues
4+ mon, 2+ week ago (168+ words) MRIs show different brain activity patterns for kids with math learning disabilities When kids with math learning disabilities solve a math problem with number symbols, they approach and process it differently than typical kids. But differences disappear when numbers are…...
Move over, humanoids. Robotic body parts step up
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (157+ words) This handlike robot scuttles around on its fingertips and grasps objects in ways human hands can’t manage. X. Gao et al/Nature Communications 2026 February 24, 2026 at 3:10 pm If you’re creeped out by disembodied appendages, look away now. Everyone else, welcome to…...