Can AI reason without words? A small model puts the idea to the test
The newest “Dragon Hatchling” AI model is testing whether skipping words in intermediate reasoning could cut computational cost.
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Meet the ‘fire amoeba,’ a record-breaking survivor of extreme heat
Incendiamoeba cascadensis can replicate at 145° F, breaking the heat tolerance record for eukaryotes, a domain of life that includes plants and animals.
‘Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!’ is a joyous guide to eating wild plants
The joy that author Alexis Nikole Nelson injects into this cookbook makes foraging approachable.
First radio waves seen from an exoplanet hint at otherworldly auroras
The gas giant Beta Pictoris b, about 63 light-years away, has the mass of 10 Jupiters and a magnetic field thousands of times as...
MRIs show brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s years in advance
A thickening cortex, as shown in MRIs, preceded amyloid-beta accumulation, a known hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, by up to seven years.
Surviving the summer
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses existential threats to humankind: extreme heat, never-ending drought and a plan to provide Earth with sunlight on demand.
Will the U.S. megadrought ever end?
For 27 years, the Southwest has been gripped by a historic drought. Scientists think it might be here to stay.
This ‘anti-vampiric’ grave used two strategies to stop the undead
A sickle across the throat and a padlock on the toe were likely meant to keep this 17th-century Polish teen from resurrecting.
What’s behind ‘one of paleontology’s most enduring enigmas’?
New research suggests that Paleodictyon — honeycomb-shaped formations perhaps sketched by da Vinci — are not made by soft-bodied creatures.
Math puzzle: Shape-birding
Solve the math puzzle from our October 2026 issue, in which a bird watcher seeks an indoor hobby.
When the rains fail: Preparing for drought in Central America 
‘Here, you can eat until you’re full’: Oleshky evacuees savour first proper meals in years 
COP31: National Oil Companies Must Lead Global Shift Away from Fossil Fuels, Says NRGI Expert 
COP31: Climate finance falls short as calls grow for polluters to pay