Category science

The summer after wildfire smoke blocked sunlight for long stretches, harvests at some almond tree orchards in California’s Central Valley dropped.

If you’ve ever picked up an acorn from an oak tree or scooped out the inside of a pumpkin, you’ve held in your hand the makings of a giant tree or a whole pumpkin patch. Seeds come in all colors,…

Deepfake (noun, “DEEP fayk”) A deepfake is a realistic fake image, video or audio clip created by artificial intelligence, or AI. The term deepfake comes from “deep learning” and “fake.” Deep learning is the type of AI used to make…

“Concerns about facial recognition had been building for decades. And now the nebulous bogeyman had finally found its form: a small company with mysterious founders and an unfathomably large database.”

The archaeologist who discovered the mask believed it showed the Trojan War was real.

The rarity of precious gemstones comes down to the geologic process of their formation.

Here’s what the ancient Greeks and Romans can teach us about the environment and ourselves. From Roman soldiers in crowded camps to emperors cleaning up rivers, there are many lessons to be learned.

Changes in the gene activity of immune cells may help flag people who have multiple sclerosis or are likely to develop it, a study of twins hints.

The earliest cells likely didn’t have membranes to separate and protect their components and chemistry away from a harsh surrounding environment. But they may have made do with rain.

“You wanted this moment to belong just to yourself and the landscape: sunset on the rim of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system.”