Climate models have changed the way we view the world. While effective, these models are imperfect, and scientists are constantly looking at ways to improve their accuracy and predictability. MIT professor Elfatih Eltahir has spent decades developing complex models to understand how climate change affects vulnerable regions like the Nile Basin and Singapore. In this… Continue reading How Can Regional Models Advance Climate Science?
U.S.-Allied Militaries Must Prepare for the Quantum Threat to Cryptography
Quantum computers could eventually pose huge risks to the security of encrypted information, including national security information. There are two possible countermeasures to this threat. The U.S. government has clearly stated which one it plans to pursue, but not all U.S.-allied governments have articulated a clear position. Allied governments, especially militaries, should clarify their strategy… Continue reading U.S.-Allied Militaries Must Prepare for the Quantum Threat to Cryptography
The Biggest-Ever Digital Camera Is This Cosmologist’s Magnum Opus
On June 23, 2025, Tony Tyson joined a presentation in Washington, D.C., to unveil an image almost 30 years in the making: 10 million galaxies poised on an inky black backdrop. To appreciate each galaxy in detail, you’d have to stretch the picture across 400 TVs. It’s the first portrait of the cosmos delivered by… Continue reading The Biggest-Ever Digital Camera Is This Cosmologist’s Magnum Opus
Instead of Nuclear Weapons, Give Poland a Nuclear Umbrella
Since Poland’s new president and prime minister are strong on defense, questions about the country’s nuclear future may come more to the fore. In response, Poland could seek its own nuclear weapons, become a host for NATO weapons, or turn to France and the United Kingdom for protection. In March, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said… Continue reading Instead of Nuclear Weapons, Give Poland a Nuclear Umbrella
RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System
“What the cell is trying to do is make decisions about whether to live or die based on how damaged the DNA is. If DNA is too damaged, there will be mutations that are inherited,” said Rachel Green, an RNA biologist at Johns Hopkins University who co-authored the Cell study. “But amazingly, it’s the RNA… Continue reading RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System
What the Trade War Reveals About China’s Vulnerabilities and Power
The United States and China stepped away from the brink of a near embargo of bilateral trade on May 12. The countries had entered an escalatory spiral after the Trump administration announced new tariffs in April. By April 11, tariffs on both sides had reached prohibitive levels. The Geneva negotiations allowed both sides to unwind… Continue reading What the Trade War Reveals About China’s Vulnerabilities and Power
Heat Is Killing Oil Workers. The Industry Is Trying to Kill a Rule That Would Protect Them
CLIMATEWIRE | The oil and gas industry is pushing the Trump administration to kill a proposed rule that would protect workers from extreme heat, arguing that it jeopardizes the president’s vision of achieving “energy dominance.” The opposition comes as people who work in U.S. oil and gas fields face increasingly dangerous conditions as global temperatures… Continue reading Heat Is Killing Oil Workers. The Industry Is Trying to Kill a Rule That Would Protect Them
Disbanding the PKK: Political Engagement as the Key to Ending Insurgencies
The recent decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and disband has important lessons for any country facing a seemingly intractable insurgency. On May 12, the group stated that following its 12th Congress it will “dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle method.” The organisation has said that it will… Continue reading Disbanding the PKK: Political Engagement as the Key to Ending Insurgencies
A New Pyramid-Like Shape Always Lands the Same Side Up
Achieving the right balance between the weight of the loading zone and the weight of the rest of the tetrahedron is easy in the abstract realm of mathematics — you can define the weight distribution without a care for whether it’s physically possible. You might, for instance, let parts of the shape weigh nothing at all,… Continue reading A New Pyramid-Like Shape Always Lands the Same Side Up
We’ll Be Arguing for Years Whether Large Language Models Can Make New Scientific Discoveries
When OpenAI released its newest AI models o3 and o4-mini in April, its president Greg Brockman made an intriguing claim: “These are the first models where top scientists tell us they produce legitimately good and useful novel ideas.” If AI can indeed make scientific discoveries, that would not only have practical impacts for society but… Continue reading We’ll Be Arguing for Years Whether Large Language Models Can Make New Scientific Discoveries