FEMA to Halt Billions in Grants for Disaster Protection, Internal Memo Says
An internal FEMA memo says the agency is canceling future and existing grants that help states and tribes prepare for floods, tornadoes and other disasters
Google, X and Facebook Are Modern-Day Tobacco Companies
Just as tobacco companies knew they were poisoning people, today’s social media titans knowingly poison our politics, peddling lies and stoking angry divides for profit
Mathematicians Solve Decades-Old Spinning Needle Puzzle
For a long time, the Kakeya conjecture, which involves rotating an infinitely narrow needle, kept mathematicians guessing—until now
Meet the Fluffy, Funky and Fabulous Native Bees That Call the U.S. Home
Scientists estimate there are about 4,000 species of native bees in the U.S.—and they’re both cooler and ecologically more important than honeybees
How Many Rogue Planets Roam the Milky Way?
According to new simulations, many, even most, planets get ejected from their star early in their history
Losing USAID’s Public Health Programs Imperils the World
USAID is responsible for global health efforts that have saved the lives of millions of children. What happens when those programs are cut?
The Heard and McDonald Islands Are a Pristine Biological Wonderland
Trump’s tariffs put a spotlight on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, which comprise a remote volcanic refuge for penguins and seals and a UNESCO World Heritage site
Bonobos’ Complex Calls Share an Extraordinary Trait with Human Language
Bonobos’ grunts, peeps and whistles may share an advanced linguistic property with human language
JWST Delivers Best-Yet Look at That Worrisome Asteroid
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that the potentially hazardous asteroid 2024 YR4 is a building-sized space rock
Secretive Russian Military Satellites Release Mystery Object into Orbit
A trio of classified Russian satellites, called Kosmos, has sparked intrigue in space-tracking circles after an unidentified object was launched into orbit
How Might Aliens Communicate? The Answer Could Reveal the Point of Language
Studying how extraterrestrials might communicate could help prepare for first contact and also hint at the point of language itself
Extreme Heat Programs Hollowed Out by Trump Staff Cuts
Layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services have dealt a critical blow to the agency's efforts to manage rising temperatures made worse by climate change