Last November, the UK government announced a bold plan to phase out animal testing in some areas of research. Animal tests for skin irritation are scheduled for elimination this year, and some studies on dogs should be slashed by 2030. The long-term vision is “a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated…
Lee Sedol faced AlphaGo in 2016 AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon/Alamy The first time that AlphaGo revealed its full power, it prompted a visceral reaction. Lee Sedol, the world’s greatest player of the ancient Chinese board game Go, had grown visibly agitated at the artificial intelligence’s prowess. The hushed crowd in downtown Seoul, South Korea, could barely…
March 6, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Mumps infections reveal that vaccine-preventable illnesses are resurging in the U.S. Maryland is one of several states that are reporting cases of the infectious disease mumps, suggesting the return of diseases—like measles—that vaccines protect against By Tanya Lewis edited by Claire Cameron Illustration of…
AlphaGo’s victory braodcast on TV Im Hun-jung/Yonhap/AP Photo via Getty Images In March 2016, Google DeepMind’s artificial intelligence system AlphaGo shocked the world. In a stunning five-match series of Go, the ancient Chinese board game, the AI beat the world’s best player, Lee Sedol – a moment that was televised in front of millions and…
March 6, 2026 4 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm The reason the Middle East has so much oil is the same reason it’s all stuck there now A continental collision trapped oil within what is today Iran. The same collision explains why that oil is trapped behind the Strait of Hormuz now By…
Rebecca Solnit has a new book out this month Trent Davis Bailey March, in the northern hemisphere anyway, is about venturing out for some much-needed vitamin D and dodging showers. Forget that – just head for a decent café where you can delve into the marvellous science books we’ve got waiting for you. This month…
March 6, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm NASA must delay deorbiting the ISS, U.S. lawmakers say U.S. lawmakers are moving to delay the International Space Station’s retirement, giving more time for commercial replacements to be built By Meghan Bartels edited by Claire Cameron NASA could soon be scrambling to shore up…
Keeping you sharp may be an unexpected, but welcome, side effect of vaccines Jozef Polc / Alamy There is growing evidence that ongoing inflammation in various parts of the body might trigger Alzheimer’s disease. It will take many years for the science to be settled, but what is clear is that persistent inflammation has many…
March 6, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm How exactly does the Pentagon evict Claude? Swapping out one AI model on a classified network for another takes minutes. Retraining the people who’ve learned to rely on it will take much longer By Eric Sullivan edited by Claire Cameron The Department of Defense…
NASA gave the Didymos system a nudge Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA Humanity has shifted an asteroid’s orbit around the sun for the first time. This was achieved by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in 2022, but the effect has only now been measured. DART’s target was a small asteroid called Dimorphos, which orbits…
