ANAHEIM, CALIF. — At the world’s largest gathering of physicists, a talk about Microsoft’s claimed new type of quantum computing chip was perhaps the main attraction.  Microsoft’s February announcement of a chip containing the first topological quantum bits, or qubits, has ignited heated blowback in the physics community. The discovery was announced by press release, without

Mice given fecal transplants from elite cyclists and soccer players had increased energy stores Cyclists sprint to the finish line at the European Championship 2024. Fecal transplants from a group of elite athletes boosted levels of a particular energy-storing molecule in mice. DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP/Getty Images One of the keys to performing like an elite

When the countdown hit zero on September 23, 1992, the desert surface puffed up into the air, as if a giant balloon had inflated it from below. It wasn’t a balloon. Scientists had exploded a nuclear device hundreds of meters below the Nevada desert, equivalent to thousands of tons of TNT. The ensuing fireball reached

Context may lead people to misread canine emotions, a small study suggests Human perception of canine emotions is strongly influenced by the overall context, not just body language such as wagging tails or licking lips, a study shows. The finding suggests that people may misinterpret how a dog is feeling. Daniel Garrido/Moment/Getty Images Plus Many

The marker is an unexpected bubble that could signal cosmic reionization earlier than thought The extremely distant galaxy JADES-GS-z13-1 is the small red dot in the center of this image from the James Webb Space Telescope. New observations show the galaxy is emitting a surprising amount of ultraviolet light, indicating it is radically reshaping the

Surgeons have now published the first report of a gene-edited pig liver transplanted into a person. The liver, which came from a genetically modified pig, appeared to stay active, producing bile and liver proteins inside the brain-dead transplant recipient, researchers reported March 26 in Nature. Such a transplant could one day buy time for people waiting on the

A genetic data giant is falling, and it’s unclear what will happen to millions of people’s most intimate personal information in the aftermath. On March 23, DNA testing company 23andMe announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move intended to facilitate its sale — along with the genetic data of over 15 million

In honor of April Fools’ Day, I offer the puzzling case of the Lesser Fool. In a fictional town, there lived an odd wanderer. People would present him with two amounts of money or goods and ask which is greater. Even though they offered to give him whichever amount he chose, the Fool would always

When handled, a small crustacean-munching shark from New Zealand clacked its teeth together This small shark, called a rig or smoothhound, could be the first shark documented to make deliberate sounds. Paul Caiger/University of Auckland Sharks may not be the sharp-toothed silent type after all. The clicking of flattened teeth, discovered by accident, could be

The iconic Cape Verde date palm comes from cultivated trees gone feral New data for a long-running debate on the origins of Cape Verde’s treasured date palms raise questions about tweaking their scientific name. William J. Baker/Plants, People, Planet 2025 What the island nation of Cape Verde cherishes as its own distinctive kind of date