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The Leap Second Has Been Canceled

Earth’s rotation subtly changes the length of the day. Now our clocks won’t change with it β€” at least not for a very long time.

Β© Miguel RomΓ‘n, Joshua Stevens/NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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Inside the Plague Research Labs at the Heart of a Russian Mystery

A Russian researcher, who died from an unknown illness, worked at a remote anti-plague facility. Few foreigners have visited these labs, which dot the former Soviet states, and are shrouded in secrecy.

Β© Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute, via Agence France-Presse β€” Getty Images

A picture released by the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute showing specialists working in a laboratory in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in 2019.
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Nobel Prize in Chemistry Is Awarded to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai

The Nobel Committee recognized Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for solving a century-old mystery about molecules with mirror images. Their work is crucial for pharmaceuticals and carries clues to the origins of life.

Β© Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency, via Reuters

Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai are awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry during a news conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, on Wednesday.
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Will A.I. Kill Us? Can It Hack My Bank Account? Your A.I. Questions Answered

Nearly 1,000 readers sent us their questions about artificial intelligence, its potential and its potential risks.

Β© Charles Taylor/Alamy

Some people worry that connecting A.I. agents to the internet or vital infrastructure will wreak havoc in unexpected ways, while others worry that researchers will soon develop A.I. systems that have agency.
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Massive Black Holes May Have Started as Little Red Dots

A new simulation suggests little red dots, unusually compact objects seen in photos from space, might be one stage in the evolution of black holes.

Β© NASA, ESA, CSA, V. Kokorev (University of Texas at Austin), A. Pagan (STScI)

So-called little red dots, astronomical objects that date back about a billion years after the Big Bang, may be precursors to black holes, a new study has found.
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Mercury Is Shrinking, and Faster Than We Thought

New estimates using the planet’s surface wrinkles show that our smallest planet is growing even smaller, at a faster clip than expected.

Β© NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Researchers say the planet might have shrunk by as much as 14.5 miles β€” nearly a percent off of its current size β€” since its formation 4.5 billion years ago
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