Knowable Magazine

AI and machine learning are kicking synthetic biology up to new levels of innovation. Researchers see huge potential for novel drugs and other chemicals; some also see risks.

The Aussie experiment comes amid a lack of clear evidence that the apps harm the majority of adolescents. It may take a dramatic research pivot to finally reveal what’s going on and how to fix it.

In a world filled with scams, being wary makes perfect sense. But health, trust and decision-making can suffer when the fear of getting conned goes too far.

Scientists are making progress understanding how a fiber-rich diet can help with chronic disease

Researchers are probing cocoa’s confections to better understand flavor, crystals and bloom

Conflicts with people are growing as expanded forest land and climate change push the creatures into human settlements. There are solutions to try.

From camouflage to timekeeping to wound healing, light-sensing proteins called opsins perform all kinds of jobs in nature beyond helping creatures to see

Ten years ago, a pioneering AI scientist predicted that computers would replace human experts as readers of medical images. It hasn’t exactly worked out that way.

Escalating use of tools like Gemini and ChatGPT saps more and more power. Experts offer some tips on how to consume less.

As more and more tasks are done by machines — especially now, with AI — people increasingly move from manual controller to supervisor. Designs must factor in human psychology or risk disastrous errors.

Mutualistic partnerships between species abound across nature — but it’s a tricky dance to make sure both parties keep pulling their weight

Millions of songbirds in Southeast Asia are trapped and smuggled each year for keeping as pets or entering in competitions. Scientists warn that it's fueling a crisis.

In an epidemic of online misinformation, experts look to artificial intelligence to help sort fact from fiction

Disturbances in this critical sense are often linked to problems with brain health, researchers are learning

There’s an urgent need to study how artificial intelligence makes ethical choices because it soon will make many such decisions in our stead, says computer scientist Iyad Rahwan

Inks created with a patient’s own cells might one day help the body regrow tissues

Slow-healing lesions — common in diabetics and burn victims — can lead to lingering infections that resist antibiotic treatment. A new approach using light-activated therapies may offer a solution.

As temperatures rise, it is the poor who suffer most. The coping strategies of those living in informal settlements may hold lessons for cities of the future.

Neuroscientists are discovering that spending time with others may be a basic biological necessity, like need for food or water

Critters that dine on flesh and waste also consume the animal’s DNA. That genetic material is helping scientists detect and map elusive species and their pathogens.