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Science

Space, physics, biology, medicine research, climate, energy, and scientific discoveries.

Featured

Artist's concept of the three planets orbiting the pulsar PSR B1257+12, the first planets ever confirmed outside our solar system, with the pulsar's twisted magnetic fields glowing blue and an aurora lighting the night side of the nearest world

ScienceGuide

How We Find Exoplanets — and Why We've Barely Seen Any

We have confirmed more than 6,000 planets around other stars. We have directly photographed about 98 of them. Here is how the other 98% were found, and why that method leaves our map of the galaxy badly distorted.

Aug 15, 202615 min
NIST's racetrack ion trap chip, a gold-coloured microfabricated device with a central ring structure and six radiating channels used to store and transport electrically charged atoms as qubits

ScienceGuide

What Are Quantum Computers Actually Good For?

Quantum computers are not faster computers. They are machines for a short list of specific problems — and the list of proven, useful wins is still empty. Here is what the evidence actually supports.

Aug 14, 202617 min

Latest

A glass vial of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine standing on a clinical worktop beside a stack of alcohol prep pads, its label showing the multiple-dose formulation

ScienceGuide

How mRNA Vaccines Actually Work

An mRNA vaccine doesn't deliver a drug — it delivers instructions your own cells read once and throw away. Here's what really happens, and why the same trick now targets cancer.

Aug 22, 202621 min
Abstract visualization of light as discrete glowing packets travelling along a wave

ScienceComparison

Quantum vs Photon: What's the Difference?

A photon is a quantum — but not every quantum is a photon. Here's the real difference between the two, in plain English, and why people mix them up.

Jul 10, 202610 min
Inside the National Ignition Facility's preamplifier bay at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, glowing blue as laser light is amplified before the 192 beams converge on the fusion target

ScienceGuide

How Lasers Ignited a Star: The NIF Ignition Breakthrough Explained

On December 5, 2022, 192 laser beams fired at a target smaller than a peppercorn — and produced more energy than they carried. Here's exactly how the National Ignition Facility achieved the fusion milestone physicists had chased for 70 years.

Jul 2, 202612 min
Microscopic view of a photonic band-gap crystal — a lattice of precisely spaced holes in silicon that guides light through the material

ScienceGuide

How Photonic Computing Works — and Why It Could Replace Silicon

Electrons are hitting their limits. Photonic computing uses light instead of electricity to move data — delivering up to 114 Tbps of bandwidth and 30× better energy efficiency. Here's how it works and where it's already deployed in 2026.

Jul 1, 20268 min
The Sun photographed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory — a glowing orange disk with surface granulation and an erupting prominence, a giant natural fusion reactor

ScienceComparison

Nuclear Fusion vs Fission: What's the Difference?

Fission splits heavy atoms; fusion joins light ones. Here's how the two nuclear reactions really differ — in energy, fuel, waste, safety, and which one powers the future.

Jul 14, 202610 min
A glowing digital padlock over a circuit-board background, representing encryption and cybersecurity

ScienceGuide

Will Quantum Computers Break the Internet's Encryption?

Quantum computers threaten the encryption that secures the internet — but it's more nuanced than the headlines. What actually breaks, what survives, why 'harvest now, decrypt later' makes it urgent today, and how the world is already fighting back.

Jun 24, 202610 min
Stylized direct-air-capture towers pulling CO2 molecules from a dark sky

ScienceAnalysis

The Truth About CO₂ Emissions Nobody Wants to Hear

Carbon capture is sold as a machine that undoes pollution. An evidence-based look at what it can and can't do in 2026 — the brutal scale math, the real niche, and the danger of overselling it.

Jun 18, 202610 min
A glowing accretion disk swirling around a black hole in deep space

ScienceGuide

What Would Happen If You Fell Into a Black Hole?

A clear, science-based tour of what happens if you fall into a black hole — spaghettification, the point of no return, time dilation, and what we actually know.

Jun 14, 202612 min

About Science

Our science coverage spans physics, space, biology, climate, and energy — from the particles that make up light to the reactors chasing fusion. Every explainer is built on primary research and checked figures, and written to make difficult ideas genuinely understandable. Whether you are here for a headline discovery or a foundational concept, the goal is the same: accuracy first, clarity always.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the biggest scientific discoveries of 2026?

Notable 2026 highlights include James Webb Telescope confirmation of biosignature candidates in an exoplanet atmosphere, CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease reaching Phase III trials, and quantum computing achieving practical advantage for drug-discovery simulations.

What is happening with space exploration in 2026?

Major milestones in 2026 include NASA's Artemis moon surface missions, SpaceX's first crewed Mars transit architecture test, and the European Space Agency's JUICE probe reaching Jupiter orbit.

What is climate science saying about global temperatures in 2026?

The latest IPCC synthesis reports confirm 2025 was the warmest year on record, crossing the 1.5°C threshold for the first time on an annual basis. Scientists are studying tipping points — particularly Arctic permafrost carbon feedback — to understand non-linear risks.

How is AI changing scientific research?

AI is accelerating science across disciplines: AlphaFold solved protein structure prediction, AI drug-discovery platforms compress decades of lab work into months, and machine learning models analyse telescope and particle-accelerator data at scales impossible for humans.

What are the latest medicine research breakthroughs?

Recent highlights include mRNA vaccine platforms targeting cancers, CAR-T cell therapy expanding beyond haematological cancers, GLP-1 receptor agonists showing cardiovascular and neurological benefits, and AI-designed antibody drugs entering human trials.