Sculptures and tools from the Stone Age show markings that could be an early precursor to written language, according to a new analysis.

More than 40,000 years ago, Ice Age humans were carving repeated patterns of dots, lines, and crosses into tools and small ivory figurines. A new computational study of more than 3,000 of these ...

There were several big recycling bins, and his design was plastered onto each one—as big as a beach ball, he recalls, holding his hands wide. “I thought, ‘Well, it must have caught on,’” since it was ...

Mysterious signs engraved on objects reveal that a form of proto-writing may have been used in Europe 40,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years before the emergence of a full writing system ...

The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Thursday (January 22, 2026), allotted ‘whistle’ symbol to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for the upcoming Assembly elections in ...

Dr. Shech is a professor of philosophy who specializes in the philosophy of science. As popular mistrust of expert opinion grows, we increasingly encounter the following skeptical argument about ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of American colonies declaring ...

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Thankfully, we can still turn to our bookshelves — and podcasts — to ground us. We tapped science doyenne Alie ...

A major international review has upended long-held ideas about how top performers are made. By analyzing nearly 35,000 elite achievers across science, music, chess, and sports, researchers found that ...

The editors of Scientific American look to 2026 as a chance to peer into the future to see what science may be unfolding and what discoveries may lurk on the horizon. But the new year is also a chance ...

From “experimental archaeology” to the mysterious appeal of exploration, the wide-ranging subjects detailed in these titles captivated Smithsonian magazine’s science contributors this year Joe Spring, ...