science
Topics and developments in science and medicine, presented by Futurism.
10 Mind-Blowing Space Stories School Never Told You
For many of us (especially if you grew up watching Star Trek), space truly feels like the final frontier. Sure, school taught us about planets, gravity, and maybe a little about rockets. But what we got was just a glimpse of the safe, simplified version.
By Areeba Umair11 days ago in Futurism
Can Chimpanzees and Other Great Apes Breed with Monkeys?. AI-Generated.
Humans have long been fascinated by our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans share much of our DNA, prompting endless curiosity about how similar—or different—they really are. One question that occasionally arises in scientific discussions and popular media is: Can great apes breed with monkeys?
By Sajida Sikandar11 days ago in Futurism
Canada Could Remove Five Times Its Annual Carbon Emissions by Planting Trees on the Edge of the Boreal Forest, Study Finds. AI-Generated.
A new scientific study has revealed a striking possibility: Canada could remove up to five times its annual carbon emissions simply by planting trees along the southern edge of the boreal forest. The findings point to a surprisingly effective and natural climate solution—one that relies not on futuristic technology but on the careful expansion of one of Earth’s most important ecosystems.
By Sajida Sikandar11 days ago in Futurism
It’s the Same Size as Japan, Can Be Seen from Space, and Is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and It’s Teeming with Thousands of Species. AI-Generated.
There are few places on Earth so massive, so alive, and so extraordinary that they can be seen from space. Stretching across more than 1,400 miles of ocean, covering an area roughly the size of Japan, and hosting an explosion of marine life, the Great Barrier Reef stands as one of nature’s greatest masterpieces.
By Sajida Sikandar11 days ago in Futurism
Humans Age Faster at Two Sharp Peaks, Study Finds. AI-Generated.
Aging has long been viewed as a slow and continuous journey—one wrinkle at a time, one birthday at a time. But a groundbreaking new study suggests that this belief may be outdated. According to recent scientific findings, humans do not age at a constant rate. Instead, aging happens in two dramatic bursts, or “sharp peaks,” during specific stages of life.
By Sajida Sikandar11 days ago in Futurism
AI as a Reflective Surface
Much of the confusion surrounding artificial intelligence comes from treating it as an agent rather than a surface. When people speak about AI “doing the thinking,” “creating the ideas,” or “speaking for someone,” they are often projecting agency onto a system that does not possess intention, belief, or understanding. This projection obscures what is actually happening in many real-world uses. In those cases, AI is not acting as a source of meaning, but as a surface that reflects, redirects, and reshapes what is already present.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast14 days ago in Futurism
Exoplanets That Can Preserve Their Atmospheres for Billions of Years
When astronomers talk about potentially habitable worlds, the discussion often centers on surface temperature, liquid water, and orbital distance. Yet there is a more fundamental requirement that receives less public attention: atmospheric longevity. A planet may lie in the so-called habitable zone, but if it cannot retain its atmosphere over geological timescales, its prospects for long-term stability diminish dramatically.
By Holianyk Ihor15 days ago in Futurism
The Surprisingly High Abundance of Water Worlds
For years, water worlds were treated as an exotic possibility — scientifically plausible, but statistically rare. Planets dominated by deep global oceans, wrapped in thick atmospheres and layered with high-pressure ice, seemed like outliers in the cosmic inventory. The search for exoplanets focused primarily on “Earth-like” rocky worlds with thin atmospheres and moderate climates. However, as observational data have accumulated, a different picture has emerged. Water-rich planets may not be exceptional at all. They could be one of the most common planetary types in our galaxy.
By Holianyk Ihor15 days ago in Futurism
Unexpected Properties of Dark Matter Revealed in 2026
For decades, dark matter has remained one of the most persistent enigmas in modern astrophysics. Invisible to telescopes and undetectable through direct electromagnetic interaction, it nonetheless shapes the Universe on the largest scales. Galaxies rotate faster than their visible mass allows, galaxy clusters remain gravitationally bound, and the cosmic web itself depends on an unseen framework. Until recently, dark matter was largely treated as a silent, passive component—cold, inert, and interacting only through gravity. However, research published and analyzed in 2026 significantly challenged this simplified view.
By Holianyk Ihor16 days ago in Futurism
The Most Mysterious Signals from Deep Space Detected in 2026
The year 2026 has reinforced a long-standing truth in astronomy: the deeper we listen to the Universe, the stranger it becomes. Modern telescopes no longer simply observe distant stars and galaxies — they intercept brief, powerful, and often inexplicable signals that arrive from billions of light-years away. Some last only milliseconds, others pulse with eerie regularity, and a few originate from epochs when the Universe itself was still young.
By Holianyk Ihor16 days ago in Futurism
