Science & technology
Neurosurgery
A new technique could analyse tumours mid-surgery
It would be fast enough to guide the hands of neurosurgeons
Tropical biology
The world’s most studied rainforest is still yielding new insights
Even after a century of research, Barro Colorado in Panama continues to shed light on natural life
Best foot forward
A new bionic leg can be controlled by the brain alone
Those using the prosthetic can walk as fast as those with intact lower limbs
Palaeontology
How the last mammoths went extinct
Small genetic mutations accumulated through inbreeding may have made them vulnerable to disease
High alert on high
The race to prevent satellite Armageddon
Fears of a Russian nuclear weapon in orbit are inspiring new protective tech
Large language models
At least 10% of research may already be co-authored by AI
That might not be a bad thing
Viruses
A deadly new strain of mpox is raising alarm
Health officials warn it could soon spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo
From the archive
What The Economist thought about solar power
A look back through our archives: sometimes prescient, sometimes not
Paint by numbers
How physics can improve image-generating AI
The laws governing electromagnetism and even the weak nuclear force could be worth mimicking
Flower power
A flower’s female sex organs can speed up fertilisation
They can also stop it from happening
Animal experimentation
Only 5% of therapies tested on animals are approved for human use
More rigorous experiments could improve those odds