Since our ancient human relatives began using stone tools to perform tasks, humans have harnessed scientific knowledge and new technologies to expand the boundaries of our understanding of the natural world. From quantum computing and microplastics to artificial intelligence and memory, explore these topics and more with our concise yet informative overviews and expert-curated resources.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
If your hair stands up amid an approaching storm, seek shelter immediately, as a local buildup of charge imbalance precedes cloud-to-ground lightning. If you are stuck outside, move to a lower altitude, such as a valley or ravine, and avoid open fields, water, and isolated tall objects. Do not lie down or crouch.
This CNET preview outlines what’s coming at CES 2026—from major showcases by Samsung, Sony, LG, and Lenovo to expected trends in AI, chips, digital health, mobility, and robotics.
Resulting from a mutation on the X chromosome, the rare genetic condition causes individuals to possess an additional type of photoreceptor cell, typically sensitive to the orange range, located between the standard red and green cones. This enables the perception of approximately 100 million colors.
Mixed reality headsets can facilitate hands-on education by providing immersive guides overlaid onto their field of vision, showing users how to complete complex tasks.
The burning of different metal compounds, facilitated by combining fuel with oxidizers, results in explosions of varying colors. The timing and pattern are engineered through the arrangement of pellets and fuses.
The rocket-powered aircraft was built by Richard Branson’s company, Virgin Galactic. The English business magnate has described being inspired to go to space since he was a child watching NASA's moon landings.
In 2023, about 1,500 pieces of space junk fell to Earth, with most consisting of payload fragmentation debris. The vast majority that falls back to Earth burns up before reaching the surface, making it three times less likely to be struck by space trash than by a meteorite.
The integration of smartphone features into watches, glasses, and even clothing suggests future technology may be geared towards working independently in the background. Mixed reality technologies are expected to facilitate this ambient computing world by seamlessly and proactively displaying real-time content without physical interactions solely in the real world.
Lightning in storm clouds forms from the collisions between graupel—small hail particles—and smaller ice particles, which transfer electrons. Layers of opposing charges form as these differently sized particles rise and fall. When air can no longer insulate these layers, electricity discharges, equalizing these regions.
A manifold is any space that appears flat when zoomed in close enough, even if it is globally curved. Some of these structures can be curved to connect back on themselves, much like bending a line into a circle. This property can be mathematically established in a four-dimensional manifold by allowing time to loop back on itself.
