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When Charles Darwin articulated his theory of evolution by natural selection in On the Origin of Species in 1859, he focused on adaptations—the changes that enable organisms to survive in new or changing environments. Selection for favorable adaptations, he suggested, allowed ancient ancestral forms to gradually diversify into countless species. …

As you travel this holiday season, bouncing from airport to airplane to hotel, you’ll likely find yourself facing a familiar quandary: Do I really trust this random public Wi-Fi network? As recently as a couple of years ago, the answer was almost certainly a resounding no. But in the year …

In my book Data and Goliath, I write about the value of privacy. I talk about how it is essential for political liberty and justice, and for commercial fairness and equality. I talk about how it increases personal freedom and individual autonomy, and how the lack of it makes us …

Our in-house Know-It-Alls answer questions about your interactions with technology. Q: What is a bot? A: It’s a sunny day outside, but you wouldn’t know it. You’ve been staring at the modern hellscape known as Twitter for hours now, refreshing feed after feed. Your eyes are glazed over but you …

On the morning of Friday, November 16, scientists and diplomats crammed into an auditorium in Versailles, a stone’s throw from the Sun King’s gilded chateau. Patrick Abbott, an American physicist, had flown into France for the long weekend. Forehead gleaming and blue suit jacket draped across his lap, Abbott watched …

Just like any lock can be picked, any biometric scanner can be fooled. Researchers have shown for years that the popular fingerprint sensors used to guard smartphones can be tricked sometimes, using a lifted print or a person’s digitized fingerprint data. But new findings from computer scientists at New York …

High-end chefs spend a lot of time figuring out how to get foods to taste their best. Are they seasoned correctly? Is there a balance between fat and acidity that makes you want more? Is there a way they could pull off the ultimate feat of making a food taste …

03 Maze-O Mighty Maze Maker Adults have giant jigsaws that depict the New York skyline, and preschoolers have the Maze-O Mighty Maze Maker. In the box are 52 simple, multi-colored interlocking puzzle (maze) pieces that 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds can use to build different shapes. Once completed, they can race …

The new Netflix original series Maniac stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as two dysfunctional loners who take part in a dystopian pharmaceutical trial. Fantasy author Chandler Klang Smith felt the last episode was weak, but otherwise she loved the show. “The first nine episodes are my favorite TV drama …

Stars are born from star clusters. But where do the clusters come from? Scientists seeking a greater understanding on that have a new theory. When two gas clouds collide, they are clashing at 20,000 miles per hour or more. Consequently, the gas and dust they each carry is compressed into …