Tuesday’s attack by Iran-backed Shiite militia supporters on the US Embassy in Baghdad, followed by Friday’s US killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, sparked fears of an intense escalation of hostilities in the region.Analysts say US embassies and consulates are prime targets in the wake of these events, and personnel could be in jeopardy.…

Warning: If you start playing with fractals, it can get addicting. I don't know why, but it's stupid fun to make these things. Actually, I first started looking at fractals as part of the #TeamTrees challenge—a project to raise enough money by 2020 to plant 20 million trees. (We made our goal!)What do fractals have…

For years, US tensions with Iran have held to a kind of brinksmanship. But the drone assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, widely understood to be the second most powerful figure in Iran, has dangerously escalated tensions. The world now awaits Iran's response, which seems likely to make new use of a tool that the…

When the clock ticked past midnight on December 31, California’s controversial Assembly Bill 5 went into effect. The bill, already the subject of sturm, drang, and a $110 million campaign for a state ballot initiative funded by the companies it targets, is meant to transform the hundreds of thousands of contractors in the state working…

If you want to gaze into the hellish future of human existence on Earth, look to Australia. Huge bushfires have torched 14.5 million acres since September, killing at least 18. Vast plumes of smoke are pouring into major cities along the east coast, imposing a dire respiratory health hazard on millions of people. And Australia’s…

In Pixar’s 2008 movie WALL-E, which is set in the 29th century, our adorable, eponymous robot hero travels to the massive luxury space cruiser the Axiom. When he arrives, he finds that all of humanity has evolved into boneless consumerist blobs, eating constantly, babbling at screens, and lounging in high-speed, floating chairs.Luckily, or unluckily, for…

Every month, scientists gather at conferences around the world. The topics range from climate change to big data to microorganisms and their role in plant, animal, and human health, but they are equally dull, dated, and drill-like. Invariably, there’s a series of talks and poster presentations, a few plenary sessions by prominent scientists, several workshops,…

Next week, we’ll be bound for the largest consumer electronics showcase of the season. CES starts on January 7 in Las Vegas, and we’ll be heading into the fray to touch, swipe, drive, cuddle, ride, and otherwise experience all of the latest gadgets the consumer tech industry wants to put in front of our eager…

Facing growing scrutiny over censorship and security concerns, TikTok is borrowing a few pages from a playbook now standard at many American tech giants, in an effort to earn the trust of US users and lawmakers. The Chinese-owned video app said in October it would invite outside experts to review some of its content moderation…

TypingDNA, a four-year-old startup that was founded in Bucharest, Romania and more recently moved its headquarters to Brooklyn, New York, looks to be raising $7 million in funding for something…