Why a tool-using cow could change how we see farm animals
Veronika the cow is the first recorded non-primate mammal to demonstrate flexible, multi-purpose tool use Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró A few years ago, during a taxi ride, the driver described to me how a pig had transformed his life. A childhood with dogs taught him what to expect from animals, yet he was unprepared for
The 5 worst ideas of the 21st century – and how they went wrong
Stephan Walter These are our selections for the worst fumbles of the 21st century: ideas that were great, but got twisted or misused and didn’t deliver on their original promise. Bitcoin For years, it was a constant refrain in the tech world: “Put it on the blockchain.” Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency that was invented in 2008
Barnacle gloop could improve inflammatory bowel disease treatments
Inflammatory bowel disease can cause wounds that bleed SPRINGER MEDIZIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Scientists looking to provide relief for people with inflammatory bowel disease have turned to an unusual source for inspiration: barnacles. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, seems to occur when someone’s immune system attacks their bowel, leaving it
Should Europe boycott US tech over Greenland, and is it even possible?
A protest at the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on 17 January Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/Alamy With US President Donald Trump continuing to demand that Greenland be placed under his country’s control, European nations are pursuing a range of responses, from stepping up their military presence on the Danish-owned territory to imposing economic sanctions on the US.
Tens of Millions of Virtual Workers This Year from XAI
A general desktop emulator (like xAI’s Macrohard, which emulates keystrokes, mouse movements, and screen interactions) could vastly expand beyond VBScript/Unix scripting, which are limited to command-line or basic API tasks. Such a system automates any UI-based workflow without code changes or integrations, mimicking human behavior across apps (browsers, legacy software, ERPs). What It Could Do
First-ever flexible tool use seen in a cow suggests livestock are smarter than believed
January 19, 2026 4 min read Add Us On Google Add SciAm A tool-using cow is challenging what we know about farm animal intelligence A pet cow named Veronika uses tools in a surprisingly sophisticated way—possibly because she has been allowed to live her best life By Kate Wong edited by Andrea Thompson Antonio J.
New brain training study could help explain the placebo effect
January 19, 2026 3 min read Add Us On Google Add SciAm Brain training may boost immune response to vaccines Positive thinking may boost immune response from vaccines, new brain training study shows By Allison Parshall edited by Claire Cameron PM Images/Getty Images Increasing activity in a deep-brain region can boost the immune system’s response
Meet ‘Baseodiscus the Eldest,’ a record-setting ribbon worm more than 27 years old
January 19, 2026 3 min read Add Us On Google Add SciAm Ribbon worms can grow to enormous lengths, and one named Baseodiscus the Eldest is showing how little we know about them—including how long they live By Marina Wang edited by Andrea Thompson Jon Allen holds the world’s oldest known ribbon worm on record
The “Far Side” Had It All Wrong—Cows Really Can Use Sophisticated Tools
The full Nautilus archive • eBooks & Special Editions • Ad-free reading The full Nautilus archive eBooks & Special Editions Ad-free reading If cows could use tools, imagine the scenes that might unfold: cutting wires to escape from their pastures; extracting themselves from milking machines; or removing the twine on hay bales. Cows haven’t been
The monk who discovered the laws of genetics—but was overlooked in his time
Mendel’s monastery garden experiments went largely unnoticed during his life, but their implications would ripple through science decades later. Gregor Mendel, Austrian botanist and founder of genetics, poses for a photograph circa 1860. Between 1856-1863, Mendel bred almost 30,000 pea plants in his monastery garden which demonstrated that hereditary characteristics were inherited from the parent