Science: What does nuclear deterrence mean? An active defense? Strategic defense? What constitutes a nuclear explosion? Precise definitions are critical for everything from negotiating treaties to interpretingmilitary postures of ally and adversary alike. On 20 November, the U.S. National Academies unveiled the first Chinese-English glossary of nearly 1000 nuclear-security terms.* The compendium seeks to reduce misunderstandings between China and the United States--nuclear powers that came into conflict in the Korean War and could conceivably be in confrontation again
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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