The success of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is no shock to those who have monitored the capable, well-financed group as it seeks an Islamic caliphate

In this essay, the author retraces her father's journey as a US Army photographer in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where he filmed survivors of the atomic bombings. The film was suppressed for decades but has been made public, and the author was able to listen to the survivors reflect on how the bomb, and the filming, changed their lives.

If open-source analysts are right, a loitering munition capable of using AI to pick a target--a killer robot--was used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Autonomous weapons using artificial intelligence are here. And what’s more, the technology is proliferating fast.

A science writer tried brain surface electrical stimulation at a DARPA facility and went from a frustrated shooter to an expert sniper.

North Korea's nuclear test on May 25 has increased the urgency of the nuclear test ban cause but also raised further questions about the feasibility of achieving a truly universal ban. President Barack Obama has promised to seek "aggressive" and "immediate" ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Signed by Washington in 1996, the CTBT was brought before the Senate for ratification once before in 1999.

This beautiful, satiny optical phenomenon can wreck satellite imaging. But it can also reveal hidden aspects of our planet.

A coalition of firefighters and others saved some of the world’s most endangered trees from being consumed by wildfire in Australia—or “Oz,” as locals call their country. What could we learn from this?

President Biden should end the launch-on-warning option and the danger it entails of an unintended nuclear Armageddon. He could order Strategic Command to plan the US nuclear posture on the assumption that he will not launch on warning. US nuclear planners would have to assume a delayed response and revise their contingency plans accordingly.