Open Knowledge

Chinese writing developed square forms gradually, shaped by language, tools and tradition, analysis suggests

Chinese characters' square shape may have emerged through writing practice, not one design choice.

A rumor’s leftovers may reveal how often people get pulled back in

A study of 354,930 rumor episodes estimated a hidden reactivation rate of 2.21%.

Majorities in Both Parties Say Media Criticism Keeps Politicians in Check

80% of Americans say news criticism helps keep political leaders in check.

Americans’ Trust in Information From News Organizations Has Risen in the Past Year

National news trust climbed 6 points in a year, while local news reached 75%.

Most comprehensive atlas of healthy human tissue launched to help understand disease

More than 9,000 datasets now map healthy tissues from over 500 donors.

Q&A: Hey AI, who should I vote for this year?

MIT's dashboard records how chatbots discuss the 2026 election, answer by answer.

Quantum art is growing—but it isn’t one thing

Researchers mapped 281 quantum-related artworks—and found four distinct ways artists use the

The hidden grammar inside a melody is made of transformations

In 97% of melodies studied, composers reused a smaller motif vocabulary than chance.

Rediscovered 1935 recordings reveal earliest known spoken audio of endangered Louisiana Creole

A 1935 recording offers the earliest known voice of Louisiana Creole.

Team publishes largest-ever dataset on real-world psychedelic support interactions

A new database tracks 25,419 psychedelic support calls outside clinical settings.

Ancient copper mine hints that Iberia played an important role in Bronze Age trade networks

Copper from a Spanish mine may have traveled as far as Scandinavia 3,000 years ago.

IPCC Invites Experts to Review Draft Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage

Experts have until December 20, 2026, to review new carbon removal guidance.

Truth, Elections and the Questionable History of the Club Sandwich

A made-up sandwich inventor fooled Wikipedia readers for more than three years.

Snøfrid the Sámi: Matriarch of Norway's royal bloodline?

Medieval records show South Sámi ancestry was woven into royal family stories.

Who mapped Africa? Debunking the myth that Europeans alone plotted the continent

A map debate raises a bigger question: what else about Africa is overlooked?

Sun's outer magnetic field mapped in 3D for the first time

For the first time, scientists mapped the Sun's hidden magnetic field in 3D.

'Let nothing be forgotten': Holocaust survivors' memorial books honored lives lost and vibrant hometowns

More than 1,000 books kept Jewish hometowns and the lives within them from being forgotten.

Why I sent my archive of nature’s sounds to France (commentary)

Nature's sounds can act like a health record for the planet.

Launch of global seed platform to tackle native seed bottleneck holding back nature restoration

Kew's seed bank holds 2.5 billion seeds, and a new platform makes them easier to find.

Positive News launches new video podcast exploring what’s going right in the world

Positive News is turning its focus on good news into a new video podcast.