Research roundup: Six cool science stories we almost missed
Summary
Ars Technica’s research roundup highlights six science stories from February 2026, spanning Edison nickel–iron battery revival, a black-hole formation event, smart underwear for measuring gas, a Kuiper Belt snowman–shaped object formation, AI-assisted interpretation of an ancient Roman game, and DishBrain’s Doom-playing neural network in a dish. The collection showcases AI- and data-driven approaches across disciplines, from materials science to archaeology and neuroscience. It illustrates how computational methods enable new insights in diverse research areas.