The Mars Rover and the Story of a Curious Little Girl

An e-mail from Brazil reminds the author of how important it is to inspire young women to love science | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Strongest Evidence Yet Shows Air Pollution Kills

The finding comes as the Trump administration has been rolling back clean air regulations | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

There Is Little Evidence That Mass Transit Poses a Risk of Coronavirus Outbreaks

A major drop in public transit use coincides with concerns about reducing air pollution that can exacerbate lung conditions | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Little Evidence that Mass Transit Poses a Risk of Coronavirus Outbreaks

A major drop in public transit use coincides with concerns about reducing air pollution that can exacerbate lung conditions | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Why Doctors Are Posing in Swimwear on Social Media

A study purporting to uncover “unprofessionalism” spurred a #MedBikini -hashtagged backlash | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Poor Pluto Is 10 Times Smaller Than Thought

Originally published in July 1950 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Poor Pluto Is Ten Times Smaller than Thought

Originally published in July 1950 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Why Some Male Leaders Won't Follow COVID-19 Safety Protocols

Men often think masks and other precautions make them look like wimps | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

When the First Farmers Arrived in Europe, Inequality Evolved

Forests gave way to fields, pushing hunter-gatherers to the margins—geographically and socially | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Picturing God as a White Man Is Linked to Racial Stereotypes about Leaders

Pervasive racial images associated with the Almighty shape who people see as worthy of being in charge | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

The Brittle Star That Sees with its Body

It turns out that eyes aren’t necessary for vision | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

An Immune Protein Could Prevent Severe COVID-19--if It Is Given at the Right Time

The antiviral interferon might help early but exacerbate disease in later stages | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

An Immune Protein Could Prevent Severe COVID-19--if It Is Given at the Right Time

The antiviral interferon might help early but exacerbate disease in later stages | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

In Bee Shortage Bubbles Could Help Pollinate

Soap bubbles are sticky enough to carry a pollen payload and delicate enough to land on flowers without harm. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Too Many Black Americans Are Dying from COVID-19

The pandemic exposed a glaring health gap caused by systemic racism. Here’s how to narrow it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Vaccine Trials Should Reflect America's Diversity

Racial minorities and those with underlying health conditions may be at a greater risk from coronavirus infection, but have historically been less likely to be included in clinical trials | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Don't Blame Psychologists (Do) for Subliminal Advertising

Originally published in August 1958 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Search for a Cleaner Jet Fuel Leads to Sewage Plants

Researchers aim to short-circuit the decay process in organic waste to produce a potent, less carbon-intensive fuel | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

We Need Federal Action to Prevent the Next Pandemic

To reduce the likelihood of crises like COVID-19, a comprehensive national approach is essential | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

NASA's Ingenuity--the First Ever Off-World Helicopter--Is Set for a 'Wright Brothers Moment' on Mars

Launching with the Perseverance rover, this technology demonstration could lead to revolutionary new capabilities in interplanetary exploration | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,' Better Known as UFOs, Deserve Scientific Investigation

UAP are a scientifically interesting problem. Interdisciplinary teams of scientists should study them | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Why Young Americans Are Lonely

And what we can do about it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Perpetual Fertility: How an Obscure Sea Creature Makes Endless Eggs and Sperm

Understanding hydractinia’s rare ability could provide insights into human reproductive disorders  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Science News Briefs from Around the Planet

Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one about how a lizard population responded to hurricanes by on average developing larger and stickier toe pads.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Seismologists Find the World Quieted Down during Pandemic Lockdowns

COVID-19-related lockdowns dampened human activity around the globe—giving seismologists a rare glimpse of the earth’s quietest rumblings. Christopher Intagliata reports. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Seismologists Find a Silver Lining to Pandemic Lockdowns

COVID-19-related lockdowns dampened human activity around the globe—giving seismologists a rare glimpse of Earth's quietest rumblings. Christopher Intagliata reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Joining Pro-Business Groups Can Make Tech Firms Seem to Be Antiscience

Some trade organizations have distorted the facts on climate change and other issues to keep members’ profits high  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

World War II's Warsaw Ghetto Holds Lifesaving Lessons for COVID-19

An outbreak of typhus in the densely packed walled enclosure was countered by adopting all-too-familiar public health measures | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Coronavirus News Roundup: July 18-July 24

Here are pandemic highlights for the week | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Old Art Offers Agriculture Info

Art museums are filled with centuries-old paintings with details of plants that today give us clues about evolution and breeding practices. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

World's Smallest Dinosaur is Probably a Lizard

Paper that reported the animal’s discovery was retracted following new evidence from a similar fossil | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Policy Can Clash with Affordable Housing

Efforts to green buildings and encourage public transit could unintentionally price out low-income residents | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Reimagining Colleges and Universities to Make Them More Equitable

COVID-19 could amplify the persistent lack of diversity in higher education—but it also gives us a chance to fix it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Scientists Unveil First Ever Pictures of Multiple Planets around a Sunlike Star

The two giant worlds, each much larger than Jupiter, constitute only the third multiplanet system ever imaged | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

How COVID-19 Decreases Weather Forecast Accuracy

Meteorologists take advantage of weather data collected by commercial jetliners at difference altitudes and locations. Fewer flights means less data. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Worst- and Best-Case Scenarios for Warming Less Likely, Groundbreaking Study Finds

The research narrows the range for how much Earth’s average temperature may rise if CO 2 levels are doubled | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

How Many Hot Dogs Can a Human Theoretically Eat? A Sports Scientist Weighs In

As vendors gear up for the delayed start of the MLB season, we should reflect on the new world record just set in the Nathan’s Famous competition | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Tanks Carry Tourists into the French Alps

Originally published in November 1919 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Controversial Cave Discoveries Suggest Humans Reached Americas Much Earlier Than Thought

Archeologists say stone artifacts point to occupation more than 30,000 years ago—but not everyone is convinced | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

The Svalbard Vault Now Has One Million Seeds

Backup seeds—held in storage as insurance against climate change—come from nearly every country in the world | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

The Beautiful Things inside Your Head: Winners of the 10th Annual Art of Neuroscience Contest

The top works—and our favorites—range from interactive pieces to a pen-and-paper drawing | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

The Power of Scientific Brainstorming

The process can be inefficient, but it can also get research out of a rut | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Japan Prepares for Hayabusa2's Daring Return to Earth

In December the spacecraft will swing past our planet and drop off samples collected from an ancient asteroid | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Cricket Avoids Being Bat Food By Doing Nothing

The sword-tailed cricket can discern bats's echolocation signals by only responding to calls of a certain volume, at which point it plummets out of their approach. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Coronavirus Rages on Coasts as Hurricane Fears Rise

Dramatic increases in storm-prone areas will complicate evacuation, sheltering and recovery efforts | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Warning: Atmosphere Could Burst into Flames

Originally published in August 1846 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

What AIDS Taught Us about Dealing with COVID-19

It’s foolhardy to assume that only some categories of people are at risk | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago

Quantum Tunneling Is Not Instantaneous, Physicists Show

A new experiment tracks the transit time of particles burrowing through barriers, revealing previously unknown details of a deeply counterintuitive phenomenon | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 years ago