Xenolinguistics—the Study of Alien Languages—Helps to Reveal Why All Beings Communicate

Studying how extraterrestrials might communicate could help prepare for first contact and also hint at the point of language itself | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Trump Staff Cuts Hollow Out Extreme Heat Programs

Layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services have dealt a critical blow to the agency's efforts to manage rising temperatures made worse by climate change | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Go Inside a Mexican Wolf Recovery Project Whose Future Is Now Uncertain

The critically endangered Mexican wolf was mounting a comeback, thanks to a conservation program that dropped fostered wolf pups into wild dens. Then politics happened. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

JWST’s Fourth Year of Amazing Science Faces Funding Woes

The next year of science on the James Webb Space Telescope has been announced amid mounting budgetary uncertainty that could affect the unparalleled observatory | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Pioneering Female Doctor Evangelina Rodríguez Faced a Dictator’s Reign of Terror

Beginning in the 1930s, the work—and eventually the life—of Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo, the Dominican Republic’s first female doctor, became threatened by the country’s then new dictator | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Why Some People Follow Authoritarian Leaders—And The Key to Stopping It

To protect democracy and counteract the allure of authoritarianism, reduce people's sense of fear and insecurity, psychology research says | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

New Plan for Particle Physics Megaproject Leaves out Funding Details

A long-awaiting report from CERN explores the feasibility of building a supersized successor to the Large Hadron Collider | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Why Aurora Physicists Are Excited about Fram2’s Private Astronauts

The commercial astronauts onboard SpaceX’s Fram2 mission are flying closer to Earth’s poles than anyone has before, offering an intriguing opportunity for auroral science | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

Tiny, Injectable Pacemaker Runs on Light and then Dissolves

This temporary pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice, could regulate the heart less invasively | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

The Science behind Baseball’s ‘Torpedo Bats’

After a stellar Yankees win on Saturday, torpedo bats are in the spotlight. Is there science behind these baseball bats? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

Trump’s Tariffs Are Expected to Undermine the Clean Energy Transition

New Trump administration tariff son imported goods could exacerbate a shortage of parts used by the energy industry | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

Shingles Vaccination May Help Protect People from Alzheimer’s Disease

A natural experiment in Wales showed that a shingles vaccine might lower the risk of developing dementia | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

Trump Administration Attacks on Science Trigger Backlash from Researchers

“The risks of remaining silent at this defining time are far greater than the risks of speaking out,” says one scientist regarding the Trump administration’s attacks on science | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

Do We Live inside a Black Hole?

The spins of some early galaxies could be a clue that the entire observable universe exists within a black hole—except, that is, for all the evidence to the contrary | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

The Hubble Tension Is Becoming a Hubble Crisis

A long-simmering disagreement over the universe’s present-day expansion rate shows no signs of resolution, leaving experts increasingly vexed | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

Psychology’s Groupthink Helps Explain the Signal Chat Fiasco

At the heart of the Trump administration’s Signal scandal lies the familiar psychological pitfall of groupthink | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

What Is ‘Squirting’? The Science behind the Controversial Phenomenon Explained

A mysterious and often debated aspect of human sexuality colloquially known as “squirting” sparks controversy. This episode explores what research reveals. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

NIH Director Removes Four Main Scientists amid Massive Staff Purge

The Trump Administration has fired four leaders and thousands of employees at the National Institutes of Health in "one of the darkest days" | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

SpaceX’s Fram2 Mission Sends Four Private Astronauts into Polar Orbit

The privately funded Fram2 mission is the first ever to take astronauts into polar orbit—and the latest sign of a “new normal” for human spaceflight | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

Trump Administration Cancels NIH Scientific Integrity Policy

The National Institutes of Health said it pulled the policy because of language on diversity and inclusion, in line with directives from the Trump administration | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

As Happened in Texas, Ignoring EPA Science Will Allow Pollution and Cancer to Fester

Trump administration plans to destroy EPA science will leave the air we breathe and the water we drink more polluted | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

Even Four-Year Olds Instinctively Fact-Check for Misinformation

Children ages four to seven demonstrate natural fact checking skills when put to a test with zebras and space aliens | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

As Measles Continues to Rise, CDC Muffles Vaccine Messaging

By burying an assessment with updates and recommendations about the U.S.’s current measles outbreaks, the CDC has signaled an alarming shift in its public messaging | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Watch SpaceX Launch Historic Fram2 Crewed Mission over Earth’s Poles Tonight

Fram2, a first-of-its-kind private mission to send four astronauts into polar orbit around Earth, is about to launch | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Big Banks Quietly Prepare for Catastrophic Climate Change

Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and an international banking group have quietly concluded that climate change will likely exceed the Paris Agreement's 2 degree goal and are examining how to maintain profits | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Is There a Plus Side to Mental Labor?

Women shoulder most of the work in managing a family and tell us it’s exhausting, but some also say it has benefits | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Top U.S. Researchers Warn against ‘Climate of Fear’ Threatening Science

Despite fears that speaking out will make them targets, top researchers warn that the Trump administration’s “wholesale assault on U.S. science” will harm the nation | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Why 50-Degree-F Days Feel Warmer in Spring Than in Fall

There are real, physiological reasons why the same temperature feels different in April and October | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Does Intermittent Fasting Improve Health Beyond Weight Loss?

Intermittent fasting has gained a following, in part because of tantalizing hints that it can boost cognition, fend off cancer and even slow aging | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Time Spent in Nature is Good for Your Brain, but an Excess Can Negate These Benefits

A “Goldilocks” measure of green space might help stave off dementia, but an excess could lead to cognitive decline | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

The Sounds of Sharks, Meaning behind Mars Molecule and Federal Cuts to Science and Health Agencies

Cuts to federal health and science agencies continue. Plus, we discuss the sounds of sharks, the meaning of Martian molecules and one big dino claw. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Are Near-Death Experiences the Brain's Attempt to Survive Lethal Threats?

Researchers put forward a comprehensive model outlining the conditions that may give rise to the vivid mental phenomena that some people experience as they near death | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

COVID Research Funding to Be Slashed, NIH Documents Show

Studies on COVID, climate change and South Africa are on the latest list of terminated grants by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, according to updated documents obtained by Nature | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

What Caused the Magnitude 7.7 Myanmar and Thailand Earthquake?

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar caused widespread shaking and likely considerable damage because of a lack of buildings built to withstand temblors | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

Amid Trump Cuts, Climate Researchers Wait for the Ax to Fall

Climate experts whose research is funded by federal grants hide, whisper and wait for their jobs to disappear | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

PFAS Found in Nearly Half of Americans’ Drinking Water

New data released by the EPA show that nearly half of people in the U.S. have drinking water contaminated by toxic “forever chemicals,” or PFAS | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

As Starlink and Other Satellites Proliferate, Astronomers Learn to Manage Interference

Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here's how scientists are coping | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

The First Sightings of Hofstadter's Butterfly Emerged from a Happy Accident

In a first, physicists have directly seen Hofstadter’s butterfly—a long-sought-after fractal in the quantum realm | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

How Long Do Pregnancy and Birth Affect the Body?

Data from 300,000 births reveal how essential biological measurements are altered by carrying and delivering a baby | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

Safe, Cheap and Non-Invasive: Ultrasound Could Treat Cancer, Psychiatric Disorders and More

A bioengineer highlights the potential of low-intensity ultrasound for multiple uses, from enhanced drug delivery to the brain to combating cancer | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

Slashing Programs That Help People with Disabilities Is a Nod to Eugenics

By going after Social Security, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education, Donald Trump is signaling his belief that having “good genes” means not having a disability | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

When Was the First Exoplanet Discovered?

Evidence of alien worlds goes back farther than you think | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

Studying Science, Medicine and Engineering at a Nanoscale at an M.I.T. Clean Room

We’re taking you inside MIT.nano, a clean laboratory facility that is critical to nanoscale research, from microelectronics to medical nanotechnology. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

Urban Wildfire Smoke Sensors Miss Harmful Chemicals

As fires burned in Los Angeles this year, newer toxin monitors found contaminants that aren’t measured by standard methods. Now scientists and officials are pushing for better detection | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 13 days ago

Fat Doesn't Deserve Its Bad Rap

Fat is one of the most active, dynamic organs we have. Why can’t we learn to love it? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 14 days ago

How Planetary Defenders Planned to Stop That City-Killer Asteroid

The threat from near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 may have subsided, but discoveries of other hazardous space rocks are set to soar as new observatories come online | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 14 days ago

As Noem Proposes Cutting FEMA, Disaster Response Will Fall to Local, State Authorities

Revelations that Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem plans to abolish or shrink the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent shock waves through state and local emergency responders | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 14 days ago

Rebel Doctor Evangelina Rodríguez Improved Lives and Courted Controversy on her Return to the Dominican Republic

Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo started innovative health programs on her return from France in 1925, but her advocacy for sex workers and contraception soon plunged her into controversy | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 14 days ago