Astronomers Spy a Black Hole Devouring a Neutron Star

If confirmed, the detection could be the first of its kind and would open new vistas on Einstein’s general theory of relativity and the physics of extreme matter | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

What Greenland Might Have Taught Trump about Warming

The ice-covered island, which is not for sale, is on the front lines of climate change | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Visual Task May Offer Brain Marker for Autism

The brain deals with viewing two images simultaneously in a distinctive way | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Scientists Mull the Astrobiological Implications of an Airless Alien Planet

A rocky world devoid of atmosphere arouses debate over the habitability of the Milky Way’s most common star systems | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Panama Risks Becoming A Broken Link in an Intercontinental Wildlife Route

A survey of nine large mammals found fragmented habitats throughout the country, suggesting the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is failing | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Top U.S. Medical Centers Roll Out DNA Sequencing Clinics for Healthy Clients

Patients can pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to screen for genetic health risks | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues (2014)

Generating three centimeters of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world's top soil could be gone within 60 years, a senior UN official said | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Trials Test if C-section Babies Benefit From Mom's Microbes

Swabbing infants with mothers’ vaginal bacteria could affect the children’s health, but critics warn of sparse data and high risk | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

And Now, the Really Big Coal Plants Begin to Close

Old, small plants were the early retirees, but several of the biggest U.S. coal burners—and CO 2 emitters-will be shuttered by year’s end | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

An Innovative Robotic Exosuit Boosts Both Walking and Running

The soft wearable could prove useful for military applications, emergencies and medical rehabilitation | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

A Flash on Jupiter, the Death of Mitochondria and the World under Your Skin: The Week's Best Science GIFs

Enjoy and loop on | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Treatment for Extreme Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Wins U.S. Government Approval

The three-drug regimen cures 90 percent of people who have the deadliest form of the disease | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

The Reason Antarctica Is Melting: Shifting Winds, Driven by Global Warming

A new study helps solve the puzzle of why the continent’s western glaciers are melting so fast | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Your Employer May Be Spying on You--and Wasting Its Time

New technologies help companies monitor their workers’ every move. But do those data tell them anything useful? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Earth Stopped Getting Greener 20 Years Ago

Declining plant growth is linked toward decreasing air moisture tied to global warming | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Astronomers Closer to Cracking Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts

Canadian telescope finds eight more repeating blasts—energetic events from deep in the cosmos | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Scientists Seek Better Guidelines for Editing Genes in Human Embryos

In the first of two meetings, an international commission discussed the criteria required before such experiments should be conducted—if ever | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Companies May Limit Lifesaving Climate Data to Clients That Can Pay

Multi-billion dollar “climate services” firms are trying to cash in on the financial fear and insecurity prompted by changing weather | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

The Psychological Key to Creating the Best Version of You

People struggle to define their real selves, but they don’t have to | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Can We Rely on Our Intuition?

As the world becomes more complex, making decisions becomes harder. Is it best to depend on careful analysis or to trust your gut? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Antisense Drugs for Huntington's, ALS and Prion Diseases Could Meet the Dire Need for Brain Treatments

A genetic therapy that increases or lowers levels of a protein raises hopes for a treatment for neurological disorders | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Whistleblower Complaint Highlights CDC Turmoil on Climate

The filing will raise concerns that the agency is shifting climate funds to other programs | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Airborne Plastic Is Blowing All the Way to the Arctic

Tiny plastic particles have turned up in samples of Arctic snow, pointing to their ubiquity in the environment | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Space Dust from Ancient Supernova Found Hiding in Antarctica

Iron traces in snowfall originated in a stellar explosion millions of years ago | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Secrets of the Universe Trapped in Antarctic Snow

Scientists found an interstellar iron isotope in Antarctic snow samples—which hints that our region of the universe may be the remnant of an ancient exploding star. Christopher Intagliata reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Despite Controversy, Human Studies of Crispr Move Forward in the U.S.

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Data Thieves Find Easy Pickings in the Health Care System (2016)

Hackers pillage a poorly protected bureaucracy for one third of all breaches involving names and sensitive info | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

When Will All the Ice in the Arctic be Gone?

A climatologist and ice researcher examines the latest trends and data | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Earth Could Be a Lens for a Revolutionary Space Telescope

Stationed beyond the moon, the proposed “terrascope” would use our planet’s atmosphere to magnify light from distant objects | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Climate Shocks Could Reverse Gains in Child Malnutrition

Drought fueled by global warming could exacerbate food insecurity, particularly in developing countries | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Certain Personality Types Likely to Make a "Foodie Call"

Some people go on dates just to score a free meal—a phenomenon known as a ‘foodie call.’ But it takes a certain personality type. Karen Hopkin reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Blood Tests for Alzheimer's: Two Experts on Why New Studies Are Encouraging

Diagnoses could be made of individuals with AD pathology years before the first symptoms | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Two Ebola Drugs Show Promise Amid Ongoing Outbreak

People who receive either therapy soon after infection have a 90 percent survival rate, a clinical trial finds | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

How We Are Wired for Smell

Scientists explore the brain’s “olfactory map” | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Despite Controversy, Human Studies of CRISPR Move Forward in the U.S.

The technology that produced a global scandal in China last year has entered into clinical trials to treat sickle cell anemia and an eye disease | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Scientists Call for Do-Over for Rules on Creating "CRISPR Babies"

On Tuesday, an international commission will meet to develop less ambiguous guidelines for embryo editing | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Southern U.S. Lags North on Disaster Resilience

Though one of the least resilient counties is New York County, or Manhattan | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Artificial Intelligence Sniffs Out Unsafe Foods

Researchers trained machine learning algorithms to read Amazon reviews for hints that a food product would be recalled by the FDA. Christopher Intagliata reports. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Debate Arises over Teaching "Growth Mindsets" to Motivate Students

Research shows conflicting data on the impact of the intervention, but a major new study confirms it can work | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Jacks of All Trades Make the Grade

Journalist and author David Epstein talks about his new book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Climate Deniers Launch Personal Attacks on Teen Activist

They also bash Greta Thunberg's autism, creating collateral damage for others | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Computer Tells Real Smiles From Phonies

Slight changes around the eyes are indeed a giveaway as to whether a smile is sincere or faked. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Ballistic Maggots, Synthetic Winks and Why You're Not Goop: This Week's Best Science GIFs

Enjoy and loop on | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

The Scientific Underpinnings and Impacts of Shame

People who feel shame readily are at risk for depression and anxiety disorders | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

Stare Down Gulls to Avoid Lunch Loss

Researchers slowed the approach of greedy gulls by an average of 21 seconds by staring at the birds versus looking elsewhere. Christopher Intagliata reports. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

We Could Be Witnessing the Death of a Tectonic Plate

A gaping hole in the Juan de Fuca plate could explain why central Oregon has volcanoes | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

These Plants Can Replace Meat--but Will Doing So Help the Environment?

Moving away from meat would reduce fertilizer use, cropland and carbon dioxide emissions. Yet it alone will not save the planet | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago

To Halt Warming and Ensure Food Supplies, Land-Use Practices Must Change

A much-anticipated U.N. report explores the links and feedbacks between climate change and Earth’s land surface | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 years ago