Top Emerging Technologies of 2018

Disruptive solutions that are poised to change the world | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

North Carolina's Natural Hurricane Defenses Are Disappearing

Development and sea level rise are chipping away at the barrier islands that help shield the mainland | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

FEMA's Former Chief Taps AI to Prep for Hurricanes and Rising Seas

Craig Fugate talks about how big data will provide more precise analyses that can head off losses from future storms  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Brain's Dumped DNA May Lead to Stress, Depression

New research suggests genetic material from the mitochondria can trigger an immune response throughout the body | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Can California Achieve a “Carbon Neutral” Economy?

Governor Jerry Brown signed an executive order calling for carbon neutrality by 2045 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

White House Hobbles Nuclear Weapons Safety Agency

As Trump calls for new bomb production, the administration cuts safety board access to nuclear facilities | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

How Mammals Maintain Symmetry During Development

Communication with the placenta is key to ensuring body parts grow at the same rate | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Are Digital Devices Altering Our Brains?

Some say our gadgets and computers can help improve intelligence. Others say they make us stupid and violent. Which is it? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Data Confirm Semiautomatic Rifles Linked to More Deaths, Injuries

An analysis of FBI records supports anecdotal evidence in policy debate on gun control | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

The Quest to Conquer Earth’s Space Junk Problem

Zombie satellites, rocket shards and collision debris are creating major traffic risks in orbits around the planet. Researchers are working to reduce the threats posed by more than 20,000 objects in space | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

New Walls Aim to Hold Back Rising Seas Off Tanzania

Coastal erosion and flooding threaten Dar es Salaam, one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

From Fish to Humans, a Microplastic Invasion May Be Taking a Toll

Tiny bits of plastic have seeped into soil, fish and air, posing a threat to animal and human health | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Artificial Intelligence Nails Predictions of Earthquake Aftershocks

A neural-network analysis outperforms the method scientists typically use to work out where these tremors will strike | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Physicists Observe the Higgs Boson's Elusive Decay

Directly detecting this long-predicted phenomenon further validates the Standard Model of particle physics | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

A 40-Year Quest Uncovers Hearing's “Holy Grail” Protein

A new discovery shows how sound waves become brain waves—it may help find new therapies for the hearing-impaired | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

United States Woefully Unprepared for Nuclear Strike

Health system lacks capacity to respond to attacks that use high-powered modern weapons | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Pineapple Waste Won't Be Wasted

Costa Rican scientists are extracting valuable materials from the peel and stubble of pineapples. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

To Test Einstein's Equations, Poke a Black Hole

Researchers make significant progress toward proving a critical mathematical test of the theory of general relativity | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Artificial Intelligence Will Serve Humans, Not Enslave Them

AI will serve our species, not control it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Why Pre-Workout Static Stretching Is Actually Dangerous

While it is true that we should definitely warm up before exercise, holding a static stretch is definitely not the way to go about it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Computers Can Be Hacked Using High-Frequency Sound

A computer's microphone and speakers can covertly send and receive data | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Forget “Manned” Missions--Females May Be More Mentally Resilient in Deep Space

A controversial new study in lab mice hints at sex-based differences in cosmic ray–induced cognitive decline | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

When a Neandertal Fell for a Denisovan, What Happened Was Only Human

Scientists describe the hybrid child of two starkly different human groups | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

As Spring Arrives Earlier, Arctic Geese Speed Up Their Migration

The birds are arriving in the Arctic up to 13 days earlier than they used to. But at a cost: hunger. Annie Sneed reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Need More Self-Control? Try a Simple Ritual

Study finds an unusual technique for eating less | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

How Do We Measure the Distance to Stars?

The answer lies in the tiny shifts we see in a star's position as Earth revolves around the sun. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Honest Liars: Dishonest Leaders May Be Perceived as Authentic

Donald Trump’s election suggests supporters view an outsider’s lies as symbolic protests against the establishment | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

A Superconductor Scandal? Scientists Question a Nobel-Prize-Worthy Claim

Scientists claim to have achieved superconductivity at room temperature, but other physicists say the data looks doctored | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

This Ultrahot Exoplanet Has Metallic Skies

Astronomers have found iron and titanium in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized world KELT-9b, the hottest known exoplanet | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

NYU Medical School Students Will Get Free Tuition

The move could have benefits far beyond one medical school | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Life at the Improv: The Power of Imagination

Stephen Asma, professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, talks about his two latest books, The Evolution of Imagination and Why We Need Religion. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

For Some Crows, Migration Is Optional

Crows are what's known as 'partial migrants'—as cold weather approaches some crows fly south, while others stay put. And that behavior appears to be ingrained. Christopher Intagliata reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Scientists Want to Fly an Armored Warplane into Hailstorms

Hail causes most thunderstorm-related damage and could become more common with warming | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Prize-Winning Images of the Brain

Check out this year’s winners of The Art of Neuroscience competition | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Are Blockchains the Answer for Secure Elections? Probably Not

As midterm political campaigns shift into full gear, start-ups are pushing for blockchain-based voting | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

An Entirely New Type of Antidepressant Targets Postpartum Depression

The steroid drug is intended to help women who suffer from the hormone-driven condition | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

We Need to Capture Carbon to Fight Climate Change

Grabbing CO 2 as it exits smokestacks is key to fighting climate change | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Can Talk Therapy Help People Who Are Unable to Experience Joy?

Researchers are developing new treatments for a depression symptom called anhedonia | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Meteorites May Have Created Some of Earth's Oldest Rocks

A barrage of impacts more than four billion years ago is linked to ancient stones found in Canada | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Is Gravity Quantum?

The ongoing search for the graviton—the proposed fundamental particle carrying gravitational force—is a crucial step in physicists’ long journey toward a theory of everything | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Crickets Carve Tools to Amplify Their Chirps

The insects fashion and use "baffles"—sound controllers—made of leaves to produce sound more efficiently. Jason G. Goldman reports. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Advances in Treating Hep C Lead to New Option for Transplant Patients

People infected with the once-deadly virus can now be donors | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Earth Has a Hidden Plastic Problem--Scientists Are Hunting It Down

Trillions of tiny particles generated by our plastic-reliant society are polluting environments worldwide | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Serotonin Revived as a Possible Target for Autism Treatments

Speeding up the chemical messenger’s action makes autism-modeling mice more social | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Computer Programmers Get New Tech Ethics Code

The guidelines come from the Association for Computing Machinery | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Thousands of Exotic “Topological” Materials Discovered Through Sweeping Search

Haul thrills physicists, who previously knew of just a few hundred of these peculiar materials | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Computerized Chemical Toxicity Prediction Beats Animal Testing

Researchers programmed a computer to compare structures and toxic effects of different chemicals, making it possible to then predict the toxicity of new chemicals based on their structural similarity to known ones.   | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

The Other Reason Mosquitoes Want to Suck Your Blood

Mosquitoes are more likely to bite hosts when they are thirsty, possibly increasing disease spread | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago