Is Space the Place for Earth’s Next Evolutionary Leap?

In a new book, NASA astrobiologist Caleb Scharf says the fate of life on Earth may hinge on leaving our planet behind | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 hours ago

Not Everyone with Schizophrenia Hears Voices. Here’s Why

New research aims to tease out what exactly is happening in the brains of people with schizophrenia who have auditory hallucinations | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 hours ago

Mathematicians’ Chalkboard Writing Shows When Inspiration Strikes

Researchers spot the “tipping point” before mathematicians’ moments of discovery | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 hours ago

Exploring Food Texture and Taste Perception with Kendra Pierre-Louis

Kendra Pierre-Louis steps in as interim host and dives into the science behind why some foods—especially mayonnaise—can gross us out. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 hours ago

AI Slop—How Every Media Revolution Breeds Rubbish and Art

The popularization of the term “slop” for AI output follows a centuries-long pattern where new tools flood the zone, audiences adapt and some of tomorrow’s art emerges from today’s excess | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 1 day ago

Rubin Observatory Discovers Surprise ‘Tail’ on Iconic Galaxy

The first image from the Vera C. Rubin telescope reveals a previously unnoticed feature of the galaxy M61 that may explain its mysterious properties | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 2 days ago

James Watson, Co-Discoverer of DNA’s Structure, Dead at Age 97

James Watson’s work on the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA led to a revolution in biology and genetics | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 2 days ago

Early Arctic Cold Snap Could Break Decades-Old Temperature Records

An early cold snap will chill much of the U.S., potentially breaking records in the Southeast | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

China's Stranded Astronauts Show the Dangers of Space Junk

Three Chinese astronauts will likely return safely to Earth after a reported space-junk strike. But the incident highlights the growing risk of orbital debris | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

What FAA’s Flight Reduction Plan Means for Safety and Cancellations

“I have no problems flying,” says one expert about the FAA’s plan to reduce flights by 10 percent at 40 airports nationwide. “I would get on an airplane tomorrow” | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

World's Largest Spider Web Discovered in Bizarre Sulfur Cave

The finding is the first documented case of colonial behavior between two solitary species | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

Why Is the Milky Way Warped?

Observations show the disk of our galaxy is not flat but warped and waving. Astronomers are still working out the reasons why | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

Tom Zeller, Jr., on Migraine Research, Gender Bias and the Cultural Stigma of Headaches

Migraine and cluster headaches affect millions—yet research remains surprisingly thin. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

Study Suggests COVID Pandemic May Have Aged Everyone’s Brain

Immunologist Zachary Rubin explains how, according to a recent study, living through a pandemic might accelerate brain aging. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

Two Vaquita Calves Offer Flicker of Hope for Most Endangered Porpoises on Earth

The latest report shows that the estimated number of endangered vaquita porpoises has modestly increased | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 3 days ago

AI Decodes Visual Brain Activity—and Writes Captions for It

A non-invasive imaging technique can translate scenes in your head into sentences. It could help to reveal how the brain interprets the world | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 days ago

An Opera Explores the Story of Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of DNA

Betrayal, ambition and the double helix: turning Rosalind Franklin’s story and the discovery of the structure of DNA into an opera | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 days ago

Ancient Roman Roads Mapped in Detail from Great Britain to North Africa

New findings increase the known length of the Roman Empire’s road network by more than 60,000 miles | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 days ago

Black Hole ‘Superflare’ Is the Strongest Ever Seen

A “superflare” 10 trillion times brighter than the sun is confirmed as the record holder for luminosity | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 days ago

Alarm Grows over Proposed Giant Mirrors in Orbit and Other Commercial Space Plans

Reflect Orbital’s plan to deliver “sunlight on demand” using thousands of giant orbital mirrors is just the latest in a growing list of disruptive commercial activities in space | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 days ago

Ozempic and Wegovy May Slow Alcohol Absorption and Intoxication

A small study helps explain why some people taking Wegovy and similar weight-loss drugs cut back on alcohol, offering insight into potential new addiction therapies | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 4 days ago

Archaeologists Uncover a Monumental Ancient Maya Map of the Cosmos

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a ritual-based site that may have been built long before the rise of Maya rulers | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 days ago

NASA Chief Pick Jared Isaacman Renominated to Head Agency

Ahead of Jared Isaacman’s renomination for the position of NASA’s administrator, a dispute between him and its acting chief Sean Duffy spilled into the open, with potentially profound consequences for the U.S. space agency | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 days ago

COVID Is Beginning to Surge Globally—What Are the Symptoms, and How Serious Is It?

Limited COVID surveillance data are hampering vaccination and health strategies, researchers say | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 days ago

Long-Lived Gamma-Ray Burst Is Unlike Any Seen Before

A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 days ago

What Is ARFID? Doctors Explain Why the Eating Disorder’s Rates Are Rising

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID, can cause malnutrition and weight loss in children and adults even when body image is not a factor | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 days ago

The Psychology Behind Standing Up and Saying No

Why saying no is harder than it should be. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 5 days ago

Gene Editing Helped One Baby—Could It Help Thousands?

In a world first, a bespoke gene-editing therapy benefited one child. Now researchers plan to launch a clinical trial of the approach | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 days ago

The Taurid Meteor Shower May Hide an Impact Threat to Earth

Debris from Comet Encke creates two annual meteor showers, but it might also pose a small risk to Earth. Scientists are investigating | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Why Hurricane Melissa Was One of the Most Powerful Atlantic Storms in History

Hurricane Melissa’s rare intensity and lasting impact reveal how storms are evolving in a warming world. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Measles Elimination Status Threatened in U.S. and Canada

A meeting of the Pan American Health Organization this week will address the resurgence of measles in the Americas | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Orcas Repeatedly Attack Young Great White Sharks, Drone Footage Reveals

An orca pod has been spotted for the first time repeatedly targeting and flipping young great white sharks onto their backs to paralyze and dismember them | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 7 days ago

Can AI Music Ever Feel Human? The Answer Goes beyond the Sound

A personal experiment with the artificial intelligence music platform Suno’s latest model echoes a new preprint study. Most listeners can’t tell AI music from the real thing, but emotional resonance still demands a human story | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 8 days ago

COVID During Pregnancy May Raise Autism Risk, Study Suggests

A new study adds to the evidence that viral infections during pregnancy might contribute to a child’s likelihood of having autism | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

The End of the International Space Station Will Begin a New Era of Commercial Outposts

Humans have been in space onboard the ISS continuously for 25 years. As the station nears its end, new commercial habitats are lining up to take its place | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

How Childhood Relationships Affect Your Adult Attachment Style, according to Large New Study

A large new study reveals how early relationships with parents and friends influence how we relate to those closest to us in adulthood | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 9 days ago

How Composers Make Horror Movie Music Sound Terrifying

Horror movie composers use musical tricks to hijack your nervous system and put you on edge | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

The Interplanetary Race to Study Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Astronomers are hustling to use interplanetary spacecraft to study the interstellar comet dubbed 3I/ATLAS while the sun is hiding it from Earth | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

How Supermassive Black Holes Can Become Cosmic Nightmares

Huge eruptions from the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole in the distant past may have sterilized much of the inner galaxy | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

How One Mom Used Vibe Coding to Build an AI Tutor for Her Dyslexic Son

Faced with her son’s struggle with dyslexia, one mom built an AI platform to help kids learn their own way | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

Why Some Treats Are Trickier for Your Gut Microbiome

This Halloween discover how your candy choices can trick—or treat—the microbes in your gut. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 10 days ago

How Are Annual Flu Vaccines Made?

Immunologist Zachary Rubin explains how the World Health Organization decides which strains of influenza end up in annual flu vaccines. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

Chimpanzee Metacognition Allows Humanlike Belief Revision

Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

Seismometers Picked Up Hurricane Melissa’s Historic Power Like an Earthquake

Seismometers picked up the ferocious winds and waves of Hurricane Melissa, showing how the tools can be used to better understand storms today and those from the past | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

Trump’s Baffling Call for Resuming U.S. Nuclear Tests

“The only countries that will really learn more if [U.S. nuclear] testing resumes are Russia and, to a much greater extent, China,” says Jeffrey Lewis, an expert on the geopolitics of nuclear weaponry | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

Nanotyrannus Isn’t a Juvenile T-Rex—It’s a Separate Dinosaur

An analysis suggests Nanotyrannus is a separate, smaller dinosaur that lived alongside T. rex, settling a 30-year debate | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

FDA Is Investigating the Abortion Pill Mifepristone despite Decades of Studies Showing It’s Safe

Some scientists are concerned that the Trump administration will use “junk science” when reviewing mifepristone’s safety record | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago

How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi

What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Whether in the real world or a game environment, the answer is complex | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 11 days ago