Scientific American

AI Could Help Save Patients from Extreme Heat

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:15:00 +0000

AI could be used to comb through electronic health records and warn vulnerable people about dangerous heat waves

Astronomers Found the Most Self-Destructive Planet in the Sky

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000

This planet triggers flares on its star—spelling its ultimate doom

China’s Tianwen-3 Mission Could Beat the U.S. in the Race to Grab Mars Rocks

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Launching in 2028, China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission could bring Red Planet rocks back to Earth as early as 2031—years ahead of competing U.S.-European efforts

For Dolphins, Echolocation May Be More Like ‘Touching’ Than ‘Seeing’

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:45:00 +0000

Dolphins seem to “feel” their way across the sea with narrow, sweeping beams of sonar

Could AI Make Drone Shows Less Technically Challenging?

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

AI can allow engineers to focus on artistry over technical details for drone shows

4 Nonfiction Books Scientific American Recommended In June

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 21:00:00 +0000

Here's a collection of exclusive book recommendations, from slithering snakes to a river's impact, for your summer reading lists, curated by Scientific American

U.S. National Climate Assessments Website Goes Dark

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Links to the U.S.’s most comprehensive climate reports—the National Climate Assessments—disappeared from the Internet on Monday, along with the official government website that houses them

Could China’s New Ozempic-like Drugs Beat Out Current Weight-Loss Medications?

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:30:00 +0000

GLP-1 drugs currently being tested in China target complications associated with obesity such as heart disease, fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes

Russia’s Space Program Is Another Casualty of the War in Ukraine

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000

To achieve its ambitious plans for missions to the moon and beyond, Russia needs other spacefaring nations as partners. But the war in Ukraine is making that help increasingly hard to find

See Earth’s Forests as Never Before in Biomass Satellite’s First Images

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000

New images from the European Space Agency’s Biomass mission show how the satellite uses advanced radar to map flows of carbon through our planet’s most precious and remote ecosystems

Rubin Observatory Data Flood Will Let the Universe Alert Astronomers 10 Million Times a Night

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Astronomers have never had this much data available this quickly before

Summer Learning Loss Happens, but Kids Quickly Recover

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:30:00 +0000

During the summer, kids can forget some of what they learned during the school year. They recover quickly, but here are some tips to stem the slide

World’s Oldest Rocks Confirmed in Canada

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:00:00 +0000

In 2008 scientists reported that rocks in Canada were the world’s oldest. New data appear to confirm this contested claim

Cells Can ‘Hear’ Sounds—And Respond Genetically

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:45:00 +0000

Audible sound can affect gene activity in mouse cells, boosting the attachment of muscle precursors to surrounding tissue and decreasing fat accumulation

Why Did the Company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline Sue Greenpeace?

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Energy Transfer, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, sued the nonprofit Greenpeace over alleged conspiracy—the host of Drilled explains why

Weather Forecasters Lose Crucial Hurricane Detection Microwave Satellite Data

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 21:00:00 +0000

Microwave satellite data are key to capturing major changes in a hurricane’s strength, such as when a storm undergoes rapid intensification. But a main source of those data is being abruptly shut off

Solar-Powered Slug Steals Chloroplasts and Stores Them for Emergency Food

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:00:00 +0000

A certain species of sea slug steals chloroplasts from algae and houses its contraband in special organelles that it can raid for food in times of need

Meditation’s Benefits Stretch Beyond the Person Who Meditates

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Often framed as a boon for personal wellness, meditation helps us connect with and support others, too

New Proof Dramatically Compresses Space Needed for Computation

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Surprising new work bucks 50 years of assumptions about the trade-offs between computation space and time

Could the Solar System Lose a Planet to a Passing Star?

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:45:00 +0000

Close stellar encounters could change the structure of our planetary system, potentially dooming Earth or other worlds to oblivion

Creating Bird Flu Vaccines for Humans at a Biosecure Laboratory

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

This San Antonio, Tex., lab takes biosecurity seriously. Suit up with its scientists and go behind the scenes of the science of vaccine creation.

Does Using ChatGPT Really Change Your Brain Activity?

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:45:00 +0000

Scientists warn against reading too much into a small experiment about ChatGPT and brain activity that is receiving a lot of buzz

These Actions Could Make Vaccines Safer. But RFK, Jr., Isn’t Pursuing Them

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Vaccines are safe, but they could always be safer—here’s what would make a difference

A Gigantic Megacomet Is Erupting as It Zooms through the Solar System

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:15:00 +0000

Recent observations have revealed carbon monoxide venting from the largest comet ever seen, providing clues about its origins in the mysterious depths of the outer solar system

Heat Domes Are Hotter and Lingering Longer—Because of the Arctic

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:15:00 +0000

A rapidly warming Arctic is driving long-lasting summer extremes, such as this month’s sweltering temperatures, new research suggests

Math Enthusiasts Unite to Have Rover Calculate Pi on the Moon

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:45:00 +0000

Later this year a tiny rover will carry out an unusual lunar task

What Is Thimerosal? Why Most Vaccines Don’t Contain Mercury Anymore

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 21:30:00 +0000

Thimerosal, which contains an organic compound of mercury, has mostly been phased out as a preservative for vaccines. Here’s how we know it is safe and why we still use it in some vaccines given to adults

Archaeologists Recreate Prehistoric Tools to Build a Canoe for 140-Mile Ocean Voyage

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 19:20:00 +0000

Researchers and expert seafarers teamed up to re-create an ocean journey from more than 30,000 years ago

Use Summer Break to Build Closer Bonds with Your Children

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

The kids are out of school, and some of the pressures may be off. Here’s how you can further connect with them to make next year a little easier

Trump Administration Ousts National Science Foundation from Headquarters Building

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:25:00 +0000

Employees at the National Science Foundation say they’ve been blindsided by a plan for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take over their offices

Sexual Synesthesia Paints the World in Color at the Moment of Orgasm

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:30:00 +0000

Scientists are just beginning to document sexual synesthesia, a phenomenon that can bring consciousness-altering washes of color and fantastical scenes at the moment of orgasm

When Do Babies Become Conscious?

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Answering the question of when consciousness emerges is deeply tied to the mystery of what it actually is and how it can be measured

A Sodom and Gomorrah Story Shows Scientific Facts Aren’t Settled by Public Opinion

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Claims that an asteroid or comet airburst destroyed the biblical Sodom captured the public’s imagination. Its retraction shows that scientific conclusions aren’t decided by majority rule in the public square

See Vaccine Recommendations Backed by Science in These Handy Charts

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000

These graphics will guide you through science-based vaccine guidelines for children and adults

How Bird Flu Went from Devastating Poultry Farms to Infecting Dairy Herds

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The bird flu was long known to poultry farmers. Here’s why the dairy industry was caught off guard by its jump to cattle.

How Perfectionism Hurts Parents and Their Kids

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 18:30:00 +0000

New research highlights the risks and occasional rewards of parental perfectionism

How to Keep Your Home Cool in Extreme Heat

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:45:00 +0000

When extreme heat arrives, here are science-based tips to keep your home cool, from the most efficient way to use air conditioning to strategic uses of fans

Did the U.S. Really Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program?

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Nuclear policy specialist David Albright explains how his organization is monitoring for damage to nuclear sites following U.S. and Israeli strikes

Dark Matter ‘Droplets’ Could Solve Multiple Cosmic Mysteries

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Inspired by superconductivity, a strange new theory that seeks to explain dark matter might explain dark energy, too

To Make Better Choices, Understand How Your Brain Processes Values

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000

The brain weighs factors based on their importance to oneself and one’s social world as part of a complex calculation that shapes behavior

The Hidden Game Theory of Sherlock Holmes

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

In the early 20th century, a mathematician and economist sought the optimal strategy for Holmes to escape Moriarty’s pursuit

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft, Exploring Solar System Origins, Is Back on Track after Thrusters Lost Power

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 21:30:00 +0000

This explorer spacecraft is heading to a rare asteroid with a naked metal core. It could hold clues to how Earth began

AI and Data Centers Could Cut More Climate-Change-Causing Emissions Than They Create

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Power-hungry AI and associated data centers could make the grid cleaner, eventually cutting more climate-change-causing emissions than they produce

Orcas’ Social Skin-Care Routine Uses Kelp as a Tool

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Massaging one another with kelp could help orcas keep their skin healthy

How H5N1 Went from an Illness in Wild Birds to a Global Pandemic Threat

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The first hints that a new strain of avian illness is emerging could be found on this beach on Delaware Bay, where migrating birds flock. Here’s what virus detectives who return there every year know right now.

Rubin Observatory’s First Images Just Unveiled the Universe as We’ve Never Seen It Before

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 04:01:00 +0000

Astronomy fans can zoom in practically forever into the stunning first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Elon Musk Launches the Robotaxi—Can Tesla’s Cybercab Share the Road with America’s Myth of the Highway?

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 19:00:00 +0000

For more than a century, cars have meant freedom, escape and self-reinvention to Americans. Now Tesla’s forthcoming Cybercab makes us ask whether we can have the romance of the open road without actually driving it

First Near-Complete Denisovan Skull Reveals What This Ancient Human Cousin Looked Like

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 20:00:00 +0000

A Denisovan skull has been identified for the first time. The find was based on proteins and calcified dental plaque

Hurricane Hunter Flights Improve Hurricane Forecasts, But Trump Budget Cuts Could Threaten Them

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter airplane missions significantly increase the accuracy of hurricane forecasts, but President Trump’s proposed budget cuts jeopardize the data-gathering efforts and other forecasting tools

How Does a Gravitational Slingshot Work?

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 10:45:00 +0000

Spacecraft can get a significant boost by stealing energy from planets