Scientific American

Nanotech Scientists Build on an Insect’s Odd Soccer Ball-Like Excretions to Design Ingenious Camouflage

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 11:45:00 +0000

Artificial versions of nanoscale soccer-ball-like structures called brochosomes might be used to make new forms of military camouflage, self-cleaning surfaces or hydrogen fuel

Do We Live in a Special Part of the Universe?

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000

According to a tenet scientists call the cosmological principle, our place in space is in no way exceptional. But recent observations could overturn this long-held assumption

Some of These Whales May Live Twice as Long as Scientists Thought

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Bowhead whales were known to live up to 200 years, and a new study finds that southern right whales may live up to age 150 if they aren’t being hunted

Meet Pearl Young, Who ‘Raised Hell’ at NASA’s Predecessor

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Pearl Young joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1922, working across departments before becoming a technical editor

Nearly Forgotten ‘Phage Therapy’ Fights Antibiotic Resistance

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

In a new book, a science journalist recounts the story of a lifesaving treatment for infection that scientists broadly dismissed until recently

Northern Lights May Adorn New Year’s Sky after Solar Outbursts

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:00 +0000

Will still more auroras ring out 2024, a year marked by the celestial displays?

How Frazzled Parents Can Be More Present with Kids during the Holidays

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Future-oriented thinking, rather than careening from moment to moment, can help parents have more meaningful moments with their children

Why Countries Are Color-Coding Healthy Foods at Grocery Stores

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 16:30:00 +0000

European Union countries and Australia have rolled out front-of-package nutrient profiling. Color-coding or star rankings let shoppers make quick choices about healthy foods

Outrage Fatigue Is Real. Here’s Why We Feel It and How to Cope

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

Repeated exposure to outrage-inducing news or events can lead to emotional exhaustion. An expert who studies online outrage says there are ways to cope

Jimmy Carter, Who Has Died at Age 100, Spared Millions of People from Guinea Worm, a Debilitating Parasite

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 22:05:00 +0000

Former president Jimmy Carter’s charity has helped transform Guinea worm from a disease that used to infect millions to one that infects fewer than a dozen

Concerning Bird Flu Virus Mutations Found in Severely Ill Patient

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:15:00 +0000

Samples from a hospitalized patient in Louisiana show changes that could make the H5N1 virus spread more easily between humans

For the New Year, the FDA Is Changing What Foods Can Be Called ‘Healthy’

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 18:30:00 +0000

Whole grains and fruits are in, and added sugar is out. That’s going to change what’s on a lot of cereal boxes and other things

People Living in Las Vegas’s Tunnels Urged to Get Medical Treatment

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Street medicine providers and homeless outreach workers who travel into Las Vegas’s drainage tunnels have noticed an uptick in the number of people living underground, and it can be difficult to persuade them to come aboveground for medicine and treatment

How the Duck Stamp Became One of the Most Successful Conservation Tools in U.S. History

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:30:00 +0000

Inside the fiercely competitive Federal Duck Stamp Contest, part of the wildly successful conservation program that has preserved millions of acres of waterfowl habitat

How to Tactfully Ask Your Child’s Friend’s Parents if They Have Guns at Home

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A gun safety check of where your child is going for a playdate or sleepover may save lives

The U.S. Drone Panic Mirrors UFO Overreactions

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

We need less uproar over everyday drones and more critical attention about ones near airports and other restricted airspace

An Earth-Rocking Cosmic Explosion Turns 20

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

Twenty years ago today a magnetar’s epic tantrum made our planet ring like a bell from tens of thousands of light-years away

Why Probability Probably Doesn’t Exist (but It’s Useful to Act like It Does)

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

All of statistics and much of science depends on probability—an astonishing achievement, considering no one’s really sure what it is

Are Octopuses Too Smart to Be Farmed?

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A planned octopus farm is facing opposition. Here’s why

WWII Sugar Rationing Gave Kids a Lifelong Health Boost

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

Infants who experienced rationing had a meaningfully lower risk of diabetes and hypertension decades later

Wikipedia Searches Reveal Differing Styles of Curiosity

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

Mapping explorers of Wikipedia rabbit holes revealed three different styles of human inquisitiveness: the “busybody,” the “hunter” and the “dancer.”

Why People Get More Colds in Winter

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:30:00 +0000

A mixture of colder temperatures, lower humidity and more time spent indoors could explain the uptick in cold viruses during the winter holidays

A Little Math Can Streamline Holiday Cookie Making

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Making cookies is time- and labor-intensive. Here’s how a little math can make it easier and less wasteful this holiday season

How Rare ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome’ Warps Reality

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Researchers are learning what causes Alice in Wonderland syndrome, a rare neurological condition that can appear to warp bodies, time and reality itself

Untangling Why Red Wine Causes Headaches

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Opt for lighter, cheaper wine to dodge headaches this holiday season

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Attempts a Record-Breaking Christmas Eve Flyby

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The Parker Solar Probe will swoop just 6.1 million kilometers above the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve. Scientists are thrilled at what we might learn

How Climate Change Could Trigger Earthquakes

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:30:00 +0000

Climate change may influence seismic activity as melting glaciers reduce pressure on quake-prone faults

Americans Are Moody, and Pollsters Should Pay Attention

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The full potential of public opinion polling lies in its ability to illuminate deeper societal trends beyond electoral forecasts

The World’s Smallest Pasta Is Not Very Tasty

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

Researchers seeking better bandages are creating extremely thin fibers of starch

Reviewing the Climate, Health and Tech Stories We Covered in 2024

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

We’re closing out the year with a roundup of the science stories that stood out to our editors in 2024.

How Feminism Can Guide Climate Change Action

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Feminism gives us the analysis, tools and movement to create a better climate future for everyone. It’s time to embrace it

Run, Lucy, Run! Human Ancestors Could Jog but Not Very Far or Fast

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Three-dimensional models of Australopithecus afarensis hint at the muscular adaptations that made modern humans better runners

Ancient Moon Melt Event May Explain 150-Million-Year Gap in Age Estimates

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:30:00 +0000

The moon may have melted 4.35 billion years ago—explaining a lunar age mystery

Bird Flu Has Spread Out of Control after Mistakes by U.S. Government and Industry

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +0000

As the bird flu virus moved into cows and people, sluggish federal action, deference to industry and neglect for worker safety put the country at risk

Tech Stereotypes Discourage Girls from Computing and Engineering as Early as Age 6

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Early cultural exposure can influence kids’ ideas about gender and STEM in significant ways

What Gives Christmas Trees Their Crisp, Cozy Scent?

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Learn which molecules are responsible for giving Christmas trees their distinct, crisp-yet-spicy scent

The Winter Solstice Is Here. How Dark Days Affect the Human Body

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 12:30:00 +0000

The winter solstice is the culmination of a period every year when each cell in our body literally craves more light

The Human Brainwaves Centennial Exposes a Darker Science History

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The centennial of the discovery of brain waves in humans exposes a chilling tale involving Nazis, war between Russia and Ukraine, suicide and the vicissitudes of history

How Do We Name the Stars?

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 11:45:00 +0000

With billions of stars in the Milky Way, some nomenclature standardization is necessary

Conservation Efforts Save Pandas, Wolves and Panthers from Extinction

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

There are so many species facing extinction—but today we’re telling stories about the animals making a comeback and the conservationists working hard to help.

This Year’s Nobel Prizes Are a Warning about AI

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 10:30:00 +0000

Unless we pursue AI carefully, the Nobel committee will one day give a Peace Prize to the people cleaning up its terrible consequences, just as it did with nuclear physics

The UnitedHealthcare Tragedy Is Why Insurance Needs to Change Now

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 20:00:00 +0000

I am a trauma surgeon and gunshot survivor who has experienced byzantine health insurance coverage firsthand. I understand why people are furious

Biden Pledges Huge Climate Emissions Cuts He Can’t Enforce. Here’s Why It Still Matters

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 17:30:00 +0000

President Biden strengthened the U.S.’s commitment to slash climate pollution under the Paris Agreement knowing that President-elect Donald Trump could abandon it, but states and cities could still use it as a guide

Trump’s Pick for NIH Director Could Harm Science and People's Health

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

With a possible bird flu outbreak looming, Donald Trump’s choice of Jay Bhattacharya, a scientist critical of COVID policies, for the NIH is the wrong move for science and public health

How Dartmouth’s Sexual Harassment Scandal Transformed the Lives of These Women in Science

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000

In 2018 a group of students at Dartmouth College filed a lawsuit that revealed an entrenched culture of power and abuse, and in doing so, they sparked a wider conversation about sexual violence in science.

Most Expensive Dinosaur Fossil Ever Could Reveal Stegosaurus Secrets

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +0000

The huge Stegosaurus fossil Apex, bought at auction for $44.6 million, has debuted on loan at the American Museum of Natural History

Earth Life Found inside Ryugu Asteroid Samples

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Material from asteroid Ryugu riddled with earthly microbes provides a cautionary tale for scientists seeking signs of alien life

Mysterious Constant That Makes Mathematicians Despair

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The proof that the Apéry constant is irrational remains one of the most bizarre events in the history of mathematics

Genetic Testing Is a Gift. But It Shouldn’t be a Present

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Think twice before giving direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits to friends and loved ones

9 Space Images from NASA and Beyond That Stunned in 2024

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 11:30:00 +0000

See the year’s most striking images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, NASA’s Mars rover and the best sky watching on offer