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The Absurd Pregnancy Math behind the Texas 'Six-Week' Abortion Ban 2021-09-04
The law the Supreme Court just failed to block is not just a blow to women; it’s biologically nonsensical
Michelle Rodrigues
You Have Probably Eaten This Natural Food Additive without Knowing It 2021-09-02
A new video series from Scientific American and Spektrum der Wissenschaft gives you a serving of science. In this episode, we take a look at something called inulin.
Spektrum, Scientific American Staff
Abortion Rights Are at the Greatest Risk since Roe v. Wade Was Decided in 1972 2021-09-02
The Supreme Court will hear a case in the upcoming term that could officially overturn that historic ruling
Elizabeth Nash
Rogue Antibodies Involved In Nearly One Fifth of COVID Deaths 2021-09-01
Self-targeting antibodies attack part of the immune system that plays a key role in fighting infection
Diana Kwon, Nature magazine
New Tool Shows Geology behind Kidney Stone Crystallization 2021-09-01
Rather than crystallizing all at once, kidney stones dissolve and re-form over and over
Harini Barath
Virus or Bacterium? Rapid Test Pinpoints Infection's Cause 2021-08-31
A generation of new tests could lessen overuse of antibiotics
Harini Barath
U.S. Forces Are Leaving a Toxic Environmental Legacy in Afghanistan 2021-08-30
Legal and practical obstacles make it difficult to clean the burn pits and health-damaging chemicals that remain at military bases
Kelsey D. Atherton
COVID, Quickly, Episode 13: Vaccine Approval, Breakthrough Infections, Boosters 2021-08-27
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between. You can listen to all past episodes here.
Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Jeffery DelViscio
YouTube's Plan to Showcase Credible Health Information Is Flawed, Experts Warn 2021-08-27
Search results may include a special section with videos from sources that are deemed reliable
Grant Currin
How to Reduce Racial Disparities in Smoking Deaths 2021-08-26
African Americans die at a higher rate than other groups and have a harder time quitting. But new evidence-based approaches can change that
Bryan W. Heckman, Anne Davis, James E.K. Hildreth
Humanitarians Push to Vaccinate in Conflict Zones 2021-08-26
Pandemic ceasefires offer an opportunity to expand vaccination efforts, experts say. But negotiation is tricky
Madeline Drexler, Undark
How COVID, Inequality and Politics Make a Vicious Syndemic 2021-08-26
Overlapping diseases and social conditions in the U.S. continue to dictate who is hurt most badly by the novel coronavirus
Emily Mendenhall, Clarence C. Gravlee
Unraveling the Mystery of Why Children Are Better Protected from COVID Than Adults 2021-08-26
Their immune system is more primed to fight off the novel coronavirus
Lars Fischer
COVID Vaccines Show No Signs of Harming Fertility or Sexual Function 2021-08-24
The novel coronavirus, in contrast, can disrupt both things in unvaccinated men and women
Emily Willingham
Policies Mandated by Multilateral Institutions Are Contributing to India's COVID Catastrophe 2021-08-22
The World Bank’s and the International Monetary Fund’s pressure to privatize India’s health care system deepened inequities in access—to lethal effect
Puja Changoiwala
The FDA Should Remove Its Restrictions on the 'Abortion Pill' Mifepristone 2021-08-21
The science is clear: abortion by medication is safe and effective
Kelly Cleland
Should You Get a Booster Shot? Here's What We Know 2021-08-20
Experts weigh in on common questions about whether and when additional doses of coronavirus vaccines may be needed
Tanya Lewis
Years Before COVID-19, Zombies Helped Prepare One Hospital System for the Real Pandemic 2021-08-20
An educational experiment used escape rooms and the undead to set the stage for a terrible situation that would become all too real
Maddie Bender
The True Haiti Earthquake Death Toll Is Much Worse Than Early Official Counts 2021-08-19
A tool built by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that the number of fatalities may range from 10,000 to 100,000 or more
Sara Reardon
A New Resource for Fighting Vaccine Misinformation 2021-08-19
The #ScienceUpFirst initiative was created to provide, support and amplify accurate scientific information to help people make informed health decisions
Jonathan N. Stea, Krishana Sankar

OSIRIS-REx's Asteroid Samples Are Finally Down to Earth 2023-09-24
OSIRIS-REx—the first U.S. mission to attempt a sample return from a space rock—has successfully sent materials from asteroid Bennu back to Earth
Leonard David
Discrimination Has Trapped People of Color in Unhealthy Urban 'Heat Islands' 2023-09-24
People of color, more than other groups, live in neighborhoods prone to excess heat and the illnesses that go with it
Melba Newsome
Rosalind Franklin Deserves a Posthumous Nobel Prize for Co-discovering DNA Structure 2023-09-24
Awarding Rosalind Franklin a Nobel Prize posthumously for her role in DNA discovery is the honorable—and scientific—thing to do
Naomi Oreskes
Poem: 'Message to My Beloved Sibling' 2023-09-23
Science in meter and verse
Jonathan Katz
More People Die from Venomous Snakebites Each Year Than Have Ever Died from Ebola 2023-09-23
In low- and middle-income nations, snakebite envenoming is more deadly than almost any other neglected tropical disease
Cassandra Willyard
Valley Fever Is a Growing Fungal Threat to Outdoor Workers 2023-09-23
The disease hits farmworkers and outdoor laborers disproportionately hard
Ashli Blow
Online Ads Can Infect Your Device with Spyware 2023-09-23
An investigative report reveals that new spyware can slip in unseen through online ads—and there is currently no defense against it
Claire Seungeun Lee, The Conversation US
U.S. Will Weigh Cost of Carbon Pollution in More Government Decisions 2023-09-22
Calculations determining the climate damage of greenhouse gas emissions—called the social cost of carbon—will be considered in federal agencies’ budgets, permitting decisions and, eventually, government purchases
Jean Chemnick, E&E News
People Who Are Changing the Environment One Community at a Time 2023-09-22
These four researchers are highlighting environmental inequities and improving the health of their communities
Katherine Bourzac
See How AI Generates Images from Text 2023-09-22
Generative AI algorithms use probability to create visuals from noise
Sophie Bushwick, Matthew Twombly, Amanda Hobbs
These Adorable Jellyfish Show Learning Doesn't Even Require a Brain 2023-09-22
Human scientists—used to the benefits of a centralized, complex brain—have been underestimating what a simple nerve network can do
Meghan Bartels
This Researcher Captured Air from the Amazon in Dive-Bombs--And Found Grim Clues That the Forest Is Dying 2023-09-22
One researcher has been hiring planes to strafe the sky over the Amazon rain forest to collect the air coming off the trees, and what she is finding is cause for alarm.
Daniel Grossman
Artificial Intelligence Could Finally Let Us Talk with Animals 2023-09-22
AI is poised to revolutionize our understanding of animal communication
Lois Parshley
Fixing Air Pollution Could Dramatically Improve Health Disparities 2023-09-22
The most marginalized people are breathing the most polluted air, and improving it could improve health equity worldwide
Jyoti Madhusoodanan
The Equinox Is Not What You Think It Is 2023-09-22
The equinox is not when day and night have equal lengths. Instead it’s something more nuanced but no less glorious
Phil Plait
AI Tool Pinpoints Genetic Mutations That Cause Disease 2023-09-21
Researchers have adapted the AI network to search for genetic changes linked to ill health
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
World Governments Recommit to 2030 Goals to Save Humanity 2023-09-21
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres is proposing a $500-billion annual stimulus package to meet the Sustainable Development Goals to preserve the environment and end poverty and hunger
Jeff Tollefson, Nature magazine
Prominent Consciousness Theory Is Slammed as Bogus Science 2023-09-21
Researchers publicly call out theory that they say is not well supported by science, but that gets undue attention
Mariana Lenharo, Nature magazine
Jupiter's Moon Europa May Hide Tantalizing Carbon in Mysterious Ocean 2023-09-21
Jupiter’s mysterious moon Europa may hold carbon in the ocean lurking beneath its icy shell
Meghan Bartels
This Efficiency-Obsessed Psychologist (and Mother of 11) Revolutionized Kitchen Design 2023-09-21
Lillian Gilbreth pioneered time and motion efficiency in workplaces and revolutionized kitchen design
Katie Hafner, Johanna Mayer, The Lost Women of Science Initiative

These Adorable Jellyfish Show Learning Doesn't Even Require a Brain 2023-09-22
Human scientists—used to the benefits of a centralized, complex brain—have been underestimating what a simple nerve network can do
Meghan Bartels
Artificial Intelligence Could Finally Let Us Talk with Animals 2023-09-22
AI is poised to revolutionize our understanding of animal communication
Lois Parshley
Prominent Consciousness Theory Is Slammed as Bogus Science 2023-09-21
Researchers publicly call out theory that they say is not well supported by science, but that gets undue attention
Mariana Lenharo, Nature magazine
Period Food Cravings Are Real. A New Brain Finding Could Explain Why They Happen 2023-09-21
A new study suggests that changes in the brain's sensitivity to insulin during phases of the menstrual cycle may be linked to appetite
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira
Suppressing an Onrush of Toxic Thoughts Might Improve Your Mental Health 2023-09-20
Counter to the conventional wisdom, suppression of distressing thoughts could be an invaluable addition in treating depression, anxiety and trauma
Ingrid Wickelgren
A Newly Discovered Brain Signal Marks Recovery from Depression 2023-09-20
Implanted electrodes pick up a pattern of brain waves that can signal the presence or absence of depression and perhaps predict its relapse
Ingrid Wickelgren
Behind the Scenes of Scientific American's Redesign 2023-09-19
Today we introduce to the world Scientific American’s redesign, which we hope will nod to our rich history while also look forward to the everchanging landscape of publishing
Michael Mrak
Forgotten Memories May Remain Intact in the Brain 2023-09-15
Everyday lapses in memory can be a part of learning
Daisy Yuhas
Some Patients Who 'Died' but Survived Report Lucid 'Near-Death Experiences,' a New Study Shows 2023-09-14
In some cardiac arrest patients, a flurry of brain activity during life-saving CPR may be a sign of a “near-death experience”
Rachel Nuwer
Moon Landing Denial Fired an Early Antiscience Conspiracy Theory Shot 2023-09-14
Apollo moon landing conspiracy theories were early hints of the dangerous anti-vax, antiscience beliefs backed by politicians today
Phil Plait
A Broken Employment System Leaves Autistic Adults Stranded 2023-09-13
Only 1.1 percent of autistic adults in the U.S. access key publicly funded employment services. A broken disability service system is why
Anne Roux, Lindsay Shea
Neuropeptide Y May Have Made Humans Smart and Overindulgent 2023-09-11
A brain chemical may play a role in the development of our complex brain, as well as our inclination toward obesity and addiction
Joanna Thompson
Trying to Train Your Brain Faster? Knowing This Might Help with That 2023-09-08
Are you working really hard to learn something? Remember this counterintuitive fact, and you might improve your learning curve.
Karen Hopkin, Jeffery DelViscio
What Does It 'Feel' Like to Be a Chatbot? 2023-09-08
Generative AI has made giant strides toward machine intelligence. Can machine consciousness be far behind?
Christof Koch
Reading for Pleasure Helps Kids' Brain Development 2023-09-04
The simple and fun act of reading for pleasure in early childhood produces better cognition, mental health and educational attainment in adolescence
Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Christelle Langley, Jianfeng Feng, Yun-Jun Sun, The Conversation US
Online Talk Therapy Works as Well as an In-Person Session, a New Study Shows 2023-08-31
A study of 27,500 patients in the U.K.’s health system suggests that getting people into mental health treatment faster is a huge boon of online therapy
Stephanie Pappas
If AI Becomes Conscious, Here's How We Can Tell 2023-08-30
A checklist derived from six neuroscience-based theories of consciousness could help assess whether an artificial intelligence system achieves this state
Mariana Lenharo, Nature magazine
Why Delays in Delivering Justice Lead to Harsher Sentencing 2023-08-29
People want swift punishment and will even penalize perpetrators for delays outside their control
Timothy Kundro, Samir Nurmohamed, Hemant Kakkar, Salvatore Affinito
Brain-Reading Devices Allow Paralyzed People to Talk Using Their Thoughts 2023-08-24
Two studies report considerable improvements in technologies designed to help people with facial paralysis to communicate
Miryam Naddaf, Nature magazine
Scientists Tried to Re-create an Entire Human Brain in a Computer. What Happened? 2023-08-24
The Human Brain Project wraps up in September after a decade. It had notable achievements and a troubled past
Miryam Naddaf, Nature magazine

Online Ads Can Infect Your Device with Spyware 2023-09-23
An investigative report reveals that new spyware can slip in unseen through online ads—and there is currently no defense against it
Claire Seungeun Lee, The Conversation US
See How AI Generates Images from Text 2023-09-22
Generative AI algorithms use probability to create visuals from noise
Sophie Bushwick, Matthew Twombly, Amanda Hobbs
AI Tool Pinpoints Genetic Mutations That Cause Disease 2023-09-21
Researchers have adapted the AI network to search for genetic changes linked to ill health
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
This Efficiency-Obsessed Psychologist (and Mother of 11) Revolutionized Kitchen Design 2023-09-21
Lillian Gilbreth pioneered time and motion efficiency in workplaces and revolutionized kitchen design
Katie Hafner, Johanna Mayer, The Lost Women of Science Initiative
New Soft Electrode Unfolds inside the Skull 2023-09-21
An electrode inspired by soft robotics could provide less invasive brain-machine interfaces
Simon Makin
Satellite Internet Companies Could Help Break Authoritarianism 2023-09-18
In Iran and elsewhere, governments restrict Internet access to restrict freedoms. Companies that launch communications satellites can ensure a free and open Internet for all
Pouria Nazemi
This Insect-Sized Robot Can Carry 22 Times Its Own Weight 2023-09-18
The four-legged miniature machine is powered by tiny explosions
Katharine Sanderson, Nature magazine
Here's How to Actually Keep Kids and Teens Safe Online 2023-09-18
Controversial policy proposals such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) are making headway across the country, but there are other ways to help protect young people in the digital world
Lauren Leffer
Dams Worldwide Are at Risk of Catastrophic Failure 2023-09-15
Here’s why disasters like Libya’s dam collapses happen and how to prevent them
Lauren Leffer
Why Japan Is Building Its Own Version of ChatGPT 2023-09-15
Some Japanese researchers feel that AI systems trained on foreign languages cannot grasp the intricacies of Japanese language and culture
Tim Hornyak, Nature magazine
High-Tech Cars Might Be More Trouble Than They're Worth 2023-09-14
Drivers may sacrifice safety and privacy in exchange for the advanced tech features in their “smart” cars
Lauren Leffer
Without Small Data, AI in Health Care Contributes to Disparities 2023-09-12
Artificial intelligence systems in health care must be trained on the data of lived experience to prevent bias and disparities
Fay Cobb Payton
Candy Crush Is Complicated--Even from a Mathematical Point of View 2023-09-12
Don’t be annoyed if you fail at a certain level of the popular game Candy Crush Saga; computers also have their problems with it
Manon Bischoff
Scientists Are Beginning to Learn the Language of Bats and Bees Using AI 2023-09-11
The new field of digital bioacoustics is using machine learning to try decipher animal speak, including honeybee toots and quacks and whoops.
Sophie Bushwick, Kelso Harper, Jeffery DelViscio
How Fires, Floods and Hurricanes Create Deadly Pockets of Information Isolation 2023-09-11
Telecommunications grids are vulnerable to worsening climate disasters—which highlights the importance of one age-old survival system
Timmy Broderick
'Robo-Taxi Takeover' Hits Speed Bumps 2023-09-08
Self-driving cars are expanding their ranges in a handful of U.S. cities, but the reality doesn’t yet match the hype
Lauren Leffer
Algorithms Are Making Important Decisions. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? 2023-09-07
Seemingly trivial differences in training data can skew the judgments of AI programs—and that’s not the only problem with automated decision-making
Ananya
Why High-Speed Bullet Trains Won't Work in the U.S. Right Now 2023-09-05
Amtrak will soon get 28 high-speed rail cars. But they won't operate at high speeds because Amtrak tracks are outdated
Minho Kim, E&E News
Physicists Explain How Heat Kills Machines and Electronics 2023-09-05
Extreme heat can slow and even damage electronics ranging from computers to cars
Srinivas Garimella, Matthew T. Hughes, The Conversation US
What the Luddites Can Teach Us about AI 2023-09-01
The Luddites did not hate technology—but they did fight the way it was used to exploit humans.
Sophie Bushwick, Elah Feder

Readers Respond to the April 2021 Issue 2021-08-28
Letters to the editor from the April 2021 issue of Scientific American
Scientific American
Poem: 'Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (1822–1907)' 2021-08-21
Science in meter and verse
Jessy Randall
In Case You Missed It 2021-08-14
Top news from around the world
Maddie Bender
One Head, 1,000 Rear Ends: The Tale of a Deeply Weird Worm 2021-08-08
Ramisyllis multicaudata is an animal that seems to have adopted the lifestyle of a fungus
Jennifer Frazer
O UFOs, Where Art Thou? 2021-08-05
Five reasons why sorting all of this out is so scientifically challenging
Caleb A. Scharf
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: August 2021 2021-08-01
Tasty radio; early fake leather
Mark Fischetti
The Human Framework for Alien Life 2021-07-29
Andrea Gawrylewski
Why So Many Young People Hate STEM Courses 2021-07-28
Take it from someone who almost gave up on her dream of being a scientist
Rhea Wanchoo
NASA Investigates Renaming James Webb Space Telescope after Anti-LGBT+ Claims 2021-07-26
Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence
Alexandra Witze, Nature magazine
Quantum Mechanics, Plato's Cave and the Blind Piranha 2021-07-24
Can we ever really know the world?
John Horgan
For Good Science, You Need Engaged Citizens 2021-07-22
They strengthen the institutions that ensure a strong democracy, leading to rational decisions
Gregory E. Kaebnick, Michael K. Gusmano
These Dinosaurs Had a Complicated Air Conditioner in Their Skull 2021-07-21
Cooling 5,000-pound, armor-plated giants was no small feat.
Aaron Martin
Moths Have an Acoustic Invisibility Cloak to Stay under Bats' Radar 2021-07-21
New research finds they fly around on noise-cancelling wings
Karen Hopkin
Hardy Microbes Hint at Possibilities for Extraterrestrial Life 2021-07-21
Studies of extreme ecosystems on Earth can guide the search for Martian life and may reveal the fundamental limits of biology
Brianne Palmer
Jeff Bezos Launches into Space on Blue Origin's First Astronaut Flight 2021-07-20
The billionaire and three others take a suborbital trip onboard the craft New Shepard
Mike Wall, SPACE.com
Behold the 'Borg': Massive DNA Structures Perplex Scientists 2021-07-20
Researchers say they have discovered unique and exciting DNA strands in the mud; others are not sure of their novelty
Amber Dance, Nature magazine
Play Is Serious Business for Elephants 2021-07-20
Young dogs, apes and other animals develop skills needed to survive and reproduce
Caitlin O'Connell
Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin Are Finally Flying to Space 2021-07-19
After nearly twenty years pursuing a lifelong dream of spaceflight, the world’s wealthiest person is at last ready for lift off
Mike Wall, SPACE.com
The Idea That Trees Talk to Cooperate Is Misleading 2021-07-19
It’s a romantic notion, but pretending they’re like humans could actually harm the cause of conservation
Kathryn Flinn
Poem: 'Lesson from the West African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens)' 2021-07-17
Science in meter and verse
Christina Olson

The Father of Environmental Justice Reflects on the Movement He Helped to Start 2023-09-19
Four decades into his activism, Robert Bullard looks back on his legacy and the work ahead.
Carin Leong, Kelso Harper
The Ozone Hole Showed Humans Could Damage Earth and That We Could Heal It 2023-09-12
The discovery of a hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer in 1985 led to a worldwide effort to heal it. But are there lessons that can be applied to today’s treaty talks on climate change?
Jonathan Schienberg, Retro Report
These Salamanders Steal Genes and Can Have up to Five Extra Sets of Chromosomes 2023-07-31
Unisexual salamanders in the genus Ambystoma appear to be the only creatures in the world that reproduce the way they do. Researchers know how, but the why is still being figured out.
Aaron Martin

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