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Scientific American
- The Absurd Pregnancy Math behind the Texas 'Six-Week' Abortion Ban 2021-09-04The law the Supreme Court just failed to block is not just a blow to women; it’s biologically nonsensicalMichelle Rodrigues
- You Have Probably Eaten This Natural Food Additive without Knowing It 2021-09-02A 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 2021-09-02The Supreme Court will hear a case in the upcoming term that could officially overturn that historic rulingElizabeth Nash
- Rogue Antibodies Involved In Nearly One Fifth of COVID Deaths 2021-09-01Self-targeting antibodies attack part of the immune system that plays a key role in fighting infectionDiana Kwon, Nature magazine
- New Tool Shows Geology behind Kidney Stone Crystallization 2021-09-01Rather than crystallizing all at once, kidney stones dissolve and re-form over and overHarini Barath
- Virus or Bacterium? Rapid Test Pinpoints Infection's Cause 2021-08-31A generation of new tests could lessen overuse of antibioticsHarini Barath
- U.S. Forces Are Leaving a Toxic Environmental Legacy in Afghanistan 2021-08-30Legal and practical obstacles make it difficult to clean the burn pits and health-damaging chemicals that remain at military basesKelsey D. Atherton
- COVID, Quickly, Episode 13: Vaccine Approval, Breakthrough Infections, Boosters 2021-08-27Today 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 2021-08-27Search results may include a special section with videos from sources that are deemed reliableGrant Currin
- How to Reduce Racial Disparities in Smoking Deaths 2021-08-26African Americans die at a higher rate than other groups and have a harder time quitting. But new evidence-based approaches can change thatBryan W. Heckman, Anne Davis, James E.K. Hildreth
- Humanitarians Push to Vaccinate in Conflict Zones 2021-08-26Pandemic ceasefires offer an opportunity to expand vaccination efforts, experts say. But negotiation is trickyMadeline Drexler, Undark
- How COVID, Inequality and Politics Make a Vicious Syndemic 2021-08-26Overlapping diseases and social conditions in the U.S. continue to dictate who is hurt most badly by the novel coronavirusEmily Mendenhall, Clarence C. Gravlee
- Unraveling the Mystery of Why Children Are Better Protected from COVID Than Adults 2021-08-26Their immune system is more primed to fight off the novel coronavirusLars Fischer
- COVID Vaccines Show No Signs of Harming Fertility or Sexual Function 2021-08-24The novel coronavirus, in contrast, can disrupt both things in unvaccinated men and womenEmily Willingham
- Policies Mandated by Multilateral Institutions Are Contributing to India's COVID Catastrophe 2021-08-22The World Bank’s and the International Monetary Fund’s pressure to privatize India’s health care system deepened inequities in access—to lethal effectPuja Changoiwala
- The FDA Should Remove Its Restrictions on the 'Abortion Pill' Mifepristone 2021-08-21The science is clear: abortion by medication is safe and effectiveKelly Cleland
- Should You Get a Booster Shot? Here's What We Know 2021-08-20Experts weigh in on common questions about whether and when additional doses of coronavirus vaccines may be neededTanya Lewis
- Years Before COVID-19, Zombies Helped Prepare One Hospital System for the Real Pandemic 2021-08-20An educational experiment used escape rooms and the undead to set the stage for a terrible situation that would become all too realMaddie Bender
- The True Haiti Earthquake Death Toll Is Much Worse Than Early Official Counts 2021-08-19A tool built by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that the number of fatalities may range from 10,000 to 100,000 or moreSara Reardon
- A New Resource for Fighting Vaccine Misinformation 2021-08-19The #ScienceUpFirst initiative was created to provide, support and amplify accurate scientific information to help people make informed health decisionsJonathan N. Stea, Krishana Sankar
Scientific American Content: Global
- How Earth's Early Life Thrived amid Catastrophic Asteroid Impacts 2024-10-21A gigantic space rock that slammed into Earth more than three billion years ago grievously wounded the biosphere—and then helped it heal
- How Your Brain Processes Zero (It’s Not Exactly ‘Nothing’) 2024-10-21What we think about when we think about “zilch” is surprisingly complex, neuroscientists find
- Thunderstorm Gamma-Ray Flashes May Be Missing Link for Lightning Bolts 2024-10-21Observations from a retrofitted spy plane hint at a connection between powerful gamma-ray flashes and a thunderstorm’s lightning
- Did Decriminalizing Drugs Such As Fentanyl Cause Opioid Overdose Increase? 2024-10-21Oregon decriminalized hard drugs in 2021 and recriminalized them last month. A new analysis shows the laws likely had little effect on opioid deaths
- Whooping Cough Makes a Comeback, Microbes Evolve to Eat Cleaners, and Solar Maximum Is Confirmed 2024-10-21Kick off the week by catching up on the latest science news.
- Worldschooling Is Catching On. Here’s What You Need to Know 2024-10-21People are pulling their kids out of traditional education to learn while they travel. Data on educational success are limited, but there are other reasons to consider worldschooling
- The Colors of Fall Leaves Are Shaped by Climate Change and Tree Health 2024-10-18A tree’s fall palette offers a glimpse at its health and the weather it has experienced in a given year
- How GPS Tracking of Teens 24/7 Impacts Parent-Child Relationships 2024-10-18Phone apps can tell whether your kid is playing hooky. But remotely surveilling your child might not be great for navigating the trials of the teen years
- Long COVID Is Harming Too Many Kids 2024-10-18Pediatric long COVID is more common than many thought, and we keep letting kids be reinfected with new variants
- Why Does the Moon Look Bigger Near the Horizon? 2024-10-18The rising moon looks huge on the horizon, but it’s all in your head
- AI Regulation and the Challenges of Misinformation in the 2024 Presidential Election 2024-10-18The next U.S. president will have to contend with regulations around AI—and the electorate is already facing AI-generated misinformation.
- Small Business Disaster Loans to Hurricane Victims Are Halted as Cash Runs Out 2024-10-17The Small Business Association has announced that loans to those affected by hurricanes and other disasters have been halted to wait for more money from Congress. But the House speaker says nothing will happen until after the presidential election
- Don’t Panic. AI Isn’t Coming to End Scientific Exploration 2024-10-17Science is filled with tools that once seemed revolutionary and are now just part of the research tool kit. That time may have come for artificial intelligence
- Millions of Aging Americans Are Facing Dementia by Themselves 2024-10-17In a health care system that assumes older adults have family caregivers to help them, those facing dementia alone often fall through the cracks
- 'Wonder Drug' Explores Thalidomide’s Secret History and Harms in the U.S. 2024-10-17In her book Wonder Drug, Jennifer Vanderbes explores the history of thalidomide’s secret history—and harms—in the U.S.
- Donald Trump Wants to Make Eugenics Great Again. Let’s Not 2024-10-17Trump’s anti-immigrant good-gene-bad-gene screeds are nothing but factless eugenics for a new era
- Ancient ‘Age of Dinosaurs’ Seafloor Found beneath Pacific Ocean 2024-10-17A vast, ancient slab of seafloor plunged beneath the Pacific Ocean and has hovered in Earth’s mantle for more than 120 million years, a new study suggests
- You Don’t Need Words to Think 2024-10-17Brain studies show that language is not essential for the cognitive processes that underlie thought
- Biden’s Withdrawal Made Containing War in the Middle East Harder 2024-10-17As tensions soar in the Middle East, the president’s lame duck status hinders efforts to manage the escalation of risks in the region
- Hurricane Helene Damage Strains Dialysis Care Nationwide 2024-10-16Hurricane Helene devastated a North Carolina facility that produces peritoneal dialysis fluid, which is used by about 80,000 people nationally
Scientific American: Mind & Brain
- Asexuality Research Has Reached New Heights. What Are We Learning? 2024-02-23A grassroots online movement has helped shift the way scientists think about asexuality. But much is still unknown.Meghan McDonough
- Political Ads Can Target Your Personality. Here's What Could Go Wrong 2024-02-21This banner year for elections worldwide may witness the arrival of advertising tailored to your personalityStephan Lewandowsky, Almog Simchon, Matthew Edwards
- Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning 2024-02-21Engaging the fine motor system to produce letters by hand has positive effects on learning and memoryCharlotte Hu
- People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome May Have an "Exhausted" Immune System 2024-02-21A long-awaited study of people with ME/CFS revealed differences in their immune and nervous system. The findings may offer clues about long COVIDKamal Nahas
- How to Close the 'Orgasm Gap' for Heterosexual Couples 2024-02-21Researchers once faced death threats for asking women what gives them pleasure. Now they’re helping individuals and couples figure it out themselves.Meghan McDonough
- Virtual Bar Scenes Are a New Tool to Study Why People Commit Crimes in the Heat of the Moment 2024-02-21Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crimeIngrid Wickelgren
- Anger Can Help You Meet Your Goals 2024-02-21This emotion can push people to overcome obstacles, though results are best when people keep their long-term aims in mindHeather Lench
- How Sleep Engineering Could Help Heal the Brain 2024-02-21Stimulating the sleeping brain may ease suffering from memory loss, stroke or mental health problemsIngrid Wickelgren
- Dominatrices Are Showing People How to Have Rough Sex Safely 2024-02-16Research shows rough sex is becoming more common. Dominatrices are helping the general public catch up.Meghan McDonough
- Farmers in Crisis, Long Overlooked, Are Finally Getting Mental Health Support 2024-02-15Amid a mounting mental health crisis among farmers, experts are working to make help more accessibleAnna Mattson
- Valentine's Day Got You Blue? There's an Upside 2024-02-14Unpleasant emotions like sadness and anger can feel overwhelming, but recent research suggests they can trigger behaviors that lead to something betterHeather Lench, The Conversation US
- Jeopardy! Winner Reveals Entwined Memory Systems Make a Trivia Champion 2024-02-13A former Jeopardy! winner led a new study that probes how linked memory systems may give trivia buffs an edge in their gameHannah Seo
- You Can't Fix Burnout With Self-Care 2024-02-12Individual interventions for burnout don’t work. Researchers explain why.Shayla Love, Timmy Broderick
- Aggression Disorders Are Serious, Stigmatized and Treatable 2024-02-09Researchers have a clearer picture than ever before of how common conditions that involve aggressive behavior emerge and how treatment can helpAbigail Marsh
- 'Gas Station Heroin' Is a Dangerous and Often Contaminated Supplement 2024-02-06Tianeptine, an addictive drug at high doses, is being sold as a dietary supplement in gas stations and convenient stores. But such products could be contaminated with metals, microorganisms or other undisclosed drugsC. Michael White, The Conversation US
- People Have Very Different Understandings of Even the Simplest Words 2024-02-01Distinctive meanings for a word like “risk” can have a big impact on public messaging, especially when it comes to issues like climate changeSimon Makin
- Here's the Happiness Research that Stands Up to Scrutiny 2024-01-31From meditation to smiling, researchers take a second look at studies claiming to reveal what makes us happyAmber Dance, Knowable Magazine
- Elon Musk's Neuralink Has Implanted Its First Chip in a Human Brain. What's Next? 2024-01-30The wealthiest person on Earth has taken the next step toward a commercial brain interfaceBen Guarino
- The Secret to Accomplishing Big Goals Lies in Breaking Them into Flexible, Bite-Size Chunks 2024-01-29Subgoals can make all the difference when ambitious targets seem too dauntingAneesh Rai, Marissa Sharif, Edward Chang, Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth
- Consciousness Is a Continuum, and Scientists Are Starting to Measure It 2024-01-26A new technique helps anesthesiologists track changes in states of consciousnessChristian Guay, Emery Brown
Scientific American: Technology
- Changing Car Culture Can Benefit Our Health and Our Planet 2024-03-01We need to rethink the American love affair with the automobile and redesign cities to reduce car pollutionThe Editors
- Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning 2024-02-21Engaging the fine motor system to produce letters by hand has positive effects on learning and memoryCharlotte Hu
- Scientists Are Putting ChatGPT Brains Inside Robot Bodies. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? 2024-02-21The effort to give robots AI brains is revealing big practical challenges—and bigger ethical concernsDavid Berreby
- The Sophisticated Threads behind a Hat That Senses Traffic Lights 2024-02-21A new technique to make electronic fibers could help solve wearable technology’s flexibility problemPayal Dhar
- What Apple's New Vision Pro Headset Might Do to Our Brain 2024-02-21The release of Apple’s mixed-reality headset raises questions about hours spent in a virtual replacement of our worldLauren Leffer
- Electric Vehicles Aren't Ready for Extreme Heat and Cold. Here's How to Fix Them 2024-02-15New materials would help the cars of the future survive cold snaps and other climate disruptionsMolly Glick
- How AI Bots Could Sabotage 2024 Elections around the World 2024-02-13AI-generated disinformation will target voters on a near-daily basis in more than 50 countries, according to a new analysisCharlotte Hu
- Cybercrime Security Gap Leaves People Who Aren't Proficient in English Poorly Protected 2024-02-12Our research finds that language is often a barrier for people dealing with cybercrime issues and that it’s important to close this security gapFawn Ngo, The Conversation US
- Tougher AI Policies Could Protect Taylor Swift--And Everyone Else--From Deepfakes 2024-02-08In January Taylor Swift became the latest high-profile target of nonconsensual deepfake images. It’s time for regulations that ban this kind of abusive AI content, cyberadvocates sayBrian Contreras
- Europe's New AI Rules Could Go Global--Here's What That Will Mean 2024-02-07A leaked draft of the European Union’s upcoming AI Act has experts discussing where the regulations may fall shortChris Stokel-Walker
- Even ChatGPT Says ChatGPT Is Racially Biased 2024-02-07When asked, ChatGPT declared that its training material—the language we humans use every day—was to blame for potential bias in stories it generatedCraig Piers
- New AI Circuitry That Mimics Human Brains Makes Models Smarter 2024-02-07A new kind of transistor allows AI hardware to remember and process information more like the human brain doesAnna Mattson
- AI Unravels Ancient Roman Scroll Charred By Volcano 2024-02-06AI helps decipher the text of a 2,000-year-old scroll burned at PompeiiJo Marchant, Nature magazine
- We Need Cybersecurity in Space to Protect Satellites 2024-02-05Amid rising numbers of cyber threats, safeguarding our satellites is no longer optional but a necessity for global security and reliabilitySylvester Kaczmarek
- The Government's Former UFO Hunter Found Something More Concerning than Aliens 2024-02-05Sean Kirkpatrick looked into the skies and deep into government archives for extraterrestrials. What he found is, to him, more concerning than little green men.Daniel Vergano, Jeffery DelViscio
- Why Is Superconductivity Research Plagued by Controversy? 2024-02-02A materials scientist unravels the hype around research on high-temperature superconductor research like LK-99Dan Falk, Undark
- A Camera-Wearing Baby Taught an AI to Learn Words 2024-02-01Most machine-learning models rely on mountains of data to replicate human text, but new research suggests the recipe for learning language might be simplerLauren Leffer
- Forgotten Electrical Engineer's Work Paved the Way for Radar Technology 2024-02-01Sallie Pero Mead made major discoveries about how electromagnetic waves propagate that allowed objects to be detected at a distanceErica Huang, Katie Hafner, The Lost Women of Science Initiative
- An Alliance Calling For More Open AI Should Heed Their Own Call 2024-02-01The word “open” is often thrown around in describing AI transparency, but the companies and groups calling for it must themselves be open about their practicesWai Chee Dimock
- AI's Climate Impacts May Hit Marginalized People Hardest 2024-01-31A Brookings Institution report warns that energy-hungry artificial intelligence tech will worsen the climate crisisThomas Frank, E&E News
Scientific American
- Readers Respond to the April 2021 Issue 2021-08-28Letters to the editor from the April 2021 issue of Scientific AmericanScientific American
- Poem: 'Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (1822–1907)' 2021-08-21Science in meter and verseJessy Randall
- In Case You Missed It 2021-08-14Top news from around the worldMaddie Bender
- One Head, 1,000 Rear Ends: The Tale of a Deeply Weird Worm 2021-08-08Ramisyllis multicaudata is an animal that seems to have adopted the lifestyle of a fungusJennifer Frazer
- O UFOs, Where Art Thou? 2021-08-05Five reasons why sorting all of this out is so scientifically challengingCaleb A. Scharf
- 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: August 2021 2021-08-01Tasty radio; early fake leatherMark Fischetti
- The Human Framework for Alien Life 2021-07-29 Andrea Gawrylewski
- Why So Many Young People Hate STEM Courses 2021-07-28Take it from someone who almost gave up on her dream of being a scientistRhea Wanchoo
- NASA Investigates Renaming James Webb Space Telescope after Anti-LGBT+ Claims 2021-07-26Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidenceAlexandra Witze, Nature magazine
- Quantum Mechanics, Plato's Cave and the Blind Piranha 2021-07-24Can we ever really know the world?John Horgan
- For Good Science, You Need Engaged Citizens 2021-07-22They strengthen the institutions that ensure a strong democracy, leading to rational decisionsGregory E. Kaebnick, Michael K. Gusmano
- These Dinosaurs Had a Complicated Air Conditioner in Their Skull 2021-07-21Cooling 5,000-pound, armor-plated giants was no small feat.Aaron Martin
- Moths Have an Acoustic Invisibility Cloak to Stay under Bats' Radar 2021-07-21New research finds they fly around on noise-cancelling wingsKaren Hopkin
- Hardy Microbes Hint at Possibilities for Extraterrestrial Life 2021-07-21Studies of extreme ecosystems on Earth can guide the search for Martian life and may reveal the fundamental limits of biologyBrianne Palmer
- Jeff Bezos Launches into Space on Blue Origin's First Astronaut Flight 2021-07-20The billionaire and three others take a suborbital trip onboard the craft New ShepardMike Wall, SPACE.com
- Behold the 'Borg': Massive DNA Structures Perplex Scientists 2021-07-20Researchers say they have discovered unique and exciting DNA strands in the mud; others are not sure of their noveltyAmber Dance, Nature magazine
- Play Is Serious Business for Elephants 2021-07-20Young dogs, apes and other animals develop skills needed to survive and reproduceCaitlin O'Connell
- Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin Are Finally Flying to Space 2021-07-19After nearly twenty years pursuing a lifelong dream of spaceflight, the world’s wealthiest person is at last ready for lift offMike Wall, SPACE.com
- The Idea That Trees Talk to Cooperate Is Misleading 2021-07-19It’s a romantic notion, but pretending they’re like humans could actually harm the cause of conservationKathryn Flinn
- Poem: 'Lesson from the West African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens)' 2021-07-17Science in meter and verseChristina Olson
Scientific American Content: Videos
- This Astrophysicist Makes Stellar Nurseries That Fit in the Palm of Your Hand 2024-02-21How artist and astrophysicist Nia Imara makes 3-D prints of the birth of starsTulika Bose, Jason Drakeford, Kelso Harper
- Cape Cod Faces a Rising 'Yellow Tide' 2024-02-12Tourism is big business on the cape, but a growing environmental issue could disrupt the lives of tourists and residents, alike.Duy Linh Tu, Sebastian Tuinder, Barbara Moran, Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, Joseph Polidoro, Jeffery DelViscio
- Science Is Using Mechanical Moss to Fight Climate Change on the Canary Islands 2024-02-01On the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, a group of researchers is racing to fight drought as the climate changes rapidly around them. Their defense is a new approach to a very, very old technology from nature.Meghan McDonough
- Waiting for the 'White Water' 2024-01-23In Nigeria, one community that has never had potable water finally gets it.Franklin Adegbie
- Incredible Footage of the Volcanic Eruption in Iceland 2023-12-22The eruption in Iceland may look beautiful, but what is happening just below the surface is threatening safety and livelihoods on the surface.Micah Garen, Marie-Hélène Carleton, Jason Drakeford, Jeffery DelViscio
- Breath Of Life: Bridging the Oxygen Gap in Kenya 2023-12-20After COVID devastated Kenya, oxygen prices began to skyrocket, causing people to lose their life. Ruth Wambui, a nurse-entrepreneur, set out to bridge the oxygen gap in the country.Wanjiru Njoroge, Brian Obra