The Quantum Butterfly Noneffect  

A familiar concept from chaos theory turns out to work differently in the quantum world -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-21 13:22:02

For Math Fans: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Number 42  

Here is how a perfectly ordinary number captured the interest of sci-fi enthusiasts, geeks and mathematicians -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-21 09:34:50

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death Is One More Terrible Blow in a Year of Loss  

She was a champion of equality under the law and would have played a crucial role in key cases that bear on environmental protection -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-21 07:59:26

How Ginsburg's Death Threatens the Affordable Care Act and Reproductive Rights  

As the Trump administration eyes a speedy replacement, the court will hear a case against the health care law a week after the election -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-21 07:31:06

Mining Rare-Earth Elements from Fossilized Fish  

Strange as it might seem, a 2,500-square-kilometer zone south of one tiny Pacific island could supply four substances that are crucial to modern electronics for centuries -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-21 01:59:55

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death Is One More Terrible Blow in a Year of Loss  

She was a champion of equality under the law, and would have played a crucial role in key cases that bear on environmental protection -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-20 09:49:08

Readers Respond to the May 2020 Issue  

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-20 04:21:51

We Need to Do More Research on Honesty  

Scientists and philosophers know a lot about why we lie. Now let’s figure out how not to -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-20 02:17:02

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leaves a Nuanced Legacy on Environmental Issues  

Her jurisprudence involved complex considerations of climate change lawsuits and greenhouse gas emissions -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-19 18:07:05

Who Benefits from Public Green Space?  

The High Line in New York shows that can be the wealthy, who flock to live nearby, driving up property values and driving out long-term, low-income residents -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-19 03:44:08

45 years after the movie made everyone afraid to wade into the ocean, it’s not too late to remind viewers of the truth about sharks -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 13:02:16

Who Will Get a COVID-19 Vaccine First? Access Plans Are Taking Shape  

Advisory groups around the world have released guidance to prioritize healthcare workers and those in front-line jobs -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 10:30:13

The Pulsar Chart That Became a Pop Icon Turns 50: Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures  

A classic data visualization brought an astronomical curiosity to music lovers -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 08:08:56

A Grassroots Effort to Fight Misinformation during the Pandemic  

As COVID-19 spread, several organizations worked together to create Ask a Scientist -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 05:03:05

Hurricane Sally's Major Flooding Exposes Flaws in FEMA Maps  

Tens of thousands of homeowners face financial losses because they were not considered to be in a flood zone and were not required to have insurance -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 04:35:07

Can an Algorithm Help Solve Political Paralysis?  

As faith in government hits historic lows, organizers in the U.K. are trying a new math-based approach to democracy. Would it work in the bitterly divided U.S? -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 04:12:09

How to Be a Mystical Skeptic  

Psychologist Susan Blackmore stays grounded in science while exploring the outer reaches of consciousness. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 02:27:49

These Small Mammals Snort To a Different Tune  

Hyraxes, which live in Africa and the Middle East, punctuate their songs with snorts. And the snorts appear to reflect the animals’ emotional state. Jason G. Goldman reports.  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-18 01:43:59

Researchers Urge Federal Moonshot for Clean Energy  

The group has revealed a road map on accelerating government clean-tech investment for the next presidential administration -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 13:32:56

Scientists Spot Giant Planet Orbiting Dead Star's Corpse  

The discovery around a white dwarf suggests planets can survive their star’s demise -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 10:09:31

Earthquake Sounds Could Reveal How Quickly the Ocean Is Warming  

A new way of measuring the temperature of the seas could fill in gaps left by limited direct monitoring -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 09:40:08

The Matador in Your Fish Tank  

The humble guppy has a surprising strategy for predators -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 09:06:25

The U.S. Has an Empathy Deficit  

Here’s what we can do about it -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 07:04:46

When Politics Distorts Science  

Shocking levels of interference at the CDC and HHS threaten public faith in our most reliable public health institutions -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 04:24:11

Ice Age Temperatures Help Predict Future Warming  

Scientists determined that temperatures were 11 degrees cooler during the last ice age — and that has implications for modern-day warming. Julia Rosen reports.  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 02:31:44

The Sanctuary of Trees, How to Argue with a Racist and Other New Books  

New science book recommendations from the editors of Scientific American -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-17 02:07:11

Anonymous Peer Review: Truth or Trolling?  

When reviewers of journal articles are hidden behind a curtain, they can get away with unethical behavior -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-16 12:37:25

Life on Venus? Breakthrough Initiatives Funds Study of Possible Biosignature  

A team of scientists will examine the astrobiological prospects for phosphine on Earth’s hellish twin -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-16 10:29:16

Population Density Does Not Doom Cities to Pandemic Dangers  

Crowding, connections among communities and other factors seem to better explain infection and mortality rates -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-16 03:49:28

What Ancient Mass Extinctions Tell Us about the Future  

Carbon dioxide has done plenty of damage before -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-16 03:16:42

Hurricane Sally Rumbles Onshore with Echoes of Harvey  

The storm’s torrential rain and life-threatening storm surge are causing major flooding along the Gulf Coast -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-16 02:36:36

COVID-19 and Smoke Inhalation Symptoms are Hard to Tell Apart  

Whether it's a cough or a sore throat, doctors in areas affected by the recent wildfires must determine whether symptoms are caused by the coronavirus, smoke, or even the flu -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-16 02:32:21

We Can't Allow the CDC to Be Tainted by Politics  

If science doesn’t drive the agency’s crucial weekly reports about disease prevalence and mortality, we’ll lose a key tool for fighting this pandemic -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 19:36:26

How to Be a Mystical Materialist  

Psychologist Susan Blackmore stays grounded in scientific skepticism while exploring the outer reaches of consciousness -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 13:56:54

How New Mexico Controlled the Spread of COVID-19  

The state went after the disease with widespread testing and science-based targets. Now it is in better shape than its neighbors -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 12:01:25

Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden  

We’ve never backed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history—until now -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 09:45:51

NIH 'Very Concerned' About Serious Side Effect in Coronavirus Vaccine Trial​  

The test was halted when a participant suffered spinal cord damage, and U.S. scientists launched an investigation -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 09:45:29

High-Elevation Hummingbirds Evolved a Temperature Trick  

Hummingbirds in the Peruvian Andes enter a state of torpor at night to conserve energy, dipping their body temperatures to as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Christopher Intagliata reports.  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 09:41:25

COVID-19's Other Unnecessary Death Toll  

Our bungled national response exposed the fragility of our already broken health care system by keeping people with other fatal diseases from getting treatment -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 09:29:28

COVID-19 Dreams, Synchronicity and Visitors from Another Solar System  

Welcome to the October issue of Scientific American -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 07:26:46

Global Biodiversity Is in Free Fall  

A U.N. report reveals that countries worldwide have failed to meet key conservation targets set for 2020 -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 07:22:14

A New Arctic Is Emerging, Thanks to Climate Change  

After years of warning, sea ice coverage and other indicators are beginning to push outside the bounds of the former “normal” climate -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 07:17:27

This 'Small World' Is Packed with Animated Beauty  

Nikon’s Small World in Motion competition captures creatures and forces that are invisible to the naked eye. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 01:48:58

How to Do Better for Your Middle School Student  

In a new book, journalist Judith Warner offers compassionate advice for a difficult time—and suggests that parents are part of the problem -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 01:45:35

The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Changing Our Dreams  

Anxiety about social distancing and infection is altering how much we dream and the nature of our dreams themselves -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-15 01:40:08

Coronavirus Vaccine U.K. Trial Restarts, But Scientists Question Lack of Transparency  

UK trials of the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine have resumed after a brief pause, yet key details of the events have not been released -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 10:36:37

Photos Show Massive Wildfires Devastating Oregon and California  

Record-setting blazes fueled in part by climate change have destroyed homes and upended live across the West -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 09:47:54

Venus Might Host Life, New Discovery Suggests  

The unexpected atmospheric detection of phosphine, a smelly gas made by microbes on Earth, could spark a revolution in astrobiology -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 08:46:12

Why Pet Pigs Are More like Wolves Than Dogs  

Given an impossible task, a dog will ask a human for help, but a wolf will not seek help—and neither will a pet pig. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 07:14:14

Mail-Sorting Machines Are Crucial for the U.S. Postal Service  

An expert explains how automation enables quick deliveries—which will include ballots for November’s election -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 06:59:42

A Rebuilt Paradise Nervously Watches Wildfire on the Horizon  

Communities in fire-prone areas are facing tough decisions on whether to stay and rebuild or move -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 06:33:53

It's Time to Rein in Inflated Military Budgets  

In an era of pandemics and climate change, we need to reconsider what “national security” means -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 05:33:46

Structure and Chemistry Dictate How Cicada Wings Repel Water and Kill Bacteria  

A new analytical process shows how chemicals affect the nanostructures of an insect’s wings -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 03:11:23

Polar Bears' Dropped GPS Collars Reveal How Ice Drifts  

Discarded polar bear trackers have found another use -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 02:28:53

The Hawking Limit  

The late, great physicist showed us how to keep embracing life and work even as his physical condition deteriorated -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-14 01:30:23

The Enduring Mystery of Earth's Water  

New clues have emerged on exactly where your last drink came from -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-13 08:11:12

Earth Hasn't Warmed This Fast in Tens of Millions of Years  

Chemical analyses of ancient sediments allowed scientists to put together one of the most comprehensive climate histories of the planet -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-13 06:37:46

In Case You Missed It  

Top news from around the world -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-12 06:45:34

Evolution Education in the U.S. Is Getting Better  

The percentage of public school bio teachers who present it as the broad consensus view among scientists—without presenting the creationist increased... -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-12 01:54:25

Coronavirus News Roundup, September 5-September 11  

Pandemic highlights for the week -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-11 16:01:50

How Record-Smashing Heat Ushered in Western Infernos  

Large swaths of the Western U.S. had a record-hot August, which helped prime fuels for devastating wildfires -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-11 10:01:44

Long-Awaited Update Arrives for Radiocarbon Dating  

Scientists who study organic materials from the past 55,000 years may see some changes in their data -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-11 06:22:34

How Do I Know I'm Not the Only Conscious Being in the Universe?  

The solipsism problem, also called the problem of other minds, lurks at the heart of science, philosophy, religion, the arts and the human condition -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-11 06:10:35

Why Trump-Favoring Voters Ignored a Deadly Hurricane Warning  

Rush Limbaugh and other conservative pundits’ “hurricane skepticism” in 2017 may have influenced individuals’ decision to pack up the car or shelter in place -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-11 04:19:05

Molecular Medicine Keeps Mice Mighty in Microgravity  

An experimental gene treatment aboard the International Space Station demonstrates how rodents—and humans—might stay buff beyond Earth -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 12:51:31

'Slam the Brakes': Regulator Flags Climate Risk in Markets  

The U.S. financial system must better prepare for global warming-related shocks, a first-of-its-kind report warns -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 12:31:53

Don't Feel Guilty about Your Online Security Habits  

Most of the finger-wagging advice you hear is based on little or no evidence -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 11:22:19

Fighting Back against the Stigma of Addiction  

When health care providers demonize people addicted to drugs or alcohol, it just makes the problem worse -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 08:55:55

A Matter of Time  

9 essential facts about the coronavirus pandemic -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 08:53:39

SpaceX's Dark Satellites Are Still Too Bright for Astronomers  

The company’s attempts to dim the spacecraft in its megaconstellation fall short of eliminating disruptions to the world’s ground-based observatories -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 07:46:23

What's in Wildfire Smoke, and Why Is It So Bad for Your Lungs?  

An environmental toxicologist explains the factors involved -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 07:42:01

Emotional Labor Is a Store Clerk Confronting a Maskless Customer  

The preeminent sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild discusses the control over one’s feelings needed to go to work every day during a pandemic -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 07:25:41

Bricks Can Be Turned Into Batteries  

Pumping cheap iron-oxide-rich red bricks with specific vapors that form polymers enables the bricks to become electrical charge storage devices. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 03:35:34

Leftovers Are A Food Waste Problem  

Researchers found that leftovers are likely to end up in the trash, so they advise cooking smaller meals in the first place to avoid food waste. Christopher Intagliata reports.  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 03:29:02

Climate Change Increases Threat of Fire to U.S. West  

Warming could scorch the region -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 02:39:05

Discoverer of Neural Circuits for Parenting Wins $3-Million Breakthrough Prize  

Biologist Catherine Dulac netted one of four big life sciences awards. Also announced were one for mathematics and two for physics -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-10 01:44:33

Scientists React​ to Halt of Leading Coronavirus Vaccine Trial  

Scientists urge caution in the global vaccine race as AstraZeneca reports an ‘adverse event’ in a person who received the Oxford vaccine -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 19:10:13

First U.S. Small Nuclear Reactor Design Is Approved  

Concerns about costs and safety remain, however -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 13:14:18

How Good a Diet Is Intermittent Fasting?  

The popular fasting diet regimen can work well for weight loss, but many other claims about its benefits remain to be proved -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 12:15:39

Fighting Back against the Loneliness Epidemic  

Throughout the country, socially distanced young adults and older adults have been forming connections -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 08:50:29

Blood and Silicon: New Electronics-Cooling System Mimics Human Capillaries  

Microchannels strategically carved in chips could help meet demand for ever-smaller devices and cut energy use -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 07:35:22

Some Dinosaurs Probably Nested in Arctic  

The finding of a baby dinosaur fossil in the Arctic implies that some dinos nested there, which was milder than today but not toasty. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 05:36:28

Uber Commits to 100 Percent EVs--Will It Work?  

Though the ride-share company is offering incentives for drivers to switch, more will need to be done to achieve its goal -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 03:21:23

Coronavirus: How It Infects Us and How We Might Stop It  

How does SARS-CoV-2 sneak into our body? What can our immune system do and how can the virus sometimes defeat it? How do the leading drug and vaccine candidates work? Will the virus plague us... -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 02:28:59

How Scientists Discovered the Staggering Complexity of Human Evolution  

Darwin would be delighted by the story his successors have revealed -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-09 02:06:02

Jupiter's Ocean Moons Raise One Another's Tides  

Gravitational interactions among the moons could offer new insights on the liquid layers lurking in their depths -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-08 11:55:08

Our Health Depends on Our Homes and Work Spaces  

A new book looks at the science of how our buildings affect our bodies and minds -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-08 10:43:23

We Must Reduce the Trauma of Medical Diagnoses  

If a diagnosis is not delivered with care, it can form an intense “flashbulb memory” -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-08 10:27:07

Mountain Peaks Seem to Shape Personality Traits in the American West  

Topography may contribute to the formation of regional temperament -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-08 05:32:40

COVID-19's Disparate Impacts Are Not a Story about Race  

They’re a story about racism -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-08 03:31:05

The Idea that a Scientific Theory can be 'Falsified' Is a Myth  

It’s time we abandoned it -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-07 13:45:51

Algorithm Aids Search for Those Lost at Sea  

A new process pinpoints ocean “attractors” to find missing travelers -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-07 13:20:43

Poem: Bring Back the Leaf  

Science in meter and verse -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-05 07:34:24

The Failure of Public Health Messaging about COVID-19  

Untested medications and false claims that it's no worse than the flu are still being taken much too seriously by far too many people -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-05 06:11:36

Coronavirus News Roundup, August 29-September 4  

Pandemic highlights for the week -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-04 12:28:43

We Can't Fight COVID-19 on a Country by Country Basis  

A physician in hard-hit South Africa points out that squelching the disease in one place means nothing if it’s raging elsewhere -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-04 10:23:40

Google's Quantum Computer Achieves Chemistry Milestone  

A downsized version of the company’s Sycamore chip performed a record-breaking simulation of a chemical reaction -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-04 03:58:17

Physicists Create City-Sized Ultrasecure Quantum Network  

Capable of connecting eight or more users across distances of 17 kilometers, the demonstration is another milestone toward developing a fully quantum Internet -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-03 20:57:59

Star Systems Can Be Born Topsy Turvy  

Astronomers observed an odd triple-star system that offers clues about misaligned planetary orbits. Christopher Intagliata reports.  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-03 18:31:09

A New View of Sexual Harassment in the Sciences  

Recommended reading and viewing from the editors of Scientific American -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

what do you think? 2020-09-03 13:09:51