Scientific American Content: Global

Tropical Storm Lala nears Hawaii as forecasters expect it to strengthen into a hurricane

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:50:00 +0000

Hawaii rarely sees direct hurricane hits—if Lala strengthens, it will be just the third recorded hurricane to make landfall there

Why 14 inches of rain fell in Japan in just one day

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:16:00 +0000

This extreme rain was deadly, with at least eight people killed and many others stranded

Why is Illinois suddenly being hit with so many tornadoes?

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0000

This state, which has seen more than 200 twisters this year, could beat Texas’s all-time record of 244 tornadoes in 12 months

The X-Files creator Chris Carter on Scully, science and the truth that’s still out there

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The creator of The X-Files discusses the Frankenstein elements in the newly released director’s cut of "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," and how Mary Shelley’s classic influenced the story.

What the mathematics of billiards can tell us about loving and letting go

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

A mathematician may have solved a 250-year-old question about whether every polygon contains a path home

When will Betelgeuse go supernova?

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Betelgeuse, the sky’s most famous red supergiant, is well studied but poorly understood

A nonspeaking person is the star of this opera. AI made that possible

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

What if artificial intelligence is used to amplify human creativity rather than replace it?

Physicists find major clue to matter’s biggest mystery

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Researchers have nailed down an elusive quantity called baryon number, which may be responsible for the cosmic mismatch between matter and antimatter

Rare Tropical Storm Lala on course for Hawaii, with hurricane conditions possible

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:30:00 +0000

This storm, a rarity for this part of the Pacific, is expected to bring heavy rains, strong wind and possibly “life-threatening flooding” to Hawaii this weekend

Stunning time lapse lets you relive the 2026 total solar eclipse in 4K glory

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:30:00 +0000

There’s a reason humans have been obsessed with these celestial events for millennia—they are beautiful

Drone time lapse shows total solar eclipse in amazing 4K quality

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Relive the 2026 total solar eclipse, as seen by a drone over Spain

Neuroscientists have vastly underestimated brain cells’ computing power

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A new study shows that each neuron can do multiple computations at once thanks to hundreds of sprawling branches

Popular drug metformin transforms your gut into a sugar sink

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Researchers are finally learning the mechanism behind one of the most prescribed medicines in the U.S., primarily used to treat or prevent type 2 diabetes

Squishies are everywhere. But what are they made of?

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

We asked a simple question: What’s in kids’ squishy toys? Finding an answer was surprisingly complicated

Estrogen-only hormone therapy could lower risk of Alzheimer’s

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:52:00 +0000

In a retrospective study, people taking estrogen-only hormone therapy for menopause were less likely to see signs of dementia

See the 2026 total solar eclipse from around the world

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:40:00 +0000

From a partial eclipse over Berlin to totality over Spain, see some of the incredible images of the August 12 total solar eclipse

Major COVID study that fueled vaccine skepticism retracted over ‘misinformation’

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:15:00 +0000

This study was originally published in 2024 and was criticized as being misleading by other scientists at the time

See hundreds of stingrays swarming off the coast of New York

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:45:00 +0000

A “fever” of cownose rays revealed by striking drone footage could be a sign of warming oceans

Yale study finds ‘Medicare for All’ could save $1 trillion and 114,000 lives every year

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0000

This study has been touted by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as proof of the benefits of a universal, single-payer health care system, but the research hasn’t been peer-reviewed

Stunning new images reveal cosmic cycle of death and rebirth

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A new study of the Helix Nebula shows a never-before-seen detail of how dying stars recycle elements. Researchers found it by accident

No, AI didn’t just solve the thorniest problem in math

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

There’s a $1-million prize for proving the Riemann hypothesis. Claude couldn’t pull that off, but it made significant progress on a related problem

JWST images illuminate ‘black hole stars’ at cosmic dawn

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

First glimpsed as “little red dots” in deep-space images from the James Webb Space Telescope, these giant, gas-shrouded black holes are full of surprises

New JWST images reveal the Lion Nebula in all its glory

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This dying star appears to have a face of gas and a mane of space dust

Watch today’s total solar eclipse live

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Follow all the latest updates about the August 12 eclipse with Scientific American

Could Rocky’s musical language in Project Hail Mary actually work?

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Linguists explain how a language built from musical notes could convey complex meaning and even support conversation

Land speed record holder shatters hydrogen car record with 406-mph race

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:45:00 +0000

Andy Green holds the overall land speed record, having hit 763.035 miles per hour while driving a jet-powered vehicle in 1997

Can AI make mathematics more human?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Mathematician Yang-Hui He explains why artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming mathematical work—and why that’s a good thing

National Academy of Sciences pulls climate chapter from judges’ manual

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:37:00 +0000

President Donald Trump and other Republican officials had criticized this chapter as biased against fossil fuel companies

107 years ago, the Eddington total eclipse experiment helped prove Einstein’s theory of relativity

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

The Eddington experiment used a solar eclipse to prove Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity

Scientists are closer than ever to understanding the power of the vagus nerve

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The vagus nerve is the autonomic nervous system’s highway, connecting every major organ

Has science finally made up its mind about coffee’s health benefits?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Doctors used to warn coffee drinkers. Now research reassures them

The birth of modern life was fueled by poop, new theory proposes

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The Cambrian explosion is a critical moment for life on Earth—and it may have been all about poop

Humans’ sense of smell is still evolving

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000

A genetic study shows how smell capabilities were maintained in a hunter-gatherer population

First-of-its-kind clinic treats psychedelic side effects

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:30:00 +0000

As psychedelic therapies expand, new clinics treat uncommon long-term harms

Scientists are using AI to design new viruses. Should they be?

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:20:00 +0000

Research is outpacing regulation to govern artificial-intelligence-designed biology

Trump issues executive order aimed at rewriting childhood vaccine schedule

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:00:00 +0000

The president called for the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be split into separate shots, despite decades of research showing that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective

Colombia rocked by 7.4 magnitude earthquake—its largest in the past decade

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:30:00 +0000

This seismic event is of a similar magnitude to the pair of earthquakes that hit Venezuela in June

Can dogs read your facial expressions? It depends on your mood

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:04:00 +0000

Dogs are known to recognize and respond to human facial expressions, but a new study shows how deeply they understand our mood

Cyclosporiasis-linked Taylor Farms recalls jalapeños tied to Salmonella outbreak

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:30:00 +0000

This summer has been marked by multiple outbreaks of foodborne illness, with thousands of infections and two deaths arising from cyclosporiasis and hundreds of cases of Salmonella infections

World ocean temperatures hit extreme new record for July

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

July also saw its second-highest air temperatures on record this year

How the ‘happy ending problem’ launched a new branch of math—and a romance

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A puzzle about dots on a page led to one of the most profound areas of modern math

Sperm with DNA damage might be the true cause of repeated miscarriages

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

New guidelines say testing sperm for DNA damage could help explain recurrent pregnancy losses

Can ‘magic mushrooms’ help treat cocaine dependence?

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Psychedelic-assisted therapy could open a new path for treating cocaine use disorder, which has no approved medications yet

SpaceX rocket crashes into the moon as cyberattacks hit U.S. water systems

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Scientists analyze an accidental SpaceX impact on the moon as cyberattacks target U.S. water systems and a new mRNA flu vaccine is approved by the FDA

Europe's wildfires are igniting forgotten WWII and Cold War bombs

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Europe is full of buried explosives left over from 20th century wars, and the continent’s wildfires are now big enough, hot enough and last long enough to reach them

How spaceflight changes astronauts' ability to eat and drink

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

If humans are to spend more time in space, scientists need to understand how life in microgravity affects eating and drinking

Hank Green AI controversy raises questions for science communicators

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The backlash raises a bigger question for science communicators: Where should AI fit into their work?

Monkeys keep pets and maintain friendships with other animals

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

This behaviour may shed light on one of the defining features of our own species: our extraordinary relationships with other animals

Why loneliness and not social isolation may be making you sick

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

One in six people are thought to experience loneliness, and that can have a serious knock-on effect on their mental and physical health

Latest Pentagon UFO files release includes video of mysterious ‘cold orbs’

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:15:00 +0000

This new cache of material includes footage of a U.S. military plane’s infrared display recorded during an exercise over the Gulf of Oman in 2021