Scientific American News

Stunning Comet Could Photobomb This April's Total Solar Eclipse

Meghan Bartels — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:45:00 GMT

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will make its closest approach to the sun this April—right after North America is treated to a total solar eclipse

The Industrial Designer behind the N95 Mask

Johanna Mayer, Katie Hafner, The Lost Women of Science Initiative — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Sara Little Turnbull used materials science to invent and design products for the modern world

An Evolutionary 'Big Bang' Explains Why Snakes Come in So Many Strange Varieties

Jack Tamisiea — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:00:00 GMT

Snakes saw a burst of adaptation about 128 million years ago that led to them exploding in diversity and evolving up to three times faster than lizards

JWST Is Tracking Down the Cosmic Origins of Earth's Water

Shannon Hall — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:00:00 GMT

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope are exposing the pathways that water takes to reach terrestrial planets

Flimsy Antiabortion Studies Cited in Case to Ban Mifepristone Are Retracted

Liz Szabo — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:30:00 GMT

Outside experts found that two studies cited in a federal case on medication abortion had serious design problems and that their authors had undisclosed conflicts of interest

First Commercial Moon Landing Returns U.S. to Lunar Surface

Michael Greshko — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:00:00 GMT

Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission is the first U.S. soft landing on the moon since Apollo 17. It’s also a sign of private industry’s growing role in space

JWST Solves Decades-Old Mystery of Nearby Supernova

Jonathan O'Callaghan — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:45:00 GMT

Scientists have finally found the compact object at the heart of the famous supernova of 1987, and it’s not a black hole

Why Do We Have a Leap Year Anyway?

Phil Plait — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:15:00 GMT

Without adding an extra day to February every four years, our calendar would get increasingly out of sync with the cosmos

Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning

Charlotte Hu — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 20:45:00 GMT

Engaging the fine motor system to produce letters by hand has positive effects on learning and memory

People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome May Have an "Exhausted" Immune System

Kamal Nahas — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:15:00 GMT

A long-awaited study of people with ME/CFS revealed differences in their immune and nervous system. The findings may offer clues about long COVID

Sculptures about to Land on the Moon Join a Long History of Lunar Art

Meghan Bartels — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:00:00 GMT

A lunar lander nicknamed Odie carries 125 small moon sculptures by artist Jeff Koons that could become the first authorized artwork on the moon

Virtual Bar Scenes Are a New Tool to Study Why People Commit Crimes in the Heat of the Moment

Ingrid Wickelgren — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 17:00:00 GMT

Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime

The Sophisticated Threads behind a Hat That Senses Traffic Lights

Payal Dhar — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 13:30:00 GMT

A new technique to make electronic fibers could help solve wearable technology’s flexibility problem

Chimpanzees and Bonobos Have Surprisingly Different Parenting Styles

Elizabeth Anne Brown — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:30:00 GMT

Chimpanzee “helicopter moms” often protect their offspring from bullies, but bonobo moms are more hands-off

What Apple's New Vision Pro Headset Might Do to Our Brain

Lauren Leffer — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMT

The release of Apple’s mixed-reality headset raises questions about hours spent in a virtual replacement of our world

Una temporada de incendios sin precedentes arrasa uno de los puntos calientes de biodiversidad de la Tierra

Quentin Septer — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 20:30:00 GMT

En Colombia han ardido más de 500 incendios, incluso en sus delicados y únicos humedales del altiplano, uno de los ecosistemas de más rápida evolución de la Tierra

How Did an Aquarium Stingray Get Pregnant without a Mate?

Stephanie Pappas — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:15:00 GMT

Charlotte, a stingray in a small North Carolina aquarium, is taking a DIY approach to reproduction

Unprecedented Fire Season Has Raged Through One of Earth's Biodiversity Hotspots

Quentin Septer — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:00:00 GMT

More than 500 fires have burned across Colombia, including in its delicate and unique highland wetlands, one of the fastest evolving ecosystems on Earth

Weird 'Obelisks' Found in Human Gut May be Virus-Like Entities

Joanna Thompson — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:30:00 GMT

Rod-shaped fragments of RNA called “obelisks” were discovered in gut and mouth bacteria for the first time

Secret Mathematical Patterns Revealed in Bach's Music

Elise Cutts — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:30:00 GMT

Physicists found that the music of Johann Sebastian Bach contains mathematical patterns that help convey information

Could Magnesium and TikTok's 'Sleepy Girl Mocktail' Actually Help You Sleep?

Jocelyn Solis-Moreira — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMT

TikTok’s “sleepy girl mocktails” remind us how important magnesium is for sleep and health

Under Pluto's Sunny Skies, You'd Have to Wear Shades

Phil Plait — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 11:45:00 GMT

Despite being some six billion kilometers away, the sun from Pluto would be a dazzling sight to behold—carefully, that is

Medication Abortion Using Telehealth Is As Safe As In-Person Care, Study Finds

Joanna Thompson — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 18:45:00 GMT

Researchers find that medication abortion provided at home with a Zoom or text link to a medical provider is extremely safe and effective

Three Times That Solar Eclipses Transformed Science

Paul M. Sutter — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 14:45:00 GMT

From the discovery of new elements to the testing of novel theories of gravity, total solar eclipses have helped spark scientific progress for centuries

Electric Vehicles Aren't Ready for Extreme Heat and Cold. Here's How to Fix Them

Molly Glick — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 13:30:00 GMT

New materials would help the cars of the future survive cold snaps and other climate disruptions