Scientific American

Readers Respond to the April 2021 Issue

Sat, 28 Aug 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Letters to the editor from the April 2021 issue of Scientific American

Poem: 'Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (1822–1907)'

Jessy Randall — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Science in meter and verse

In Case You Missed It

Maddie Bender — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 13:00:00 GMT

One Head, 1,000 Rear Ends: The Tale of a Deeply Weird Worm

Jennifer Frazer — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Ramisyllis multicaudata is an animal that seems to have adopted the lifestyle of a fungus

O UFOs, Where Art Thou?

Caleb A. Scharf — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 19:00:00 GMT

Five reasons why sorting all of this out is so scientifically challenging

50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: August 2021

Mark Fischetti — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Tasty radio; early fake leather

The Human Framework for Alien Life

Andrea Gawrylewski — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:30:00 GMT

Why So Many Young People Hate STEM Courses

Rhea Wanchoo — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 19:00:00 GMT

Take it from someone who almost gave up on her dream of being a scientist

NASA Investigates Renaming James Webb Space Telescope after Anti-LGBT+ Claims

Alexandra Witze, Nature magazine — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:00:00 GMT

Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence

Quantum Mechanics, Plato's Cave and the Blind Piranha

John Horgan — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Can we ever really know the world?

For Good Science, You Need Engaged Citizens

Gregory E. Kaebnick, Michael K. Gusmano — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 13:00:00 GMT

They strengthen the institutions that ensure a strong democracy, leading to rational decisions

These Dinosaurs Had a Complicated Air Conditioner in Their Skull

Aaron Martin — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Cooling 5,000-pound, armor-plated giants was no small feat.

Moths Have an Acoustic Invisibility Cloak to Stay under Bats' Radar

Karen Hopkin — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 12:00:00 GMT

New research finds they fly around on noise-cancelling wings

Hardy Microbes Hint at Possibilities for Extraterrestrial Life

Brianne Palmer — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:45:00 GMT

Studies of extreme ecosystems on Earth can guide the search for Martian life and may reveal the fundamental limits of biology

Jeff Bezos Launches into Space on Blue Origin's First Astronaut Flight

Mike Wall, SPACE.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:30:00 GMT

The billionaire and three others take a suborbital trip onboard the craft New Shepard

Behold the 'Borg': Massive DNA Structures Perplex Scientists

Amber Dance, Nature magazine — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:00:00 GMT

Researchers say they have discovered unique and exciting DNA strands in the mud; others are not sure of their novelty

Play Is Serious Business for Elephants

Caitlin O'Connell — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 13:30:00 GMT

Young dogs, apes and other animals develop skills needed to survive and reproduce

Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin Are Finally Flying to Space

Mike Wall, SPACE.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:00:00 GMT

After nearly twenty years pursuing a lifelong dream of spaceflight, the world’s wealthiest person is at last ready for lift off

The Idea That Trees Talk to Cooperate Is Misleading

Kathryn Flinn — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:00:00 GMT

It’s a romantic notion, but pretending they’re like humans could actually harm the cause of conservation

Poem: 'Lesson from the West African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens)'

Christina Olson — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Science in meter and verse

New Approach Could Boost the Search for Life in Otherworldly Oceans

Natalie Elliot — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 10:45:00 GMT

“Ecological biosignatures” hold promise for revealing alien organisms that may dwell within icy moons such as Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus

Spiders on Tiny Treadmills Give Scientists the Side-Eye

Maddie Bender — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 18:00:00 GMT

Jumping spiders see more in their periphery than previously known

New Space Radiation Limits Needed for NASA Astronauts, Report Says

Ramin Skibba — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:30:00 GMT

Although meant to minimize risks to human health, the proposed new limits would still be exceeded by any conceivable near-future crewed voyage to Mars

What You Know about Trump's Assault on Science Was Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Dana Gold, Lauren Kurtz — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Help us reveal the rest

The Case for Antiracism

Andrea Gawrylewski — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 13:30:00 GMT