Scientific American Content: Global

Ebola outbreak triggers U.S. ban on travelers from three African nations

Mon, 18 May 2026 20:25:00 +0000

At least six Americans are believed to have been exposed to the Ebola virus, and one person who appears to have contracted the virus has been evacuated to Germany

How scientists developed a hantavirus PCR test in a weekend

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:45:00 +0000

Researchers at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory worked round the clock to develop a test for the Andes virus at the center of the deadly cruise ship outbreak

Hidden copy of the oldest known poem in the English language leaves researchers ‘speechless’

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Researchers discovered the copy of the 1,300-year-old poem lurking inside a historical text in an Italian library

The world is less prepared for a pandemic than before COVID. Here’s why

Mon, 18 May 2026 16:00:00 +0000

As world health leaders face deadly outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola, a major pandemic preparedness report finds we are less safe from viral outbreaks than before COVID

See a Lincoln Memorial-sized asteroid pass within just 56,000 miles of Earth today

Mon, 18 May 2026 15:30:00 +0000

The asteroid will swing by Earth on Monday and be close enough to be visible using an amateur telescope

Trump administration ousts top NIH infectious disease leaders

Mon, 18 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Eight of the top 10 officials at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office

The programmer whose code underpins the Internet

Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Sharla Boehm, a math teacher, spent her summers coding. She’d go on to build what would eventually evolve into the Internet

How marijuana rewires the teenage brain

Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A growing body of research suggests cannabis poses risks to the developing brain

Hantavirus cruise ship, PCOS name change, a fish that hides in another animal’s ‘butthole’

Mon, 18 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

What you should know about hantavirus, why PCOS is getting a new name, and how some fish hide in an unusual spot

Did Homo erectus and Denisovans mate? Tooth proteins hint at ancient trysts

Sun, 17 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Genetic analysis suggests interbreeding between two groups of human relatives

This small rodent is at the center of theories about the hantavirus outbreak

Sun, 17 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000

The long-tailed pygmy rice rat is the primary host for Andes virus, the type of hantavirus responsible for sickening passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship

These ants navigate with a compass tuned to the moon

Sun, 17 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A newfound nocturnal navigation system challenges what entomologists thought they knew about how ants find their way

NASA reveals new clues to 2027’s Artemis III, the final test mission before a moon landing

Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000

NASA is starting to paint in some of the details of its planned 2027 Artemis III mission, but key questions, such as who its astronauts will be, are yet to be answered

Scientists catalog the ‘fractal dimensions’ of more than 130,000 islands

Sat, 16 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The “coastline paradox” helped to define fractals, but coastlines themselves turn out to be less fractal than thought

Hantavirus can persist in semen for years, but that doesn’t mean it remains contagious

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:45:00 +0000

Researchers know very little about how long the Andes version of the hantavirus can remain in human hosts

A real Mr. Snuffleupagus? Meet the ocean’s strangest new fish species

Fri, 15 May 2026 18:45:00 +0000

A strange, tiny fish that resembles the famous Sesame Street character camouflages amid red algae thanks to its flamboyant reddish “hairs”

This startup wants to make drugs in orbit. If it succeeds, it could transform the space economy

Fri, 15 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Varda’s plan to develop medicines in microgravity has its advantages, but it requires a big up-front cost

How to arm yourself against hantavirus misinformation

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Hantavirus misinformation is spreading fast. COVID trauma and social media algorithms may be to blame

Can plants have consciousness? The film Silent Friend reimagines the science

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The filmmaker behind the newly released movie Silent Friend shares the scientific and historical inspiration for its story of botanical consciousness

Asking AI to explain your medical results? What doctors want you to know

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:30:00 +0000

As more people turn to chatbots for medical guidance, the technology is revealing both its promise and its risks

Microbe ‘cities’ may solve a key ocean mystery

Fri, 15 May 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Some of Earth’s tiniest life-forms inhabit slowly sinking particles of fish poop and debris, playing a crucial role in ocean carbon storage

Are astronomers ignoring some of the cosmos?

Fri, 15 May 2026 10:45:00 +0000

There are parts of the universe, and of the electromagnetic spectrum, that we’re not covering with our telescopes—but not as many as you might think!

Why Black women are at greater risk for fibroids and endometrial cancer

Fri, 15 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

A new book argues that disparities in fibroids, cancer and diagnosis reveal a lifelong gynecologic health crisis for Black women

To celebrate Endangered Species Day, meet the scaly-foot snail, the most metal animal in the world

Fri, 15 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

This snail became the first animal living on deep-sea hydrothermal vents to be added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species—it also turns poisonous sulfur into armor

U.S. Supreme Court allows mifepristone by mail—for now

Thu, 14 May 2026 23:20:00 +0000

The nation’s top court extended a stay on a lower court order banning telemedicine access to mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions—but the order sets up a longer legal fight

There’s an 82 percent chance El Niño will ‘emerge soon,’ NWS says

Thu, 14 May 2026 20:32:00 +0000

The El Niño climate event is due to return this year, with U.S. forecasters predicting an 82 percent chance of it coming in May through July and a 96 percent chance for it doing so in December through February 2027

‘Golden rule’ in abstract art just discovered by mathematicians

Thu, 14 May 2026 19:35:00 +0000

A mathematical ratio could explain why AI-generated art doesn’t evoke awe from viewers

Implantable ‘living materials’ that deliver drugs on demand could help fight infections

Thu, 14 May 2026 18:57:00 +0000

In a “breakthrough,” researchers demonstrate how engineered bacteria held in a jellylike container could help fight infection in mice

Doubts grow over theory that bird-watchers’ trip to Argentine landfill sparked hantavirus outbreak

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:30:00 +0000

The hantavirus cruise outbreak may not have started in a garbage dump in Ushuaia, Argentina, after all

NASA’s Psyche mission is snapping photos of Mars on its way to an asteroid

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:20:00 +0000

The Psyche spacecraft is bound for a metal-rich asteroid that it will examine up close starting in 2029. But first, it needs to swing past the Red Planet

Can helium-3 create a ‘gold rush’ on the moon?

Thu, 14 May 2026 16:00:00 +0000

The rare isotope helium-3 is one of Earth’s most precious commodities—so precious, in fact, that it might prove profitable to mine from the moon

The war in Iran is supercharging an ecological crisis in the Persian Gulf

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Despite decades of damage, the Persian Gulf’s ecological marvels remain—for now

Deep-Earth diamonds reveal trove of never-before-seen minerals

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Flecks of minerals captured in diamonds show hidden connections between Earth’s surface and its deep interior

Depression scales may not work the same for highly intelligent people

Thu, 14 May 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Research suggests depression assessment questionnaires can’t reliably compare people with differing intelligence

2026 FIFA World Cup players and fans at risk of extreme heat, climate scientists warn

Thu, 14 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Heat conditions could exceed dangerous levels at a quarter of the planned 2026 World Cup soccer matches, including the final in New Jersey on July 19

Almost half of the objects in Earth’s orbit are junk—and that’s only the stuff we know about

Wed, 13 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Debris is a growing threat to orbital infrastructure, and it’s only going to get worse as the number of launches increases

Can hantavirus spread through the air? What we do and don’t know

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:30:00 +0000

The Andes type of the hantavirus is spread by “close contact,” but it’s unclear how much of that transmission occurs by inhaling airborne droplets or other means

Americans are increasingly open to using psychedelics for medical reasons

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:40:00 +0000

A survey found that more than 60 percent of respondents “strongly support” making psychedelics easier to study, reflecting a growing consensus that some could have therapeutic use

59,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth may be oldest evidence of dentistry

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Archaeologists analyzed a Neanderthal molar that seems like it was intentionally drilled, but some experts are skeptical

Radar picks up on bird migration. But how do we tell birds and storms apart?

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Flock shape, speed and structure are key in deciphering whether radar readouts are birds, bats, insects or weather

Are attention spans really shrinking? What the science says

Wed, 13 May 2026 15:45:00 +0000

Digital distractions can undermine our focus, but research suggests that our inherent capacity to pay attention hasn’t diminished

Baby ‘cosmic fossil’ galaxy brings JWST closer to glimpsing the universe’s first stars

Wed, 13 May 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Seen just 800 million years after the big bang, an object called LAP1-B is a galactic building block that seems to hold some of the first stars to ever shine

Tiny robot drones learn to navigate the world like honeybees

Wed, 13 May 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Mapping their starting point like bees do helps autonomous drones find their way

WHO warns the world is falling short of and even reversing its health targets

Wed, 13 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Malaria incidence is increasing, progress on maternal mortality is stalling, and some childhood vaccine rates are plateauing or have dipped below the threshold for herd immunity

Why hantavirus takes so long to show symptoms and what that means for containment

Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

People exposed to the Andes strain of the hantavirus may not develop symptoms for up to 42 days, a delay that makes tracing infections more difficult

Quitting weight-loss drugs or a diet can cause weight regain—two strategies could help prevent that

Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000

With millions of people now using GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound, scientists are racing to find ways to help people retain their weight loss after they stop taking the medication

Each atom in the universe might be unique

Wed, 13 May 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Long-held assumptions tell us that atoms with the same number of protons, neutrons and electrons are indistinguishable, but one physicist wants to put this idea to the test

Do you need more protein? What science says about high-protein diets

Wed, 13 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Are we really falling short on protein—or is the high-protein craze overblown?

Hantavirus treatments are coming, but funding is holding them back

Tue, 12 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

There is no cure for the hantavirus that has so far sickened at least nine people and killed three of them on a cruise ship outbreak, but several therapies have shown promise in animal studies

Ivermectin prescriptions spiked after Mel Gibson touted it for cancer on Joe Rogan’s podcast

Tue, 12 May 2026 18:20:00 +0000

There is no hard evidence that ivermectin can treat cancer, but that hasn’t stopped people from trying it