Scientific American Content: Global

Fusion energy company Commonwealth applies to join a U.S. power grid—a first

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

The fusion energy start-up Commonwealth aims to bring its first power plant online by the early 2030s, but daunting technical hurdles remain

Watch Astrobotic’s latest record-breaking ‘ring of fire’ rocket engine test

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Rotating detonation rocket engines work differently than traditional rockets to maximize thrust while using less fuel—an advantage that could help spacecraft explore farther in the solar system

Polycystic ovary syndrome might affect men, too. Here’s how

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A condition that affects 10 to 15 percent of women may affect men, too. But many doctors don’t know about it

War in Iran spotlights the risk to drinking water for millions in the Persian Gulf

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Direct attacks, oil spills and the threat of nuclear waste are putting the Gulf region’s desalination plants at risk—here’s why that matters

The science behind the Adidas shoes that helped two marathoners break the two-hour mark

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:45:00 +0000

A sub-two-hour marathon has long been seen as a tantalizing benchmark for elite runners—and shoemakers have been in a race to design footwear that can help them get there

Iconic Sombrero Galaxy captured in incredible detail, revealing its enormous glowing halo

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:30:00 +0000

This galaxy, also known as Messier 104, gets its nickname from its central bulge and outer dust trail, which give it a sombrerolike appearance from our vantage point

People trust vaccine scientists as much as other researchers, poll shows

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Roughly seven in 10 people still trust vaccine researchers, a new poll finds. The number is in line with trust for other scientists

Blood filtering could help treat preeclampsia, pilot study suggests

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:12:00 +0000

Preeclampsia can be deadly in pregnancy, and aside from delivering the baby, the condition has no targeted treatment. A new study suggests blood filtering with antibodies could help

Zepbound’s and Ozempic’s greatest benefit may be their anti-inflammatory power

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A growing body of research suggests that GLP-1 drugs do more than control appetite and blood sugar. They could also fight inflammation

NASA Curiosity discovery, suicide hotline hope, the AI voice clone upper hand

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

What NASA’s Curiosity Rover found on Mars, how youth suicides dropped after the launch of the 988 crisis line, and what people think of AI voice clones

Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:40:00 +0000

Members of the National Science Board, which the U.S. Congress founded in 1950, were given no explanation for their termination

‘Staggering’ number of people believe unproven claims about vaccines, raw milk, and more

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Survey results suggest a rise in questioning of scientific evidence

‘Bat feast’ animal videos at African cave offer clues to how deadly viruses spread

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Researchers filmed 10 species eating or scavenging bats at a known Marburg-virus hotspot—and caught hundreds of humans visiting

Can electric air taxis carry passengers? Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 just cleared a key test

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:30:00 +0000

A British start-up recently pulled off a key maneuver for electric vertical flight—but certification, infrastructure and demand will decide whether air taxis fill our skies

Mollusk shells could pave the way to greener materials

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Nacre-inspired ceramics could be the basis for the next generation of energy-efficient technology

One scientist’s 10-year quest to calculate the strength of gravity

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Earth’s gravitational force, g, has been known for centuries. But the exact value of G, the universal gravitational constant, is elusive

RFK, Jr., praises ibogaine for depression treatment. Is the psychedelic a magic bullet?

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:25:00 +0000

At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., referred to ibogaine as the most promising treatment for PTSD and depression “that anybody’s ever seen.” Does the science hold that up?

RFK, Jr., puts psychedelics on fast track to FDA review and approval

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:50:00 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking to accelerate the review process for three companies that are studying psilocybin and an MDMA-like drug as treatments for depression and PTSD

Alien comet reveals our solar system is the oddball

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Measurements of this interstellar comet’s molecular makeup show an excess of heavy water molecules that is dramatically different from anything known to have ever formed around our sun

How darkness might save migratory birds

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:20:00 +0000

Light pollution is dangerous for birds flying over towns and cities. Here’s how you can help

New JWST images reveal cosmic question marks and buckyballs in a planetary nebula

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:15:00 +0000

New James Webb Space Telescope images could shed fresh light on how dying stars evolve over time

Amateur armed with ChatGPT ‘vibe maths’ a 60-year-old problem

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:30:00 +0000

A ChatGPT AI has proved a conjecture with a method no human had thought of. Experts believe it may have further uses

988 crisis hotline linked to drop in young adult suicide rates

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The states with the greatest increases in 988 crisis hotline use since 2022 experienced the greatest decrease in suicide mortality, but the hotline alone may not explain the drop

How geneticists uncovered a common root of two neurological diseases

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) can have the same genetic cause, a discovery that won two neurogeneticists a portion of the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

What happens if you’re hit by a primordial black hole?

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Subatomic black holes from ancient cosmic history could, in principle, make you have a very bad day. But chances are you’ll never encounter one

Trump wants Iran’s ‘nuclear dust.’ Here’s how the U.S. could remove the uranium

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:30:00 +0000

President Trump keeps promising to secure Iran’s nuclear “dust,” which is actually a gas

From pet stores to pandemics—how wildlife trade helps diseases jump to humans

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

New research shows the global wildlife trade is rapidly accelerating the spread of animal pathogens that can jump to humans

Africa could split apart sooner than scientists thought

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

New research reveals that a rift in Earth’s crust is just a few million years away from splitting the continent of Africa into two—and creating a new ocean

‘Kraken’ fossils show enormous, intelligent octopuses were top predators in Cretaceous seas

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Fossil jaws from colossal octopuses place them at the top of a prehistoric marine food chain

Wildfire ‘red flag’ warnings in effect for large chunk of the U.S. Here’s what to know

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

These wildfire warnings are in place up and down the country, from Texas to North Dakota and Minnesota

How do earthquakes end? A seismic 'stop sign' could help predict earthquake risk

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

When an earthquake rupturing along a fault hits a barrier, it creates a seismic signature called the “stopping phase.” Scientists have isolated this and could use it to better predict earthquake risk

Trump administration officially reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as Schedule III

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:40:00 +0000

The Trump administration said this move, which does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law, is just the start of a process to reclassify the drug more broadly

U.S. scientists solve the mystery of a golden orb discovered in the deep sea. Here’s what it really is

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:15:00 +0000

This enigmatic orb has undergone extensive examination and DNA testing, enabling scientists to reveal its true origins

NASA’s Artemis II was a major success—so why couldn’t the crew flush the toilet?

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:30:00 +0000

The space environment—microgravity, extreme temperatures and more—make it near-impossible to truly test a space toilet like Artemis II's ahead of launch, experts say

Passage from Homer’s Iliad discovered in the abdomen of a Roman-era Egyptian mummy

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

A snippet of text from Homer’s famous epic recounting the siege of Troy was apparently placed inside this body as part of the mummification process

A volcanic mystery reveals that rising magma has a stealth mode

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

In 2022 a swarm of earthquakes in the Azores suggested that an eruption was imminent, but none happened. Now we know why, and it means magma can be sneakier than we knew

Genetic origins of language may predate modern humans splitting from Neanderthals, a new study suggests

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:09:00 +0000

A new study links genetic regions that predate the divergence of modern humans and Neanderthals to language

New York City, New Orleans at greatest risk of extreme damage from floods, new analysis reveals

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

While New York City leads in terms of the absolute number of people threatened by flood, more than 98 percent of New Orleans’ population is at risk, according to a new study

RFK, Jr., set to overhaul key committee that issues disease screening recommendations

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Lawmakers grilled Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on cuts and changes to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which focuses on preventive health screening

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will launch in September

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Ahead of schedule and under budget, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will launch in early September. The mission aims to map the universe in unprecedented detail

The solar system’s first solids had a fast start

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Rather than slowly condensing over millions of years, the first building blocks of Earth and other planets may have formed rapidly in a chaotic disk at the dawn of the solar system

Smoking ban for people born after 2008 is on the cusp of becoming law in the U.K.

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:45:00 +0000

This ban applies to various tobacco products and also seeks to beef up existing laws that restrict the sale and marketing of vapes to children

Plants can ‘hear’ rain coming, spurring them into action

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:03:00 +0000

Even before water reaches them, the sound of droplets triggers germination in rice plants

A humanoid robot beat the human half-marathon record at a Beijing race. But what did it actually prove?

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000

A premapped course, a crew of handlers and a world-beating time: here’s what this Beijing half marathon reveals about how far humanoid robots have come—and how far they haven’t

NASA’s ‘Earthrise’ image changed how we see our planet. Can the Artemis moon missions do the same?

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Fresh takes on Apollo’s famous “Earthrise” and “Blue Marble” images showed off our planet’s beauty just weeks before Earth Day

Whatever happened to the ozone hole, acid rain and DDT?

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:30:00 +0000

The environmental crises of the past often seem to disappear—have problems like acid rain and smog been solved?

This Earth Day, three experts share tips on how to feel hopeful about the environment

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

This Earth Day three environmental experts share stories about times when environmental action succeeded in saving the planet—and explain why this can be done again

Gibraltar macaques are self-medicating with dirt to help them digest human junk food

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Gibraltar’s macaques have been observed engaging in geophagy, the consumption of soil and clay, in an apparent attempt to quell their nausea from eating fatty and salty foods offered by tourists

Hegseth says U.S. military no longer requires flu vaccination, drawing criticism from health experts

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:52:00 +0000

The decision to no longer enforce mandatory annual flu shots for military personnel could mean more troops will get sick during flu season, one expert says

Mathematicians found out why waiting for the elevator takes forever

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Does it ever feel like an elevator is always going in the wrong direction? Mathematics can explain why