Scientific American Content: Global

How to tell a comet from an asteroid and a meteor from a meteorite

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

A field guide to the space rocks you might see streaking across the night sky

How to protect Earth from a deadly asteroid impact

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Our solar system is a celestial shooting gallery, chock-full of flying projectiles that one day could threaten Earth—so what can we do about it?

What's best for baking—butter or margarine? A food scientist explains

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Key differences in the chemical structure of butter and margarine mean choosing one or the other has a big effect on your baking

Will humans one day talk to animals? This scientist is bringing us closer

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Julie Elie has been studying zebra finch vocalizations for years. Now, she has won the Coller-Dolittle Prize for progress toward a world where humans can talk to animals

What happens at the edge of a black hole? Astronomers may be close to finding out

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:30:00 +0000

The discovery of a completely new type of gravitational wave could reveal what happens near a black hole’s event horizon

Ancient Roman scrolls destroyed by Mount Vesuvius digitally unrolled in full for first time

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000

This Silicon Valley-backed venture is unraveling the mangled remains of scrolls ruined by the 79 C.E. eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii

Cosmic imposters show astronomers sometimes get things hilariously wrong

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Sometimes we mistake one kind of object with another to disastrous effect

How Mbappe, Haaland and Messi use psychology to stay sharp at the World Cup

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Sports psychology plays a major role on and off the pitch, helping players manage chaos and stay strategic

France just hit its hottest day ever recorded

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:35:00 +0000

Scorching temperatures across France rose to a record-breaking average 30 degrees on Wednesday

Fundamental principles of the universe called into question by two physicists

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:30:00 +0000

A new study claims that the universe isn’t entirely the same no matter where you look—a radical proposal

How quantum sensing could reveal hidden faults in thousands of U.S. bridges

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Of the more than 624,000 highway bridges in the U.S., an estimated 220,000 need repairs. Quantum sensors could help engineers better safeguard these vital pieces of infrastructure

Weight loss drugs don't work for everyone—here’s why

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Some people who take GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide see little to no changes to their weight. The reason why may be genetics

Top quantum computer expert claims Microsoft’s ‘topological qubit’ doesn’t hold up

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000

The company has been touting its quantum technology for years, but some experts say these claims just don’t pass muster

Extreme heat is muddling animals’ brains—and even triggering aggression

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

As temperatures rise, some creatures pick fights while others struggle to learn

How underappreciated mathematician Emmy Noether helped prove physics' most fundamental theories

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Noether's work helped prove the conservation of energy in physics, a key foundation for Einstein's theory of relativity

The first ticking ‘nuclear clocks’ are here

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:15:00 +0000

These radical new devices keep time using fluctuations in the energy states of an atom’s nucleus, rather than those of its electrons, which atomic clocks currently use to define the length of a second

Why the paint is peeling off the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—experts explain

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:30:00 +0000

Poor preparation and a failure to properly apply the coating may be just a few of the reasons why the Reflecting Pool’s new paint job appears to be peeling off

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is almost as old as the universe itself

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000

The evidence is mounting: this interstellar visitor is even older and weirder than anyone thought

Stem cells banish severe autoimmune disease for 15 years

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Two people were the first to receive the therapy for a condition that damages the spinal cord and optic nerve

Will NASA’s SkyFall Mars helicopter fleet sink science at the Red Planet?

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Mars researchers are wrestling with the potential costs of a flashy new NASA mission to the Red Planet

Got a tick bite? Here’s what to do and when to seek treatment

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Knowing what kind of tick bit you and where you got it can help inform next steps

Ebola outbreak latest, World Cup heat risks and dad brains

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

What’s going on with the Ebola outbreak, how the World Cup is dealing with rising temperatures, and how becoming a father can change your brain

Can GLP-1s boost testosterone levels?

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preliminary study finds that testosterone levels increase or stabilize in people taking GLP-1 medications

How becoming a dad changes men’s brains

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Fathers show changes in some of the same brain areas as mothers, but the effect of parenthood on dads isn’t nearly as well studied

Celebrate Father’s Day with seven whimsical and weird animal dads

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

From tiny hamsters to giant salamanders, here are some of the most unusual examples of fatherhood across the animal kingdom

Silicon Valley's longevity biohackers are engaged in a dangerous experiment

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Influencers and ultra-rich people looking to extend their lifespan are trading tips and tricks on how to eke out extra years

Attachment style may influence how many kids people have

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

People with “fearful” or “preoccupied” insecure attachment styles had more children, whereas securely attached people had fewer, according to a recent study

A water treatment expert on what could actually fix the Reflecting Pool

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 22:00:00 +0000

The Trump administration wanted the surface of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to be “American flag blue.” A water-treatment expert explains why the pool is still algal green and why the bloom could keep coming back

Which World Cup cooling methods really protect players from extreme heat?

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 19:30:00 +0000

From booed hydration breaks to cooling-gel vests, teams are trying everything to keep their players from overheating. Physiologists—and one World Cup team doctor—say feeling cooler is different than cooling the body

Scientists pop the cork on the hidden chemistry inside wine bottles

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000

A new study captures how cork, wine and air interact over time

Scientists discover remnants of Jellyfish Nebula’s ‘sibling’ supernova

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Astronomers may have found the remains of two long-dead stellar siblings

In world first, a man living with HIV received a lung transplant from an HIV-positive donor

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

This operation opens the door to treating more people living with HIV who have end-stage organ disease

Ancient human ancestors may have first used fire 1.79 million years ago

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A new method that detects whether bones have been burned reveals Homo erectus brought fires into caves far earlier than previous evidence had suggested

JWST catches cosmic imposters spoofing faraway galaxies

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:45:00 +0000

The James Webb Space Telescope has found nearby brown dwarfs masquerading as far-distant galaxies. The discovery reinforces how, in astronomy, what you see isn’t always what you get

Why some irrational numbers are more irrational than others

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:30:00 +0000

The quest to approximate irrational numbers with fractions reveals hidden patterns, surprising hierarchies and enduring mathematical mysteries

Scientists are uncovering how common viruses may quietly increase cancer risk

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Everyday viral infections may be quietly reshaping the body’s network of molecules that support cells and tissues in ways that can raise cancer risk over time

Ancient worshipers gathered at a ‘prototype’ Stonehenge to celebrate the solstices, new analysis reveals

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0000

These ruins, located just five kilometers from Stonehenge, likely laid the groundwork for religious rites celebrating the longest and shortest days of the year

Japan’s 2011 earthquake was so powerful that it shifted the entire country’s location

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:04:00 +0000

This “extraordinary” event was likely caused by seismic waves bouncing off Earth’s core, researchers found

NASA’s Lucy mission reveals an asteroid’s hidden history

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Next summer, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will start sidling up to several asteroids near Jupiter. On its way there, it has studied another space rock up close

Trump administration reverses course on plan to dismantle ocean monitoring network

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:50:00 +0000

The effort to pull some 900 ocean-monitoring buoys and sensors from the water drew backlash from scientists and lawmakers

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s Relativity Space selected for upcoming NASA Mars orbiter mission

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:15:00 +0000

This partnership marks the latest foray into space exploration for Relativity Space, which aims to build cheap, reusable rockets

How to watch August’s total solar eclipse live with Scientific American

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Even if you aren’t going to be within the path of totality, you can still watch the solar eclipse as it happens with Scientific American

Salty clouds discovered on pink puffball planet

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:20:00 +0000

A cold, cherry-blossom-hued exoplanet supports bizarre clouds chock-full of salts

How one new telescope is going to change astronomy forever

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:45:00 +0000

Construction of the Deep Synoptic Array is about to start in rural Nevada. It will reveal untold galaxies in stunning detail and help explain how they form and grow

1 in 3 psychologists say their patients use AI as a second therapist

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000

People are increasingly turning to AI for mental health support—but its design is “antithetical” to mental health care, experts say

The surprising science history behind New York City’s ticker-tape parades

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

On Thursday Knicks fans are flocking to Manhattan for a ticker-tape parade. But where did ticker tape even come from?

The first Atlantic tropical storm of 2026 is here—and it used to be a Pacific cyclone

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:04:00 +0000

Tropical Storm Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and will bring heavy rains and potential flash flooding to the Southeast

Our brains underestimate Elon Musk’s wealth

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Why the human brain can't fathom what it means to be a trillionaire

Could this ancient burial site be the oldest lethal plague outbreak?

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:12:00 +0000

Graves of hunter-gatherers in Siberia point to a deadly disease outbreak dating to some 5,500 years ago, a new DNA analysis finds

Astronomers discover another galaxy seemingly devoid of dark matter

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

A galaxy appears to be missing the invisible substance thought to hold such objects together, further challenging long-held assumptions about how galaxies form