World's Oldest DNA Discovered, Revealing Ancient Arctic Forest Full of Mastodons  

Two-million-year-old DNA, the world's oldest, reveals that mastodons once roamed forests in Greenland’s far northern reaches

what do you think? 2022-12-07 18:45:00

Global Summit Tries to Slow Biodiversity Crisis as Species Wink Out around the World  

Negotiators have gathered in Montreal for a United Nations summit aimed at hammering out a Paris-style agreement to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss by 2030

what do you think? 2022-12-07 18:30:00

Severe COVID May Cause Brain Changes Similar to Aging  

Key genes that are active in the brains of older people are also active in the brains of people who developed serious COVID

what do you think? 2022-12-07 14:30:00

Here's How a Python Jaw Can Fit a Whole Deer  

This python’s jaw has a stretchy secret to gape impressively wide

what do you think? 2022-12-07 13:00:00

6 Weird and Wild Animal Behaviors Revealed in 2022  

Octopus outbursts, evading sexual cannibalism, and a human-cockatoo arms race—here are strange animal behaviors we learned about in 2022

what do you think? 2022-12-07 12:00:00

Global Population Growth Is Slowing Down. Here's One Reason Why  

In 2022 the world’s population hit the eight-billion mark. But such milestones could top out by the end of the century

what do you think? 2022-12-07 11:45:00

How Water Made Fire in an Indonesian Volcano  

Heavy rains may have set off an outpouring of ash and gases from Indonesia’s volcano Semeru “like uncorking a soda bottle”

what do you think? 2022-12-06 21:30:00

The Linguistics of Swearing Explain Why We Substitute Darn for Damn  

Languages from Hindi to Korean tone down swear words by inserting gentler consonants into speech. Here’s how “Let’s go Brandon” got started

what do you think? 2022-12-06 21:15:00

Forest Service to Explore a New Frontier--Electric Trucks  

As part of the push to electrify government fleets, employees at three national forests will test out Ford F-150 Lightnings for field operations in rugged and remote areas

what do you think? 2022-12-06 18:00:00

Construction of World's Largest Radio Observatory Is Finally Under Way  

Two giant telescopes—one in Australia, the other in South Africa—will comprise the supersensitive Square Kilometer Array

what do you think? 2022-12-06 15:00:00

Astronomers Grapple with JWST's Discovery of Early Galaxies  

Researchers are convinced the James Webb Space Telescope has glimpsed an unexpected population of galaxies in the early universe. Now they’re trying to decide what this means for our understanding of the cosmos

what do you think? 2022-12-06 11:45:00

How Vaccines Saved Money and Lives, and China's Zero-COVID Protests: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 44  

Vaccines saved New York City billions of dollars, and China faces public fury over its strict virus-control policies.

what do you think? 2022-12-06 10:45:00

A Question of Sex  

Watch this documentary series about how gender and sex biases skew science

what do you think? 2022-12-06 05:00:00

Los Angeles Bans New Oil Wells, Plans to Close Existing Ones  

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Friday to ban new oil and gas wells in the city and eventually close existing ones

what do you think? 2022-12-05 19:00:00

NASA's Plan to Make JWST Data Immediately Available Will Hurt Astronomy  

By releasing astronomers’ data before they’ve had a chance to analyze the information, NASA will make research less fair and equitable

what do you think? 2022-12-05 13:00:00

Poem: 'Uncertain-Sea Principle'  

Science in meter and verse

what do you think? 2022-12-04 14:00:00

'Chatty Turtles' Flip the Script on the Evolutionary Origins of Vocalization in Animals  

Recordings of more than 50 species of turtles and other animals help scientists reassess the origins of acoustic communication in vertebrates.

what do you think? 2022-12-02 23:00:00

Indigenous Tribes in U.S. Will Get $75 Million for Climate Relocation  

Grants to Indigenous tribes in the U.S. totaling $75 million are the first from a new voluntary relocation program aimed at climate risks

what do you think? 2022-12-02 19:00:00

Ants Can Produce Milk for Their Young (and Old)  

A nutritious fluid secreted by pupating ants helps to feed the rest of the colony and could play a part in the evolution of social structures

what do you think? 2022-12-02 13:00:00

Ancient Sawfish Help to Illuminate Our Teeth's Scaly Origins  

Weird new evidence on tooth evolution tips the scales even more toward scales

what do you think? 2022-12-02 11:45:00

U.S. Embassies Face Growing Risk from Climate Change, Government Watchdog Says  

A total of 32 U.S. embassies, including some of the most strategic, ranked in the highest category for climate disaster risk, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office

what do you think? 2022-12-01 20:00:00

Heralded Alzheimer's Drug Works, but Safety Concerns Loom  

Eisai and Biogen share clinical trial data confirming that lecanemab slows mental decline amid reports of potentially related deaths

what do you think? 2022-12-01 19:30:00

Why Mauna Loa and Other Hawaiian Volcanoes Are Different from Most  

The magma that is fueling the first eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano in nearly 40 years is less likely to cause explosive effusions than magma at other volcanoes

what do you think? 2022-12-01 19:00:00

One in 10 Who Menstruate Suffer from Endometriosis. Why Do We Know So Little about It?  

Compared with other diseases with similar economic burdens, research on endometriosis is severely underfunded, in large part because we don’t talk about periods.

what do you think? 2022-12-01 15:00:00

A Year of Wonder, Awe and Discovery  

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:30:00

Autism Treatment Shifts Away from 'Fixing' the Condition  

There are different ways to be happy and function well, even if your brain is not typical

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

How the Moon Devastated a Mangrove Forest  

In 2015 the moon’s wobble and an El Niño teamed up to kill off tens of millions of Australian mangroves

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: December 2022  

Psychic reward; desert sea

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

Discovery Helps Computers Draw Intricate Two-Dimensional Animations  

A new algorithm solves the long-standing “hidden line problem” of computer graphics

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

Readers Respond to the August 2022 Issue  

Letters to the editor for the August 2022 issue of Scientific American

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

Milky Way Census Shows Stars Take Varied Paths  

The Gaia satellite is making the most detailed and complete map of the stars in our galaxy

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

Are the James Webb Space Telescope's Pictures 'Real'?  

How the JWST’s cosmic images are made

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

How Beavers Shaped America, from Capitalism to Climate Change  

The sweeping influence of one weird rodent, an ecological thriller, tender essays on deep-sea creatures, and more books out this month

what do you think? 2022-12-01 14:00:00

Fatherhood Changes Men's Brain, according to Before-and-After MRI Scans  

The brain of a new father goes through transitions analogous to the neural changes experienced by a pregnant woman

what do you think? 2022-12-01 13:00:00

Students with HIV Need Support  

I helped develop a plan to support youth living with HIV and would like to see more educational institutions prioritize our needs

what do you think? 2022-12-01 11:00:00

5 Billion People Will Face Water Shortages by 2050, U.N. Says  

The World Meteorological Organization warns that climate-related shortages in water resources could affect two thirds of the world’s population by midcentury and will be felt unevenly

what do you think? 2022-11-30 19:00:00

On December 7 the Moon Will Photobomb Mars  

Much of North America can witness a delightful astronomical event on the evening of December 7 as the moon blocks out Mars

what do you think? 2022-11-30 15:00:00

Is Our Universe a Hologram? Physicists Debate Famous Idea on Its 25th Anniversary  

The Ads/CFT duality conjecture suggests our universe is a hologram, enabling significant discoveries in the 25 years since it was first proposed

what do you think? 2022-11-30 11:45:00

Tardigrades, an Unlikely Sleeping Beauty  

Researchers put this ancient critter through a subzero gauntlet to learn more about what happens to their internal clock while surviving the extreme.

what do you think? 2022-11-30 11:00:00

'Mind Control' Parasite Makes Wolves Effective Pack Leaders  

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can change the behavior of infected wolves in ways that make them more likely to be pack leaders

what do you think? 2022-11-29 21:00:00

China and Russia Continue to Block Protections for Antarctica  

For the sixth year in a row, nations failed to agree on any new marine protected areas in the fragile Southern Ocean around Antarctica

what do you think? 2022-11-29 19:00:00

Mauna Loa, Earth's Largest Active Volcano, Just Woke Up after 38 Years  

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, erupted for the first time in nearly 40 years. Its eruptions tend to be shorter-lived than those of the other Big Island volcanoes, and its lava is more liquid and flows faster

what do you think? 2022-11-29 15:45:00

Dolphins Whistle Their Names with Complex, Expressive Patterns  

A new study quantifies how dolphins vary their “signature whistles”

what do you think? 2022-11-29 14:00:00

Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help  

Diminished risk-taking behaviors and other benefits may explain why many people with bipolar disorder keep consuming cannabis despite some dire downsides

what do you think? 2022-11-29 11:45:00

Young Climate Voters Could Tilt Georgia's Runoff Election for Senate  

Voters under age 30 turned out for Raphael Warnock in the first race, suggesting he lean even harder into climate policy

what do you think? 2022-11-28 16:30:00

What Makes Animals Cannibals?  

Cannibals start munching as animal populations grow

what do you think? 2022-11-28 14:00:00

This Carnivorous Plant Has a Rain-Powered Trap  

A biological “spring” helps a pitcher plant fling insects to their doom

what do you think? 2022-11-25 16:00:00

People Shopping for 'Meaning' Buy Cheaper Goods  

People who prioritize “meaning” when they shop may unwittingly convince themselves to buy cheaper goods, services and experiences

what do you think? 2022-11-25 14:00:00

Outdoor Air Conditioning Cools the World Cup--But Is It Sustainable?  

In an ever warming world, the health benefits of stadium air-conditioning may not outweigh the climate risks

what do you think? 2022-11-25 13:00:00

Space Elevators Are Less Sci-Fi Than You Think  

I’ve been working on space elevators for almost 20 years, and though we still have issues to solve, we are getting closer to making them reality

what do you think? 2022-11-25 12:45:00

Silkworms Spin a Potential Microplastics Substitute  

“Intentionally added microplastics” in pesticides and cosmetics could be made from silk instead

what do you think? 2022-11-25 11:45:00

Satellite Constellations Could Harm the Environment, New Watchdog Report Says  

Elon Musk’s Starlink and other satellite sources of light pollution and orbital debris should face an environmental review, the U.S. Government Accountability Office finds

what do you think? 2022-11-24 15:00:00

Scientists Ruin Delicious Seabass to Probe Why Some Organs Don't Fossilize  

Watching fish rot for more than two months disproves a long-standing fossilization theory

what do you think? 2022-11-24 11:45:00

Three New Ebola Vaccines Will Soon Be Tested in Uganda  

Health care workers in Uganda will be among the first people to receive candidate Ebola vaccines in a clinical trial that could expand the available tools for the control of Sudan ebolavirus outbreak

what do you think? 2022-11-23 17:00:00

How Many Yottabytes in a Quettabyte? Extreme Numbers Get New Names  

Prolific generation of data drove the need for prefixes that denote 1027 and 1030

what do you think? 2022-11-23 16:00:00

How the Hydrogen Revolution Can Help Save the Planet--and How It Can't  

Many researchers see a huge role for hydrogen in decarbonizing economies

what do you think? 2022-11-23 15:00:00

In a First, Scientists See How Water Stores Extra Protons  

Scientists capture complex structure in a molecule-deep pool of ice

what do you think? 2022-11-23 14:00:00

Pregnancy Changes the Brain, Possibly Promoting Bonding with a Baby  

A woman during pregnancy shows changes in a key brain network that may be important for bonding with their child  

what do you think? 2022-11-23 13:30:00

What the Triple Threat of COVID, RSV and Flu Means for Children  

Two epidemiologists explain how three viral illnesses are straining health care systems

what do you think? 2022-11-23 13:00:00

The World Cup In Qatar Is a Climate Catastrophe  

Large sporting events often claim to be carbon neutral. But often this assertion is greenwashing, and it hides the incredible amount of pollution they actually create

what do you think? 2022-11-23 12:15:00

A Burned Redwood Forest Tells a Story of Climate Change, Past, Present and Future  

From the ashes of the giants of Big Basin Redwoods State Park arise a history of fire suppression and real questions about what happens to the forests in a drought-stricken West Coast going forward.

what do you think? 2022-11-23 10:30:00

U.S. Renewable Energy Will Surge Past Coal and Nuclear by Year's End  

Wind, solar and hydropower will generate more than 20 percent of the power supply

what do you think? 2022-11-22 19:00:00

These UV Devices Could Keep Indoor Air Free of Viruses  

Devices using shorter UV light could keep indoor air free of viruses without harming human health

what do you think? 2022-11-22 16:00:00

How Will Men's World Cup Soccer Players Cope with Qatar Heat?  

The question of how to preserve athletic performance amid extreme heat, including at the World Cup in Qatar, is pressing as climate change bites

what do you think? 2022-11-22 15:00:00

Why 2 Is the Best Number and Other Secrets from a MacArthur-Winning Mathematician  

Mathematician Melanie Matchett Wood seeks creative ways of solving open math problems

what do you think? 2022-11-22 14:00:00

Climate Models Could Help Predict Future Disease Outbreaks  

Lessons from climate modeling could be used to help prepare for future disease outbreaks

what do you think? 2022-11-22 13:30:00

The Leap Second's Time Is Up: World Votes to Stop Pausing Clocks  

How, and whether, to keep atomic time in sync with Earth’s rotation is still up for debate

what do you think? 2022-11-22 13:00:00

We Need To Change The System That Keeps Pilots From Seeking Mental Health Care  

As travel ramps up again, our data show that many pilots refuse to seek health care out of fear they will be pulled from flying

what do you think? 2022-11-22 12:30:00

Is a Diagnostic Test to Blame for Why We Know So Little about Autism in Girls?  

A standard diagnostic test may be one reason autism research includes so few female participants

what do you think? 2022-11-22 12:00:00

Quantum Particles Aren't Spinning. So Where Does Their Spin Come From?  

A new proposal seeks to solve the paradox of quantum spin

what do you think? 2022-11-22 11:45:00

Antivirals Could Reduce Long COVID Risk, and How Well the New Boosters Work: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 43  

In this new episode of our coronavirus podcast, we discuss a study that looked at the effects of Paxlovid on long COVID symptoms, and we also talk new bivalent boosters and immunity.

what do you think? 2022-11-22 10:30:00

How Viruses Hop from Wild Animals to Humans  

A virologist explains what it takes for a virus to leap from an animal host into humans

what do you think? 2022-11-21 20:30:00

Why a Warming Climate Can Bring Bigger Snowstorms  

It may sound counterintuitive, but a warming climate can actually lead to bigger snowstorms

what do you think? 2022-11-21 20:00:00

3 Steps to Detect and Stop Disease Outbreaks before They Become Pandemics  

To detect and stop disease outbreaks similar to COVID, health professionals must test for pathogens, share data widely and be prepared with a response

what do you think? 2022-11-21 19:30:00

NASA's Artemis I Mission Aces Lunar Flyby  

The Orion spacecraft passed just 130 kilometers above the lunar surface during a mission-critical engine burn

what do you think? 2022-11-21 19:30:00

NASA Really, Really Won't Rename JWST Despite Community Pushback  

Investigation by agency historian finds no evidence explicitly linking former director James Webb with anti-LGBT+ actions

what do you think? 2022-11-21 18:00:00

COP27 Summit Yields 'Historic Win' for Climate Reparations but Falls Short on Emissions Reductions  

At the COP27 climate summit, surprise final statement text that could provide cover to natural gas use deflated the sense of triumph after the U.S. and E.U. agreed for the first time to create a fund to pay for some countries’ climate losses

what do you think? 2022-11-21 15:30:00

Twitter Is Not Rocket Science--It's Harder  

Elon Musk wants to run Twitter like SpaceX. But human behavior will make it much more difficult

what do you think? 2022-11-21 15:00:00

Why Life Expectancy Keeps Dropping in the U.S. as Other Countries Bounce Back  

COVID cut average life spans short in many high-income countries, but the U.S. decline has been steeper and longer than most

what do you think? 2022-11-21 13:00:00

Tiny 'Rover' Explores Cells without Harming Them  

A miniature antenna can transmit data from inside cells without using damaging microwaves

what do you think? 2022-11-21 11:45:00

Poem: 'Mosses'  

Science in meter and verse

what do you think? 2022-11-19 14:00:00

Men's World Cup Soccer Ball, the Al Rihla, Has the Aerodynamics of a Champion  

The Al Rihla may fly more quickly through the air than previous World Cup balls

what do you think? 2022-11-19 13:00:00

Twitter Chaos Endangers Public Safety, Emergency Managers Warn  

Twitter is a crucial communication tool during disasters, but impersonators and other problems under Elon Musk’s leadership have emergency managers on edge

what do you think? 2022-11-18 19:15:00

Warming Worsened West Africa Floods That Killed 800 People  

Unusually heavy monsoon rains that caused deadly flooding in Nigeria were made 80 percent more likely by climate change

what do you think? 2022-11-18 18:30:00

This Is How an Alzheimer's Gene Ravages the Brain  

Study in cells and mice suggests that the variant APOE4 affects the all-important insulation around nerve cells

what do you think? 2022-11-18 18:00:00

How a 'Carbon Cage' Blocks Climate Mitigation  

Our current carbon-heavy economic system creates bars around us that stop effective climate change action.

what do you think? 2022-11-18 16:00:00

Engineered Metamaterials Can Trick Light and Sound into Mind-Bending Behavior  

Advanced materials can modify waves, creating optical illusions and useful technologies

what do you think? 2022-11-18 14:00:00

Sexist Science in Soccer Harms Women in an Epic Own Goal  

As players take the pitch for the men's World Cup, science supports their safety and equipment more than it does women's

what do you think? 2022-11-18 12:00:00

Hidden 'Paleo Valleys' Could Help California Survive Droughts  

“Paleo valleys,” carved by ice age rivers and now underground, could provide spaces to recharge California’s depleted groundwater

what do you think? 2022-11-18 11:45:00

Antimicrobial Resistance Is Growing Because of COVID  

Antibiotics won’t work on the COVID virus, but in places like India, their overuse threatens to nullify their effects on other equally deadly pathogens

what do you think? 2022-11-18 11:00:00

Even Weak Hurricanes Are Getting Stronger as the Climate Warms  

Data collected by thousands of scientific instruments scattered across the world’s oceans show that weak tropical cyclones are intensifying, not just stronger ones

what do you think? 2022-11-17 19:30:00

Political Leaders Must Act Now to Thwart the Next Pandemic  

To make sure that COVID is the last pandemic of such devastation, political leaders must change their mindset and take these actions

what do you think? 2022-11-17 19:00:00

COVID Communication Often Failed: How Health Policy Makers Can Do Better  

Health policy makers need to cultivate social trust and plan effective communication strategies well before the next pandemic

what do you think? 2022-11-17 16:00:00

The Feminist Test We Keep Failing: Lost Women of Science Podcast, Season 3 Bonus Episode  

There's a test that we at Lost Women of Science seem to fail again and again: the Finkbeiner Test. 

what do you think? 2022-11-17 15:00:00

Why Scientists Got the Fast Pace of Arctic Warming Wrong  

Concerns about accusations of hype may have biased them toward conservative underestimates

what do you think? 2022-11-17 14:30:00

Parasites Revealed to Be 'Unseen Influencers' of All Ecosystems  

A social history of measurements, an anthology of new speculative fiction, and more books

what do you think? 2022-11-17 14:00:00

How Can the World Prepare for the Next Pandemic?  

The COVID pandemic is not over, but countries must start to prepare for the next one to avoid a similar or even worse outcome

what do you think? 2022-11-17 13:00:00

Why Did Flu Season Start So Early This Year?  

Reduced population immunity resulting from COVID precautions, and a phenomenon called viral interference, may have influenced this flu season’s early start

what do you think? 2022-11-17 11:45:00

Are Gas Stoves Bad for Our Health?  

Evidence is building that fumes from gas stoves can aggravate lung ailments

what do you think? 2022-11-16 20:30:00

Egypt's Climate Scientists Hope for 'Actions, Not Just Words' at COP27  

Four Egyptian researchers spoke about how they’re contributing to the fight against climate change as their country hosts the COP27 global climate summit

what do you think? 2022-11-16 20:00:00