Scientific American

Urgent CDC Data on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Delays in CDC analyses of infectious disease threats and agency silence will harm Americans, doctors and public health experts warn

The Psychology of ‘Shared Silence’ in Couples

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000

The right kind of silence can be golden, revitalizing and strengthening a relationship

Trump Administration Starts Firing Energy Department, Forest Service and Other Employees

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:00:00 +0000

The Department of Energy, Forest Service and Office of Personnel Management are among agencies that have begun firing staffers

Tumors Hijack the Nervous System to Fuel Their Own Growth

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 15:15:00 +0000

Interrupting signals exchanged between tumors and the nervous system could become a critical pillar of cancer care

The Hidden Costs of Men’s Social Isolation

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000

When men suffer social isolation, women may pay the price, too

A Perfectly Cooked Egg, according to Materials Science

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Materials scientists have found a way to perfectly cook an egg white and egg yolk simultaneously

Why Aren’t We Losing Our Minds Over the Plastic in Our Brains?

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

New research on microplastics in brains reminds us that while scientists compile safety data, our leaders should still act

JWST Spies a Giant Space Hamburger—and Maybe Planetary Origins, Too

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:45:00 +0000

It’s neither fast nor food, but a spectacular object called HH 30 looks appetizing for astronomers in a new image from the James Webb Space Telescope

Why Friendships Matter More Than You Think

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Valentine’s Day often focuses on romance, but deep friendships deserve love, too. Here’s why they matter.

Men Actually Crave Romantic Relationships More Than Women Do

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Multiple-study analysis looks at why men’s emotional intimacy is much more difficult outside of romantic relationships

Scientists React to RFK, Jr.’s Confirmation as HHS Secretary

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:00:00 +0000

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has expressed support for some fields of science but has also declared he’d like a “break” in infectious-disease research. Here’s what he might do as the U.S.’s newly confirmed secretary of health and human services

Pig-to-Human Organ Transplants Will Finally Begin Clinical Trials This Year

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Up to 50 transplant patients will receive a genetically modified pig kidney in a clinical trial that will launch this summer

Measles Outbreak in Children Grows in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000

With hospitalizations and at least nine confirmed cases, health officials race to contain a growing outbreak in a community with low vaccination

This Researcher Discovered the Cause of Down Syndrome, But For 50 Years Got None of the Credit

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Marthe Gautier speaks out about how she found the genetic cause of Down syndrome

Look for ‘Slow Flower’ Bouquets, Plants Grown without Health-Harming Chemicals Used in Overseas Operations

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000

New “slow flower” farms grow beautiful blooms—without health-harming chemicals used by overseas operations that dominate the U.S. flower market

‘Hot Potato’ Plants Engineered to Flourish in Heat Waves

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:45:00 +0000

A genetic tweak keeps potatoes efficient in the heat

Trump Gives EPA One Week to Decide on Abandoning Climate Pollution Regulation

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:50:00 +0000

President Trump ordered EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to decide by next week whether the agency could abandon its authority to regulate climate pollution under the Clean Air Act

New Bird Flu Strain in Cows and Cat Infections Raise Concern for Human Exposure

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:30:00 +0000

Scientists have reported a new strain of bird flu in Nevada dairy cattle. And viral spread in pet cats has fueled worries over increased risk of exposure to humans

Sea Turtle Dance Reveals a Hidden Magnetic Ability

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:20:00 +0000

Sea turtles are capable of creating GPS-like magnetic maps to guide them back to foraging grounds, and they do a little dance when they recognize those spots

The Most Energetic Neutrino Ever Seen Makes a Mediterranean Splash

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000

A “ghost particle” discovered by a detector in the Mediterranean carried 30 times more energy than any neutrino observed to date

Return-to-Office Demands Don’t Benefit Employees or Businesses

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Donald Trump has joined big firms in demanding workers end remote work. But the evidence suggests that hurts both workers and the work

Penguins Help to Map Antarctica’s Growing Mercury Threat

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:45:00 +0000

Molted penguin feathers record mercury infiltrating Antarctica’s food web

What We Know about 2024 YR4, the Asteroid with a 2 Percent Chance of Impact with Earth

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

News of an asteroid with a 2 percent chance of hitting Earth in 2032 made headlines. But is its fluctuating risk really cause for concern?

Why Private Forecasting Companies Can’t Replace the National Weather Service

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 19:00:00 +0000

NOAA and the NWS provide public weather data that private companies cannot recreate

Trump Spending Freeze on Rural Electric Co-ops Could Raise Energy Costs

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:15:00 +0000

Billions of dollars for rural electric cooperatives are stuck in limbo as the Department of Agriculture continues the Trump administration’s funding freeze, despite federal court orders

Earth’s Inner Core Is Changing Shape

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Earth’s core is transforming, which could affect the length of our 24-hour day, Earth’s magnetic field, and more

Athena, Next U.S. Commercial Moon Lander, Is Set for Spectacular Lunar Science

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000

In partnership with NASA, the Intuitive Machines lander Athena will send a water-seeking drill, a pogo-sticking crater probe and other novel technologies to the moon

Firearm Forensics Is Still Troubled by Systemic Failure

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Three forensic examiners at the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory last year mistakenly concluded that cartridge cases from a crime scene matched a specific firearm. The error exposes systemic flaws that risk wrongful convictions

How Corals Fight Back against Warming Seas

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 11:45:00 +0000

Most corals can’t relocate, but they’re finding ways to beat the heat

NIH Funding Cuts Would Hobble U.S. Medical Research, Insider Says

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:00:00 +0000

“Laboratories would literally go dark,” says a medical research insider, if Trump administration cuts to NIH funding go through. Patients will suffer from lost medical advances, he tells Scientific American

Google’s DeepMind AI Can Solve Math Problems on Par with Top Human Solvers

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Google’s AlphaGeometry2 AI reaches the level of gold-medal students in the International Mathematical Olympiad

Trump Team Looks to Drastically Cut NOAA Staff and Budget

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Mass layoffs at the U.S. climate and weather agency would have a ripple effect across the economy, say former NOAA officials

Eggs Hit by Bird Flu Crisis as Farmers Lose Flocks to Virus

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:30:00 +0000

"I call this virus a terrorist," says one egg farmer after millions of chickens have died in recent weeks

Men Are More Prepared for Fatherhood Than We Think

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

In many cultures, men are not involved with hands-on childcare. But biology tells us we are perfectly capable of doing so

Coffee Boosts Beneficial Gut Bacterium

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:45:00 +0000

Researchers found a strong connection between coffee and the gut microbiome

Do You Really Have a Spoonful of Microplastics in Your Brain?

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

In this week’s roundup, we’re reviewing some animal research, the latest on bird flu and the burden of microplastics on our brain.

Professional Soccer Players May Demonstrate Exceptional Cognitive Control

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Top soccer players demonstrate superlative cognitive abilities for strategizing and situational awareness

Trump Halts Funding to Build More Electric Vehicle Chargers Nationwide

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:00:00 +0000

The Trump administration has halted funding for a $5-billion program that Congress created to help states build out their electric vehicle charging network

Why This AI Gazes into Goat Faces

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000

AI-based systems can help identify livestock’s early signs of distress

Mathematical Symbols’ Wild History Explained

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:30:00 +0000

A mathematician has uncovered the stories behind the symbols used in math

The U.S. Is Not Ready for Bird Flu in Humans

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Bird flu is infecting more people than we think. We need to stop it now before a new pandemic begins

How Can We Know If an Asteroid Will Hit Earth?

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 +0000

“Keep your eye on the ball” is a motto for many athletes—and for astronomers trying to find Earth-threatening space rocks

Trump Executive Orders Create Confusion for Science and Health Agencies

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Researchers in the U.S. are grappling with Trump administration executive orders around health and science agency funding and communications.

Trump’s DEI Purge Comes at a Cost to Indigenous Communities

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:00:00 +0000

President Donald Trump’s purge of diversity initiatives has affected both federal agencies and the institutions they fund, including those that work with Indigenous communities

Whale Songs Follow Basic Human Language Rules

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:05:00 +0000

Humpback whales learn their haunting melodies in much the same way humans learn words

Who Discovered the Cause of Down Syndrome?

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000

It took more than 50 years for Marthe Gautier to set the record straight about her discovery of the genetic cause of Down syndrome

To Find Life on Mars, Make Microbes Wiggle

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Could tiny swimming microbes help us unlock the mysteries of extraterrestrial life?

Elon Musk’s ‘Fork in the Road’ Is Really a Dead End

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Elon Musk’s Fork in the Road isn’t just a sculpture—it’s a monument to the tech world’s obsession with civilizational survival, which has its roots in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

First Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic H5N9 Reported in U.S. Ducks

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 22:45:00 +0000

Nearly 119,000 birds have been culled at a farm in California after a bird flu called H5N9 was detected among the poultry

Trump Administration Closes Climate Health Office

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:30:00 +0000

A climate office at the Department of Health and Human Services has been shuttered, and its staff was placed on administrative leave