Scientific American

An analysis of ancient bones found in a Chinese cave offer glimpses of how Denisovans lived more than 130,000 years ago

The planet’s “wrinkles” give scientists a clue into how the world is contracting in size

A mathematician compared the feat to the history-making chess competition in which IBM’s Deep Blue computer beat Garry Kasparov in 1997

Flex your math muscles with this weekend’s brain teaser. Play now

NASA’s satellites captured the aftermath of the eruption, which lasted for more than a day

Up and down the Pacific coast, dead gray whales are mysteriously washing ashore—and scientists think they know why

Scientists have long wondered how these bizarre creatures endured for years without food—now they’ve found out why

The Pacific Ocean has seen an especially active hurricane season so far, while the Atlantic has had barely a whimper of a storm. Experts explain why

Prior to the announcement, rumors were circulating online among mathematicians over the proof’s origins—OpenAI has denied all allegations

Two studies find signs of strange black hole binary systems

A quarter of a century after the Twin Towers fell, those who lived through the attacks are still seeking care for myriad illnesses, including cancers, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more

A new study finds sharp contrasts between brain changes in menopause and those during pregnancy and puberty

NASA’s formidable gamma-ray burst hunter is doomed to soon reenter Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a glaring gap in our view of the high-energy sky

Assistant professor of psychology Jessica Ayers’s new research challenges assumptions about the kind of friendships we need

Dozens of temporary gas turbines are powering SpaceXAI’s expansion—and fights over permits and pollution

What do we lose when machines become our closest confidants?

It’s unclear what these objects actually are, but evidence for them has been detected by NASA’s Chandra space telescope for years

The five Platonic solids are the epitome of perfection—at least in mathematics. Topology explains why there are only five of them

The fires are burning peatlands, which can release more particulate matter into the air than other wildfires

Gondwana was much bigger than we thought, according to the new analysis

The looming El Niño conditions, combined with the warming effects of climate change, contributed to the historic temperatures

There’s more to fog than meets the eye

Music doesn’t just mask stress; it guides our brains back to a calm state

AlphaGenome Atlas predicts the effect of any single change in the fundamental structure of DNA

The newfound star S301 orbits the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole so closely that its view of the heavens gets twisted

Flying leads to positive emotions and optimism in Galahs

A researcher’s social media post that revealed how to break part of a popular encryption protocol has gone viral. But did he really do it with just “good old paper and pencil”?

The silliest science awards of the year are here, but the Ig Nobels aren’t just funny business

In 2022 researchers detected a very odd photon from an enormous gamma-ray burst that should have been destroyed on its way to Earth

The findings, which were made in mice, may offer a new way to prevent a common chemotherapy side effect that can last well beyond treatment

From flashing fireflies to human music, many biological rhythms appear to converge on the same rhythmic range

The Trump administration has so far been silent on flu, COVID and RSV vaccine guidance for the coming season, even as these diseases kill thousands of people every year