Scientific American

OpenAI released 10 AI-generated results over the weekend. Some mathematicians are unhappy with their approach

After 49 years in space, NASA’s Voyagers are running low on power—but an audacious move should extend the tenures of the two spacecraft

A solution to part of the Cohen-Lenstra conjecture helps resolve a long-standing mystery about quadratic forms

This technique could lead to new treatments for antibiotic-resistant bugs, but some scientists say the technology could be misused

The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet. New data illustrate how dire that is

Explore Scientific American’s most fascinating magazine covers

The last common ancestor of all living things may not have been alive at all

Folding a piece of paper makes it thicker. How many folds would it take to reach the moon—and beyond?

A fundamental law of human language has now been found in both songbirds and whales

This flu shot, mFlusiva, was shown in a clinical trial to be up to 27 percent more effective than a standard flu jab

A rare fossil find shows a tooth embedded an ichthyosaur’s vertebra, where it was likely left when a giant pliosaurid chomped down on this dolphin-resembling reptile

This sweet film uncovers bitter disagreements among urban ecology and conversation experts that go way beyond just one owl

One in 7,000 people carry this gene mutation

A U.K. safety evaluation found agents powered by Anthropic and OpenAI took unauthorized actions online, exposing a growing problem of control

This artificial intelligence system largely accomplished the task it was built to solve, and researchers outside DeepMind have already been carrying its work forward

Smoking in movies and TV is up, and “cigfluencers” have become a thing, but lags in data make it unclear if the vibe shift has any reality to it

Smoking rates remain low, but experts say social media, stress and shifting attitudes could be fueling a cigarette revival

As cases of a parasite-caused disease tied to shredded iceberg lettuce continue to climb, the nation’s top public health body is warning of a new foodborne illness

Charles Darwin predicted in 1875 that some members of the Saxifraga genus could be carnivorous—now scientists have finally proven him right

A million-dollar math mystery may someday be resolved in a physics lab. A new study brings this vision one step closer.

A proof-of-principle experiment used concentrated sunlight to produce entangled photons

It may be time to rethink our relationship with the sweet stuff

Fauci previously served as the chief medical officer to President Joe Biden and led the U.S. COVID pandemic response effort during the first Trump administration

New work shows how different storm types are shifted by cities’ microclimates

Some female daddy longlegs will perform fellatio, perhaps to avoid potential violence from males, while males of another species entice females with a secretion on their penises

Here’s everything you need to know about this eclipse, from the weather to the best viewing locations

Musk outlined his vision to investors after SpaceX posted a $542-million loss from its space launch sector in its first quarter as a public company

Dry conditions and climate change are putting forests across the country at risk for disaster

An active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin has shown early promise for treating eating disorders

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t had a full-time leader in almost a year

This marks only the second extinct ice age amphibian found in North America—and it gives researchers vital information about the ancient climate

Mountain lions (also known as cougars or pumas) make roads safer by scaring deer and elk that can cause collisions with cars into more remote areas

Strange whirlpools of plasma seen in the sharpest images ever captured of our star help explain the deep origins of Earth-threatening space weather and more

Most of the world’s population carries at least a little Neanderthal DNA