Scientific American

Researchers are finally learning the mechanism behind one of the most prescribed medicines in the U.S., primarily used to treat or prevent type 2 diabetes

Betelgeuse, the sky’s most famous red supergiant, is well studied but poorly understood

Giants have featured in stories for millennia, but the reason why they don’t exist helps explain the natural world

Researchers have nailed down an elusive quantity called baryon number, which may be responsible for the cosmic mismatch between matter and antimatter

This study was originally published in 2024 and was criticized as being misleading by other scientists at the time

A new study shows that each neuron can do multiple computations at once thanks to hundreds of sprawling branches

In a retrospective study, people taking estrogen-only hormone therapy for menopause were less likely to see signs of dementia

A recent change in ownership is an opportunity for SciAm to be even better and have some fun

First glimpsed as “little red dots” in deep-space images from the James Webb Space Telescope, these giant, gas-shrouded black holes are full of surprises

The U.S. is spending millions to try to control feral hogs, but are those efforts in vain?

The conservative think tank’s report claims that high-intensity and elite sports training has lasting effects on menstrual cycles and fertility

This study has been touted by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as proof of the benefits of a universal, single-payer health care system, but the research hasn’t been peer-reviewed

Doctors used to warn coffee drinkers. Now research reassures them

Zipline’s tethered delivery system lowers packages from the sky. Now it has to show that people want the service

Follow all the latest updates about the August 12 eclipse with Scientific American

Music and math often come together in ways we don’t expect

Neuroscience is revealing how our brains are wired for narrative

There’s a $1-million prize for proving the Riemann hypothesis. Claude couldn’t pull that off, but it made significant progress on a related problem

A heavenly read; a 25-foot eye; a case of double personality

We are rightfully told to eat more fiber. But our depleted gut microbiomes may not benefit from superhigh levels

The vagus nerve is the autonomic nervous system’s highway, connecting every major organ

Play this crossword inspired by the September 2026 issue of Scientific American

For decades, an influential theory blamed the Rapanui for their own downfall—a story made famous by Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. New evidence tells a different tale

New guidelines say testing sperm for DNA damage could help explain recurrent pregnancy losses

Companies are making big bets on technology to solve lingering challenges in the clean-energy rollout. Here are four of the most ambitious projects

Soaring numbers of satellites could pose grave threats to the heavens above and our planet below

This storm, a rarity for this part of the Pacific, is expected to bring heavy rains, strong wind and possibly “life-threatening flooding” to Hawaii this weekend

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon launch to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter

Two American companies are pursuing rival manufacturing strategies for these long-promised cells in an industry China dominates

We asked a simple question: What’s in kids’ squishy toys? Finding an answer was surprisingly complicated

The start-up’s grant to the Nuclear Threat Initiative will fund an international information sharing system designed to flag biosecurity threats from AI

El Niño years typically mean warmer ocean temperatures and less wind shear in some parts of the Pacific—and that means more potential for hurricanes

The backlash raises a bigger question for science communicators: Where should AI fit into their work?

Hawaii rarely sees direct hurricane hits—if Lala strengthens, it will be just the third recorded hurricane to make landfall there

This extreme rain was deadly, with at least eight people killed and many others stranded

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

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

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

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

A “fever” of cownose rays revealed by striking drone footage could be a sign of warming oceans

From a partial eclipse over Berlin to totality over Spain, see some of the incredible images of the August 12 total solar eclipse

This new cache of material includes footage of a U.S. military plane’s infrared display recorded during an exercise over the Gulf of Oman in 2021

Linguists explain how a language built from musical notes could convey complex meaning and even support conversation

A new study of the Helix Nebula shows a never-before-seen detail of how dying stars recycle elements. Researchers found it by accident

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

One in 7,000 people carry this gene mutation

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