Scientific American

Illustration of a baby orangutan poking a larger orangutan on its back while hanging from a tree in a green forest

Evolutionary BiologyDecember 17, 2024

Great Apes Joke Around, Suggesting Humor Is Older Than Humans

Studies of great apes hint at why and when clowning behavior evolved

Erica Cartmill

Stegosaurus fossil named Apex on display at the the American Museum of Natural History

PaleontologyDecember 19, 2024

Most Expensive Dinosaur Fossil Ever Could Reveal Stegosaurus Secrets

Zane Wolf

A small blue sphere orbits a larger green sphere against a purple background, with "Science Quickly" written underneath.

ConservationDecember 20, 2024

Conservation Efforts Are Bringing Pandas, Wolves and Panthers Back from the Brink

Ashleigh Papp, Rachel Feltman, Jeffery DelViscio, Madison Goldberg

A high concentration of very young, massive stars

AstronomyDecember 19, 2024

Behold! 2024’s Most Stunning Space Photos

Meghan Bartels

An astronaut with jetpack investigates a Sudoku grid nestled among planets in a retro illustration

GamesDecember 21, 2024

Killer Sudoku: December 21, 2024

SciAm Games

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Woman with a braid standing confidently in front of solar panels and wind turbines under a blue sky

OpinionDecember 21, 2024

How Feminism Can Guide Climate Change Action

Laura Turquet, Silke Staab, Brianna Howell

Rendering of Lucy Australopithecus afarensis

EvolutionDecember 20, 2024

Run, Lucy, Run! Human Ancestors Could Jog but Not Very Far or Fast

Gemma Conroy, Nature magazine

Creative photo illustration, highly detailed colorful "Supermoon" Pink Moon image with a star field background

Solar systemDecember 20, 2024

Ancient Moon Melt Event May Explain 150-Million-Year Gap in Age Estimates

Payal Dhar

Cow at a dairy barn

Public HealthDecember 20, 2024

How the U.S. Lost Control of Bird Flu, Setting the Stage for Another Pandemic

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News

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January 2025 Issue

Conceptual illustration of a blue planet in space

Planetary Science

We May Be on the Brink of Finding the Real Planet Nine

Robin George Andrews

Illustration of a baby orangutan poking a larger orangutan on its back while hanging from a tree in a green forest

Evolutionary Biology

Great Apes Joke Around, Suggesting Humor Is Older Than Humans

Erica Cartmill

A bat hanging upside down from a tree branch

Ecology

How to Stop the Next Viral Pandemic

Jane Qiu

Illustration of a head covered in testing equipment, and a smaller figure of a woman reaching up to touch the head.

Sleep

The New Science of Controlling Lucid Dreams

Michelle Carr

Illustration of a person and their vagus nerve connecting to flowers

Neuroscience

The Vagus Nerve’s Mysterious Role in Mental Health Untangled

Jena Pincott

Illustration of Jupiter from space

Extraterrestrial Life

NASA’s Europa Clipper Spacecraft Aims for Jupiter’s Most Intriguing Moon

Nadia Drake

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Games

A robot hand reaches toward bubbles with letters in them

Spellements

Create as many words as you can

Illustration of a hand and multiple numbers against a purple background.

Math Puzzles

Stretch your math muscles with these puzzles

A robot hand unleashes a swirl of puzzle pieces, crosswords, and circles with numbers and letters

All Games

Science inspired games, puzzles and quizzes

Special Edition

Illustration of criss-crossed fork and spear with different meats on their ends

Evolution

To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything

Kate Wong

Art concept of researchers examining a human stomach.

Physiology

New Human Metabolism Research Upends Conventional Wisdom about How We Burn Calories

Herman Pontzer

Illustration of a human skeleton crouching down, ready to run.

Fitness

Why Your Brain Needs Exercise

David A. Raichlen, Gene E. Alexander

Illustration of a pear riding a bike against a green background.

Obesity

People Who Are Fat and Healthy May Hold Keys to Understanding Obesity

Christie Aschwanden

Illustration of a Vitamin D pill bottle with yellow balloons flying out of it, then being popped by a pin in a hand.

Public Health

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need to Stay Healthy?

Christie Aschwanden

Illustration of a doctor in a white lab coat, using a bow and arrow.

Pharmaceuticals

These Cancers Were Beyond Treatment—But Might Not Be Anymore

Jyoti Madhusoodanan

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Podcasts

A small blue sphere orbits a larger green sphere against a purple background, with "Science Quickly" written underneath.

December 20, 2024

Conservation Efforts Are Bringing Pandas, Wolves and Panthers Back from the Brink

Ashleigh Papp, Rachel Feltman, Jeffery DelViscio, Madison Goldberg

A small blue sphere orbits a larger green sphere against a purple background, with "Science Quickly" written underneath.

ConservationDecember 18, 2024

Today’s Conservationists Are Inspired by Homeland and Heritage

Ashleigh Papp, Rachel Feltman, Jeffery DelViscio, Madison Goldberg

A small blue sphere orbits a larger green sphere against a purple background, with "Science Quickly" written underneath.

ConservationDecember 16, 2024

Audio and Imagery, Interpreted by AI, Are Improving Conservation Studies

Ashleigh Papp, Rachel Feltman, Jeffery DelViscio, Madison Goldberg

A small blue sphere orbits a larger green sphere against a purple background, with "Science Quickly" written underneath.

ConservationDecember 13, 2024

Why Are Zoos Controversial?

Ashleigh Papp, Rachel Feltman, Jeffery DelViscio, Madison Goldberg

A small blue sphere orbits a larger green sphere on a black background, with "Science Quickly" written underneath.

Artificial IntelligenceDecember 11, 2024

Will AI Audio Replace Podcasts? Not So Fast

Rachel Feltman, Allison Parshall, Fonda Mwangi

Popular Stories

Conceptual illustration of a blue planet in space

Planetary ScienceDecember 17, 2024

We May Be on the Brink of Finding the Real Planet Nine

If there’s a hidden world in the solar system, a new telescope should find it

Robin George Andrews

Illustration of a person and their vagus nerve connecting to flowers

NeuroscienceDecember 17, 2024

The Vagus Nerve’s Mysterious Role in Mental Health Untangled

The healing potential of the brain’s most interconnected nerve intrigues researchers

Jena Pincott

Numbers on a blue and red background

MathematicsDecember 19, 2024

Mysterious Constant that Makes Mathematicians Despair

The proof that the Apéry constant is irrational remains one of the most bizarre events in the history of mathematics

Manon Bischoff

Illustrated cartoon-like gif of a woman reading a book, sitting on a seat held by a balloon of letters, above a river of letters

OpinionDecember 18, 2024

78 Books Scientific American Recommends in 2024

A collection of nonfiction and fiction books Scientific American editorial staff and contributors read and recommend in 2024

Brianne Kane

Conceptual illustration of microbes in space

Extraterrestrial LifeDecember 19, 2024

Scientists Discover Earth Life inside an Asteroid Sample

Material from asteroid Ryugu riddled with earthly microbes provides a cautionary tale for scientists seeking signs of alien life

Sharmila Kuthunur

Structure of human brain in movement

NeuroscienceDecember 17, 2024

The Unbelievable Slowness of Thinking

The brain is sometimes called the most complex machine in the known universe. But the thoughts that it outputs putter along at a trifling 10 bits per second, the pace of a conversation

Rachel Nuwer

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