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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The creator of The X-Files discusses the Frankenstein elements in the newly released director’s cut of "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," and how Mary Shelley’s classic influenced the story.

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

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

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

Many of these structures date to around C.E. 100–300, during the time of the Aquiry civilization, and may have been used for ceremonial purposes

There’s a reason humans have been obsessed with these celestial events for millennia—they are beautiful

Doctors used to warn coffee drinkers. Now research reassures them

Relive the 2026 total solar eclipse, as seen by a drone over Spain

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

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

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

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

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

This dying star appears to have a face of gas and a mane of space dust

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

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

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

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

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