Scientific American

The extreme conditions of atomic bomb explosions create “uncontrolled microexperiments” that, in Hiroshima, forged a never-before-seen metallic alloy

Scientists analyzing modern genomes may have found a long-lost branch of the human family tree

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

Discovered by an amateur mathematician in 2022, this strange construct can tile an infinite surface without repeating. But can it be useful in the real world?

Physicists, mathematicians and philosophers have been exploring the possibility of going forward to the future or back to the past

A newly discovered change in ribosomal RNA makes protein production more precise, potentially safeguarding these cephalopods’ complex nervous systems

New work explains how avocado trees coordinate a complex reproductive strategy, switching every day between male and female

The U.S. has been pummeled with heat waves this summer. Here’s how hot overnight temperatures can get in the way of a good night’s rest—in three charts

Smell can bring back vivid childhood memories—the so-called Proust’s madeleine phenomenon—and neuroscientists now think they know why

In searches for past and present Martian life, some scientists say we’ve been too cautious to see what’s right in front of us

Space agencies around the globe are coordinating missions to visit the asteroid Apophis during a close encounter with Earth in 2029

A private spacecraft launched to boost the decaying orbit of NASA’s Swift Observatory is now suffering from potentially mission-ending malfunctions

Neuroscientists show how the brain weighs effort against reward when we're mentally fatigued

Giant black holes adrift in deep space are normally invisible—unless they’re dining on stars

SciAm books editor Bri Kane shares her favorite science books for every summer mood

Joan Birman popularized the Burau representation problem decades ago. Now she and two colleagues have a proof that reveals brand new insights into the geometry of braids

This quake, which has caused damage to several roads and buildings, occurred along a strike-slip fault

After decades of hints and speculation, scientists have at last unveiled the hidden companion to the iconic star Betelgeuse

From ecohorror to science-inspired poetry, discover the books Scientific American staffers are recommending this summer

This incident underscores concerns over the increasingly powerful cybersecurity capabilities of new AI models

The 2026 Fields Medals recognize breakthroughs in the math of messy fluids, tangled knots, spinning pencils, and more

This agent pursued its objective far beyond what researchers intended, revealing how difficult to contain powerful AI systems can be

The Psyche spacecraft flew by Mars earlier this year on its way to a metal-rich asteroid, capturing the images along the way

During a lost ‘golden age’ of language, humans may have spoken tens of thousands of different tongues, a new study suggests

In an episode of the cartoon, a machine lets characters swap bodies, but they can’t switch back with the same person. Math helps all the characters return to their original bodies

The Arctic Ocean is one of the most extreme environments on Earth, but that’s not stopping this cephalopod

A hormone produced by the thymus helps tamp down age-related inflammation, a new study in mice found