The speech of people with schizophrenia sounds subtly different from their healthy counterparts. Can AI hear those differences better than human psychiatrists?
Scientific American
Scientists have long wondered how these bizarre creatures endured for years without food—now they’ve found out why
What happens when machines surpass the most brilliant human minds? Mathematicians are finding out
The planet’s “wrinkles” give scientists a clue into how the world is contracting in size
Two studies find signs of strange black hole binary systems
Flex your math muscles with this weekend’s brain teaser. Play now
NASA’s satellites captured the aftermath of the eruption, which lasted for more than a day
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
Our subscribers support more than 180 years of science journalism. You get the facts, and you help us ensure that science is shared with rigor and independence.
NASA’s formidable gamma-ray burst hunter is doomed to soon reenter Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a glaring gap in our view of the high-energy sky
What do we lose when machines become our closest confidants?
The Pacific Ocean has seen an especially active hurricane season so far, while the Atlantic has had barely a whimper of a storm. Experts explain why
A quarter of a century after the Twin Towers fell, those who lived through the attacks are still seeking care for myriad illnesses, including cancers, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more
The fires are burning peatlands, which can release more particulate matter into the air than other wildfires
Assistant professor of psychology Jessica Ayers’s new research challenges assumptions about the kind of friendships we need
The looming El Niño conditions, combined with the warming effects of climate change, contributed to the historic temperatures
Gondwana was much bigger than we thought, according to the new analysis
Dozens of temporary gas turbines are powering SpaceXAI’s expansion—and fights over permits and pollution
Discussions
“Much as many of us may not like the notion that wealthy collectors can buy prized fossil specimens, as Dr. Kamat points out, there is at present no legal restriction for doing so. What should happen is that UNESCO or other world organizations should regulate such deals through international consent. That is unlikely to happen quickly nor universally given present…”
— Klaus R
It’s unclear what these objects actually are, but evidence for them has been detected by NASA’s Chandra space telescope for years
An analysis of ancient bones found in a Chinese cave offer glimpses of how Denisovans lived more than 130,000 years ago
A new study finds sharp contrasts between brain changes in menopause and those during pregnancy and puberty
SciAm Games
Math Puzzle: The impossible tournament
Flex your math muscles with this weekend’s brain teaser. Play now
Up and down the Pacific coast, dead gray whales are mysteriously washing ashore—and scientists think they know why
There’s more to fog than meets the eye
A mathematician compared the feat to the history-making chess competition in which IBM’s Deep Blue computer beat Garry Kasparov in 1997
September 2026 Issue
Around 15,000 satellites currently circle Earth, but nearly two million satellites are planned to launch in coming years. This precipitous rise will bring Internet access to many who lack it but could also have dangerous consequences for astronomy, our planet's atmosphere—and the future use of Earth orbit.
Elsewhere in the issue: The Spy Telescope Hunting for Dark Matter | What Really Happened on Easter Island? | How Clean Tech Became Unstoppable
AlphaGenome Atlas predicts the effect of any single change in the fundamental structure of DNA
The newfound star S301 orbits the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole so closely that its view of the heavens gets twisted
Prior to the announcement, rumors were circulating online among mathematicians over the proof’s origins—OpenAI has denied all allegations
A researcher’s social media post that revealed how to break part of a popular encryption protocol has gone viral. But did he really do it with just “good old paper and pencil”?
The silliest science awards of the year are here, but the Ig Nobels aren’t just funny business
The five Platonic solids are the epitome of perfection—at least in mathematics. Topology explains why there are only five of them
The findings, which were made in mice, may offer a new way to prevent a common chemotherapy side effect that can last well beyond treatment
From flashing fireflies to human music, many biological rhythms appear to converge on the same rhythmic range
Music doesn’t just mask stress; it guides our brains back to a calm state
The Trump administration has so far been silent on flu, COVID and RSV vaccine guidance for the coming season, even as these diseases kill thousands of people every year
A floating island in a Canadian reservoir moved more than 30 kilometers across the water—here’s why
Flying leads to positive emotions and optimism in Galahs
Giving old mice semaglutide—commonly sold as Wegovy or Ozempic—extends their lifespan remarkably, a new study finds
The world is set to blow past the Paris Agreement’s longtime threshold “within the next few years,” according to a new report
In 2022 researchers detected a very odd photon from an enormous gamma-ray burst that should have been destroyed on its way to Earth