Scientific American

When fully grown, the octopuses that survive could eat up to four blue crabs per day in the Mediterranean Sea

On the 20th anniversary of Pluto’s infamous demotion, Mike “Pluto Killer” Brown explains why any reversal of that decision would be driven more by nostalgia than science

Trauma can distort how memories are stored and retrieved in the brain

The search for frozen water is crucial to both China’s and NASA’s plans to establish permanent moon bases

After a spike in infections in July, this explosive-diarrhea-causing outbreak may be coming to an end

Both of the deceased were unvaccinated against measles. The deaths are the first fatalities caused by the preventable disease in the state of Pennsylvania in 35 years

Forests, extreme weather and the realities of a warming world

Psychedelics can create a new “hidden order” in brain activity that could explain how these drugs alter our sense of self

This near-total eclipse will be visible from the Americas, Africa and Europe—here’s how to see it

A wildfire outside Reno began on August 22 and has already burned more than 15,000 acres of land

A groundbreaking study hints at a hazy boundary between “life” and “non-life,” as well as two distinct origins of biology on Earth

In a 2023 podcast interview, Heidi Overton called for the creation of “alternate systems” for publishing research that would back conservative policy

An investigation into the incomprehensibly, unfathomably large amount of money the U.S. owes

Neuroscience is revealing how our brains are wired for narrative

Two robots beat Usain Bolt’s 100-meter-dash record—but likely couldn’t survive in the real world

A strengthening El Niño may surpass any seen since the 19th century and will usher in another record hot year or two

Snapped on August 23, 1966, by the uncrewed Lunar Orbiter 1, the photo’s legacy lives on in the breathtaking images of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew

When that energy reaches the ground, some of it is converted into seismic waves that ripple through the soil and rock beneath—“thunderquakes”

Could this secret cellular weapon be the key to longevity?

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

Twisters don’t touch down in New York City often, but they can when the conditions are just right

Cryptographers use points along a curve to build tough codes

The mosquito-borne illness has sickened hundreds of people this year

The country’s latest mission, Chang’e 7, will be the first ever to land directly at the moon’s south pole. Whatever it finds there could radically reshape a new space race

Here are four reasons solar energy has seen a meteoric rise in recent years

Without drastic interventions, data centers in space could disrupt scientific observations and fragile ecosystems by adding almost innumerable new “stars” to the heavens above

Testosterone is a longtime favorite of the bodybuilding crowd, but now the hormone is being touted for perimenopause, “looks maxxing,” and more

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

Growing crystals “like alchemy,” researchers plotted out the ideal site within the lattice to build a nuclear clock

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

Researchers are exploring whether magic mushrooms could offer a new treatment for anorexia

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

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

Claiming an exoplanet to be “Earth-like” is a trend that needs to bite the dust

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

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

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

A new study finds that China’s solar energy boom is hurting bird diversity