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

Giants have featured in stories for millennia, but the reason why they don’t exist helps explain the natural world

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

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

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

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

Hawaii rarely sees direct hurricane hits—if Lala strengthens, it will be just the third recorded hurricane to make landfall there

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

This study has been touted by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as proof of the benefits of a universal, single-payer health care system, but the research hasn’t been peer-reviewed

This extreme rain was deadly, with at least eight people killed and many others stranded

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

Doctors used to warn coffee drinkers. Now research reassures them

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

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

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

What if artificial intelligence is used to amplify human creativity rather than replace it?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OpenAI released 10 AI-generated results over the weekend. Some mathematicians are unhappy with their approach

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 flu shot, mFlusiva, was shown in a clinical trial to be up to 27 percent more effective than a standard flu jab

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

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

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

One in 7,000 people carry this gene mutation

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

Charles Darwin predicted in 1875 that some members of the Saxifraga genus could be carnivorous—now scientists have finally proven him right

A rare fossil find shows a tooth embedded an ichthyosaur’s vertebra, where it was likely left when a giant pliosaurid chomped down on this dolphin-resembling reptile

The last common ancestor of all living things may not have been alive at all

Some female daddy longlegs will perform fellatio, perhaps to avoid potential violence from males, while males of another species entice females with a secretion on their penises

Dry conditions and climate change are putting forests across the country at risk for disaster