AstronomyMarch 17, 2023
Rare, Dust-Shrouded Dying Star Revealed in New JWST Image
Before exploding as supernovae, massive Wolf-Rayet stars spew gas and dust into space, seeding the formation of future stellar and planetary systems
Stories by Allison Parshall
Allison Parshall is associate editor for mind and brain at Scientific American and she writes the weekly online Science Quizzes. As a multimedia journalist, she contributes to Scientific American's podcast Science Quickly. Parshall's work has also appeared in Quanta Magazine and Inverse. She graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with a master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Georgetown University.
Artificial IntelligenceMarch 17, 2023
AI Can Re-create What You See from a Brain Scan
Image-generating AI is getting better at re-creating what people are looking at from their fMRI data. But this isn’t mind reading—yet
Health CareMarch 15, 2023
New Home Test Can Tell If You Have the Flu or COVID
Flu and COVID symptoms are easily confused. A new home test—the first for flu—tells them apart in minutes
EngineeringFebruary 27, 2023
New Color-Changing Coating Could Both Heat and Cool Buildings
A thin film can switch from releasing heat to trapping it, and wrapping the coating around buildings could make them more energy-efficient
MicrobiologyFebruary 10, 2023
Could the Zombie Fungus in TV’s The Last of Us Really Infect People?
The pandemic fungus in the television program The Last of Us is real. But an expert says other fungi are much more threatening to humans
ReproductionFebruary 9, 2023
A Common Antibiotic Could Prevent Deaths from Childbirth Complications
One in three cases of maternal sepsis can be prevented with a single dose of antibiotic, a study in low- and middle-income countries shows
Particle PhysicsFebruary 2, 2023
‘Unbelievable’ Spinning Particles Probe Nature’s Most Mysterious Force
The strong force holds our atoms together. Scientists may have observed its small-scale fluctuations for the first time
Black HolesJanuary 18, 2023
Colliding Supermassive Black Holes Discovered in Nearby Galaxy
These merging supermassive black holes are among the closest ever observed and could help unlock deeper secrets of cosmic history
EnergyJanuary 18, 2023
Scientists Fire Lasers at the Sky to Control Lightning
Laser beams could be used to deflect lightning strikes from vulnerable places such as airports and wind farms
PollutionMay 16, 2022
Living with Lead Creates Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbugs’
People are infected by bacteria that, after contacting heavy metals, develop drug-resistant traits