
National Academy of Sciences pulls climate chapter from judges’ manual
President Donald Trump and other Republican officials had criticized this chapter as biased against fossil fuel companies
Jackie Flynn Mogensen is a breaking news reporter at Scientific American. Before joining SciAm, she was a science reporter at Mother Jones, where she received a National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications in 2024. Mogensen holds a master’s degree in environmental communication and a bachelor’s degree in earth sciences from Stanford University. She is based in New York City.

National Academy of Sciences pulls climate chapter from judges’ manual
President Donald Trump and other Republican officials had criticized this chapter as biased against fossil fuel companies

Trump issues executive order aimed at rewriting childhood vaccine schedule
The president called for the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be split into separate shots, despite decades of research showing that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective

Dogs know when humans are happy—and it shows in their brains
Dogs are known to recognize and respond to human facial expressions, but a new study shows how deeply they understand our mood

U.S. lawmakers vote to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress
Fauci previously served as the chief medical officer to President Joe Biden and led the U.S. COVID pandemic response effort during the first Trump administration

How much of our existence do we owe to sugar?
It may be time to rethink our relationship with the sweet stuff

Neanderthal genes may give modern humans’ muscles a boost
Most of the world’s population carries at least a little Neanderthal DNA

It’s 90 degrees in the Arctic right now
The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet. New data illustrate how dire that is

What to know about postpartum psychosis
A high-profile court case is calling attention to this rare and understudied condition

Extreme heat is costing us hours of lost sleep
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

Hundreds of never-before-seen ancient ‘earthworks’ discovered in the Amazon
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

Environmental groups seek to halt SpaceX’s land swap deal with the government
If approved, this deal would give SpaceX hundreds of acres that are currently part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for private land

Do animals act weirdly during a solar eclipse? Or do we?
There are many observations of animals behaving oddly during eclipses, but the reason may have nothing to do with the sun and moon

Video reveals orcas smashing fish to smithereens, possibly for fun
The behavior could be a strategy to help younger orcas feed, or it may just be for their own amusement, researchers say

This tiny, forgotten organ could help us live longer, healthier
A hormone produced by the thymus helps tamp down age-related inflammation, a new study in mice found

U.S. cities have the worst air quality in the world right now—here’s how to stay safe
Wildfire smoke may be as much as 10 times more dangerous than other forms of air pollution, research suggests

Ancient Egyptian princesses were ‘powerful’ weapon users, new analysis suggests
These findings challenge a long-held belief about weapons found in female burial sites

Scientists discover a ‘remarkable’ new monkey species with orange lips and a froglike roar
The new species, Colobus congoensis, may already be endangered

The Perseid meteor shower peaks tomorrow alongside the total solar eclipse—here’s how to see it
Skygazers are in for a treat on August 12, as one of the most spectacular meteor showers coincides with a total solar eclipse

NASA’s Hubble reveals a black hole hiding inside a massive star cluster in the Milky Way
Scientists have long suspected that this star cluster was a hotspot for a certain kind of black hole. But for decades, they had been unable to spot any

The science of why this summer has been so blistering hot
Record-breaking heat waves are beginning to blur together—here’s why and what’s making them so unbearable

Why ‘Neil the seal’ is unleashing chaos in Tasmania
This one-ton elephant seal has gone viral for smashing into cars and infrastructure, but biologists have a more poignant explanation for his behavior

Should you be taking creatine?
The sport supplement is popular among health influencers and athletes, who say creatine can help build stronger muscles and sharper brains—but is it legit?

Did our modern human ancestors and Neanderthals share a common culture?
Both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens may have shared tools and behavioral practices, new research suggests

Global ocean temperatures are entering ‘uncharted territory,’ climate scientists say
Sea surface temperatures in late June reached nearly 70 degrees Fahrenheit on average, shattering records