Space & PhysicsJune 22, 2016
Rare Newborn Planet May Be the Youngest Ever Detected
The Kepler space telescope has discovered an exoplanet that is just five million to 10 million years old—much younger than the typical planet
Stories by Sarah Lewin Frasier
Sarah Lewin Frasier is a senior editor at Scientific American. She plans, assigns and edits the Advances section of the monthly magazine, as well as editing online news, and she launched Scientific American’s Games section in 2024. Before joining Scientific American in 2019, she chronicled humanity’s journey to the stars as associate editor at Space.com. (And even earlier, she was a print intern at Scientific American.) Frasier holds an A.B. in mathematics from Brown University and an M.A. in journalism from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She enjoys musical theater and mathematical paper craft.
Space & PhysicsApril 7, 2016
Supermassive Black Hole Found in Unlikely Cosmic Backwater
The discovery of an object 17 billion times the sun's mass may mean many more such monsters are out there
Space & PhysicsFebruary 3, 2016
NASA Picks Tiny Satellites to Ride on Giant Rocket's First Flight
When the Space Launch System launches in 2018, its passengers will be 13 small CubeSats off to explore the solar system
Space & PhysicsJanuary 26, 2016
Superfast "Cannonball" Star Likely Blasted from Supernova
Rocketing along at more than 960,000 miles per hour, the rare star is stained in mysterious carbon
Space & PhysicsJanuary 20, 2016
A Garden Grows in Space: First Zinnias Bloom, to an Astronaut's Delight
NASA’s Veggie program takes a big step forward in its goal to learn how to grow more complicated plants in space
Space & PhysicsOctober 22, 2015
Dying Star Destroys a Dwarf Planet
Astronomers witness a white dwarf star ripping worlds to pieces in real time
CultureOctober 14, 2015
In Celebration of Ada Lovelace, the First Computer Programmer
A Q&A with artist Sydney Padua, whose graphic novel illustrates the Victorian mathematician’s friendship with inventor Charles Babbage
Space & PhysicsOctober 7, 2015
Astronomers Spy Unexplained Ripples Racing through an Infant Solar System
Moving at 35,000 kilometers per hour, the mysterious waves could come from stellar flares or unseen planets
Space & PhysicsAugust 6, 2015
NASA Camera Snaps Stunning View of Earth and Moon [Video]
The Deep Space Climate Observatory watches our planet from more than a million kilometers away
The SciencesAugust 1, 2015
Book Review: Genius at Play
Recommendations from Scientific American
Space & PhysicsAugust 1, 2015
The Room with the Weakest Magnetic Field on Earth
Experiments in the chamber could answer these five questions
Space & PhysicsJuly 8, 2015
Neptune's Strange Magnetic Field Stretches Arms in New Model [Video]
The field is 27 times more powerful than Earth’s and sits at an angle on the planet, changing chaotically as it interacts with the solar wind
EvolutionJuly 1, 2015
A 100-Year Debate about the Eardrum Comes to an End
Why does the membrane look remarkably similar in mammals and reptiles?
EnvironmentJuly 1, 2015
Dams over the Decades
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2015
Book Review:Black Hole
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
EvolutionJune 1, 2015
Did Dinosaurs Walk on Their Fingertips at One Point?
Modern-day alligators may illustrate how dinosaurs went from two-legged to four
EvolutionMay 26, 2015
New Mathematics Could Neutralize Pathogens That Resist Antibiotics
A “time machine” algorithm, backed by experimental data, reveals how to cycle drugs to reverse resistance
Space & PhysicsMay 12, 2015
CSI: Aliens--Astronomers Prep to Detect Cryptic Exoplanet Biosignals
Simulations and laboratory tests are compiling signs of familiar and unearthly life that could be visible in future telescopes
The SciencesMay 1, 2015
Instant Egghead: How do geysers erupt over and over?
Geologists release the most detailed data set yet on the explosive choreography between water and steam
EnvironmentMay 1, 2015
Mother Plants Tell Their Seeds When to Sprout
Parents pass down “memories” of recent temperatures to prepare seed for incoming spring weather
CultureMay 1, 2015
Book Review: Invisible
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
BiologyMay 1, 2015
Drone-Snagging Drones, Popcorn Physics and More: Scientific American's May Issue
EvolutionApril 1, 2015
The Bird Family Tree Gets a Makeover
In the most thorough genomic investigation to date, some birds perch on new branches
EvolutionApril 1, 2015
Wet Is Better for Tonal Languages
Humid locales foster more languages with complex tones