Discussions

Life is flourishing nearly everywhere scientists think to look on the planet—from deep within Arctic ice to floating along with the fog. Is there any place on Earth that you think might host unexpectedly complex ecosystems we’ve yet to discover?

As data centers pop up everywhere across the U.S., regulation and policy is playing catch up. (At least 15 states have considered restrictions or pauses on new data center construction. ) How do you think these facilities should be powered...

Yesterday, OpenAI announced that its AI had solved one of the six open "million-dollar" problems in mathematics. Do you feel differently about a major scientific advancement when you learn that AI played a role in it? Why or why not?

The fast-growing private-school network is handing much of instruction over to artificial intelligence. Would you send your kid to an AI-run school? Why or why not?

A recent poll shows that the percentage of Americans who believe UFOs are aliens has increased in the last 53 years. What do you think: Have some unidentified flying objects been alien spacecraft visiting Earth from other planets or galaxies,...

It's been 20 years since Pluto was declassified as a planet. Astronomer Mike Brown says that if Pluto is to be considered a planet again, then Earth's moon should be, too. Do you agree?

Aerospace heavyweights such as SpaceX and Blue Origin have filed proposals with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for data center constellations consisting of anywhere between 20,000 to one million satellites. Such programs would undoubtedly offload some of the environmental...

Cultural narratives shape our own life stories. In the U.S., many people like stories that follow a particular pattern: a narrator who is special or lucky in some way; who describes the world as dangerous; who has strong moral principles;...

Do you plan to watch the solar eclipse on August 12? Will you be in or near the path of totality? Share your plans and experiences with this community! And email us your photos at newsletters@sciam.com—we'll be sharing some reader...

Neuroscientists think they've pinpointed particular cells that reside in the brain's olfactory bulb (its smell center) that are primed to capture scents from childhood. What particular smells bring back your memories from childhood? What is the earliest "smell" memory you...

Case numbers of the parasite-caused illness have exploded in the last week. Tell us what questions you have about this cyclosporiasis outbreak and we'll answer them in the coming days in our daily newsletter, Today in Science. Sign up here...

Scientists have long argued that allowing private buyers to own scientific specimens like fossils deprives paleontologists the opportunity to study them. And the extreme prices the fossils command mean most museums or academic institutions can’t compete in a bidding war....

Robots and AI can dramatically outpace traditional human-conducted research. What role do you think AI should play in scientific discovery? What are the potential benefits and dangers?

For decades, the U.S. government has had a compact with scientific research. But now, that relationship is breaking down. What role do you think the government should play in the scientific enterprise?

The staff of Scientific American clearly love alien books, both the silly and the serious. Have you read any of the alien books beloved by the staff, or do you have your own favorites we should check out? If you...

Are you tossing an eco-horror book in your beach bag? Making room for a big biography of a scientist in your carry-on luggage? Tell us how you’re reading along with Scientific American this summer!

AI companies are trying to decide how chatbots should respond to morally charged questions about grief, family, medicine, sexuality and belief. Anthropic has consulted theologians and ethicists as it refines Claude’s behavior. Is religious tradition a useful source of moral...

Many of math's greatest minds have tried to prove Bernhard Riemann's sweeping claim that there's order hiding beneath the apparent randomness of prime numbers. Do you think, like most mast mathematicians do, that Riemann was right? And even if he...

Andes virus, a type of hantavirus, has sparked global concern in recent weeks after causing the death of three passengers and sickening at least eight others aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship traveling from Argentina across the Atlantic. Read...

Do you think the global community is responding well to the hantavirus outbreak? How concerned are you that this will turn into a larger outbreak?