History of Science

Stephen Kunken on stage during a production of Kyoto by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre in London

OpinionAugust 5, 2024

Kyoto Tells Us How Humanity Can Come Together on Climate Change

A play celebrates the agreement that opened nations worldwide to accepting the science of climate change

Ben Santer

Partial view of Jupiter's southern hemisphere with the Great Red Spot appearing on the far edge of the planet

The UniverseJuly 12, 2024

How Did Jupiter Get Its Great Red Spot?

New research suggests the Great Red Spot we see on Jupiter today is an entirely different giant storm from the one astronomers observed more than three centuries ago

Phil Plait

The Young American Scientists Event—Register Now

Close up photograph of stacked plastic trays in a research lab containing human cells, handwriting in sharpie identifies samples in each of the trays' compartments

OpinionJuly 2, 2024

A Retracted Stem Cell Study Reveals Science’s Shortcomings

The withdrawal after 22 years of a controversial stem cell paper highlights how perverse incentives can distort scientific progress

Peter Aldhous

The constellation Orion is seen in the night sky framed by the branches of a blossoming cherry tree

The UniverseJune 21, 2024

What Are Constellations, and Where Do They Come From?

Cosmic happenstance and biological evolution come together to create a road map to the stars

Phil Plait

View of the U.S. embassy in Havana, photographed on January 4, 2023

OpinionMay 22, 2024

We Don’t Need to Choose between Brain Injury and ‘Mass Hysteria’ to Explain Havana Syndrome

Puzzling Havana Syndrome injuries that have afflicted U.S. diplomats may have a more complicated explanation than solely pulsed microwaves or mass psychology

Jon Stone, Kenneth R. Foster

A small blue sphere orbits a larger blue sphere on a purple and blue background, with "Science Quickly" written below.

Public HealthMay 20, 2024

AI Is Getting Creepier, and Risky Cheese Is Getting Trendier

A rare geomagnetic storm lit up skies, eerie AI demonstrations and a cautionary word about raw milk.

Rachel Feltman, Kelso Harper

An illustration of an open door with light spilling through with the word "Uncertain" coming out of it

Social SciencesApril 3, 2024

Uncertainty Is Science’s Superpower. Make It Yours, Too

Inspiration, creativity, discovery—all of these things start from a place of not knowing, and these researchers know how to navigate those uncertainties.

Christie Aschwanden

An illustration of light split into a rainbow prism coming through a lit doorway

Social SciencesMarch 27, 2024

Coming Soon: Uncertain, a New Podcast Series on the Joys of Not Knowing

Does the word "uncertainty" make you nervous? Would you say it kinda describes the state of the world these days? Enter Uncertain, a new limited podcast series from Scientific American that will change the way you think about that word.

Christie Aschwanden