Latest Stories

A private spacecraft launched to boost the decaying orbit of NASA’s Swift Observatory is now suffering from potentially mission-ending malfunctions

Smell can bring back vivid childhood memories—the so-called “Proust’s madeleine” phenomenon—and neuroscientists now think they know why

New work explains how avocado trees coordinate a complex reproductive strategy, switching every day between male and female

SciAm books editor Bri Kane shares her favorite science books for every summer mood

Discovered by an amateur mathematician in 2022, this strange construct can tile an infinite surface without repeating. But can it be useful in the real world?

Physicists, mathematicians and philosophers have been exploring the possibility of going forward to the future or back to the past

Neuroscientists show how the brain weighs effort against reward when we're mentally fatigued

This quake, which has caused damage to several roads and buildings, occurred along a strike-slip fault

After decades of hints and speculation, scientists have at last unveiled the hidden companion to the iconic star Betelgeuse

In searches for past and present Martian life, some scientists say we’ve been too cautious to see what’s right in front of us

Magnetoreception is one of the most controversial animal senses. And several bee species might have it

From ecohorror to science-inspired poetry, discover the books Scientific American staffers are recommending this summer