Social Sciences

Illustration of an eye with planes passing in front of the iris.

ArtsApril 14, 2026

Poem: ‘How I Became a Spitfire Pilot during My Cataract Operation’

Science in meter and verse

Roger Camp

Cover of book Faith of Beasts by James SA Corey floating in space

BooksApril 10, 2026

The Expanse authors James S. A. Corey dive into alien minds in The Faith of Beasts

Award winning duo James S. A. Corey show humanity’s struggle with staggering alien power in their latest installment of the Captive’s War series

Sarah Lewin Frasier

May Issue: Your Heart in Flames. Read Now!

This black and white image shows the front and back of the Shroud of Turin linen cloth bearing the image of a bearded man that some claim to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth.

ArchaeologyApril 9, 2026

DNA analysis claiming new origins for the Shroud of Turin doesn't hold up, experts say

A metagenomic study of this cloth, controversially purported to bear the imprint of the body of Jesus Christ, has little to say about the relic’s origins

Stephanie Pappas

An array of photos of the back and front of various two-sided dice made of wood and stone.

ArchaeologyApril 2, 2026

Humans have been gambling since the last ice age

A new archeological finding shows that Native Americans were exploring probability through games of chance far earlier than their Old World counterparts

Joseph Howlett

Unrecognizable person holding yellow balloon against orange background.

Social SciencesMarch 19, 2026

The world’s happiest countries report calls attention to youth well-being

An annual world happiness ranking for 2026 explores how the use of social media influences well-being

Claire Cameron

Colorful speech bubbles with different patterns sit as cutouts on a solid background

LanguageMarch 19, 2026

Can you solve these language puzzles? Test your skills with these problems from North America’s biggest linguistics competition

For 20 years, this computational linguistics competition has inspired new generations of innovators in AI and language preservation

Emma R. Hasson

Cover of the December 2025 issue of Scientific American against a brown background

CultureMarch 17, 2026

Readers respond to the December 2025 issue

Letters to the editors for the December 2025 issue of Scientific American

Aaron Shattuck

Games illustration with a green background

LanguageMarch 17, 2026

Science crossword: Disappearing act

Play this crossword inspired by the April 2026 issue of Scientific American

Aimee Lucido

Cover of the April 2026 issue of Scientific American against a blue background

CultureMarch 17, 2026

Universe in chaos, Earth’s kids oddly fine!

Lurid headlines don’t give American children enough credit

David M. Ewalt

Illustration of the red fire fish.

HistoryMarch 17, 2026

April 2026: Science history from 50, 100 and 150 years ago

A quorum of quarks; asbestos surprises

Jeanna Bryner

Kid playing on a smartphone.

ChildrenMarch 17, 2026

The kids are all right

Surprising studies show young people are doing better than previous generations in many ways

Melinda Wenner Moyer

Illustration of a ring of sky with bunnies jumping on it.

ArtsMarch 17, 2026

Poems: Math limericks

Science in meter and verse

Jeffrey Branzburg