Social Sciences

A new generation of household robots could change the way you live

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

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

On our Best Fiction of 2025 list, Emma Pattee imagines Portland’s worst Earthquake in her debut novel Tilt

Lime granules trapped in ancient walls show Romans relied on a reactive hot-mix method to making concrete that could now inspire modern engineers

On our 2025 Best Nonfiction of the Year list, Karen Hao’s investigation of artificial intelligence reveals how the AI future is still in our hands

Scientific American sits down with nature writer Robert Macfarlane to discuss his latest book—one of our top picks of 2025—and whether a river has rights

Hole in the Sky, by Daniel H. Wilson, is one of Scientific American’s best fiction picks of 2025. In the novel, aliens talk through an AI headset and land in the Cherokee Nation, while the military scrambles to contain and control the unknown

The 10 best fiction books of 2025 explore far-off planets, future climate catastrophes, and more

The 10 best nonfiction books of 2025, from the history of replaceable body parts to our AI future

Ten great stories about 10 forgotten female scientists that we hope will inspire middle school readers to pursue their own curiosity and get involved in STEM fields

Here are the 67 books Scientific American staffers couldn’t put down this year, from fantasy epics to gripping nonfiction