Economist Larry Summers resigns from posts at Harvard after ties to Epstein spark scrutiny
Former Harvard president Larry Summers will step back from his teaching and faculty positions at the end of the academic year
Nobel Prize–winning brain scientist steps down over Epstein ties
Richard Axel resigned from his post co-leading Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute over his long ties to Jeffrey Epstein
‘Wellness influencer’ Casey Means heads to confirmation hearing
The U.S. Senate is holding a confirmation hearing today for wellness influencer Casey Means, the Trump administration’s pick for surgeon general
EPA faces lawsuit over scrapping the ‘endangerment finding,’ a pillar of climate regulation
Medical and environmental groups are challenging the EPA’s decision to break with the long-standing scientific evidence that climate change endangers human health
How a year of RFK, Jr., has changed American science
After a year of RFK, Jr., heading the Department of Health and Human Services, the “Make America Healthy Again” movement has upended science and medicine
Epstein files show a complicated relationship with science and journalism
Jeffrey Epstein aggressively sought access to publishers, mentions of Scientific American and other media in Department of Justice files show
NIH ends fetal tissue research
The National Institutes of Health’s move to end support for research using fetal human tissue is “clearly a political decision, not a scientific one,” one expert says
Americans Overwhelmingly Support Science, but Some Think the U.S. Is Lagging Behind
A new report finds that a majority of Americans think the U.S. should be a world leader in science, but Democrats increasingly believe other countries are catching up
Congress Proposes Strong Science Funding for 2026
Lawmakers aim to support science research despite cuts proposed by the Trump administration
NASA’s New Chief Just Put a Fresh Twist on the Texas Space Shuttle Saga
NASA’s new boss Jared Isaacman hinted that he could break with Texas lawmakers’ push to move iconic space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Houston
Science Carries On. Here Are Our Top Topics for 2026
Whether space, health, technology or environment, here are the issues in science that the editors of Scientific American are focusing on for 2026
AI Slop Is Spurring Record Requests for Imaginary Journals
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that artificial intelligence models are making up research papers, journals and archives