Space & Physics

A common nasal spray shows promise in reducing COVID risk, but vaccine access remains tangled in policy in the U.S.

Some black holes get extremely massive. Is there an upper limit to their growth?

The answer to this supposedly simple particle physics question isn’t so simple

A type of bacteria found in clean rooms has an unexpected method of survival, with implications for planetary protection

Our understanding of cosmology hinges on how well we know our own local universe, which remains poorly mapped and poorly understood

Scientists have revived an ignored area of math to envision a path toward stable quantum computing

A survey of Scientific American’s century of quantum coverage helps explain the enduring popularity of strange physics

Superluminal velocities are common but illusory

Overcoming three recent failed tries, Elon Musk’s rocket company successfully flew its reusable jumbo booster and upper-stage Starship spacecraft

Fresh results from near-infrared instruments foretell a bright future for finding life elsewhere in the Milky Way

In honor of SciAm’s 180th birthday, we’re spotlighting the biggest “wait, what?” moments in science history.

After a string of fiery failures, SpaceX’s biggest rocket faces another test flight with sky-high stakes for U.S. space ambitions