Laniakea: Our Home Supercluster
Superclusters – regions of space that are densely packed with galaxies – are the biggest structures in the Universe. But where does one end and another begin? And where are we in the picture?...
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![Why This Refugee Farmer Left His Land [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/71ED758B-B646-4187-B19143238134B806_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Why This Refugee Farmer Left His Land
Farming is becoming ever more difficult on lands that are getting hotter and drier.
Related Article: The Ominous Story of Syria's Climate Refugees...
![Confidence Is High for a Climate Deal in Paris [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/5ED7E5D4-D887-4825-B71BFC287EBE32B6_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Confidence Is High for a Climate Deal in Paris [Video]
Despite some drama and tension at the COP21 meeting, world leaders and their negotiators are surprisingly optimisticLe Bourget, Paris — Momentum continues to build here for a landmark agreement to combat climate change...
Why We Live in a Cloud of Microbes
Pets and people shed clouds of microbes as unique and personal as their fingerprints, but the clouds can change over time.
Collecting Meteorites in Your Own Backyard
All it takes is a magnet and knowing where to look.
The Pigeon, the Antenna and Me: Robert Wilson
Radioastronomer Robert Wilson recalls a pair of pigeons who almost thwarted the discovery of cosmic background radiation. Wilson’s discovery—“the echo of the big bang”—earned him a share of the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics...
One Photon's Journey: Saul Perlmutter
This is the story of the evolution of life on earth during one photon’s journey across the universe. Told by Saul Perlmutter who shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe...
Fluorescence Is a State of Mind: Stefan Hell
How to break a fundamental law of physics and win a Nobel Prize to boot. Stefan Hell explains super-resolved fluorescence microscopy for which he shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry...
Helmet Sensors Reveal the Real Impact of Head Injuries
More comprehensive scanning shows that even “minor” hits could be as damaging to players’ brains as concussions.
General Relativity at the Beach
A hammock turns out to be the perfect place to contemplate spacetime, especially if you happen to have some coconuts
First Chimpanzees Caught Drinking Alcohol
What’s on tap? Fermented tree sap.
Multitasking Can Improve Exercise Performance
Researchers were surprised to find that cyclists rode faster while taking on easy mental tasks.—Karen Hopkin, Eliene Augenbraun
What Gives the Coconut Ant Its Stink
One species of ant turns out to have a lot in common with blue cheese and rotting coconuts.Photo courtesy: Antweb.org
The Science of Online Dating
Looking to get ahead in the online dating world? Science has evidence for some surprising tips.—Eliene Augenbraun, Christopher Intagliata
High Heels, High Risk
Shoe-related dangers lurk underfoot. The rate of high heel–related injuries doubled over a 10-year period, and most of those injuries happened in a place you might not expect.
Genes Orchestrate Musical Ability
It might take practice to get to Carnegie Hall but scientists found that it takes a set of dozens of genes in the brain working together to make that practice pay off.
The U.S.'s Quietest Places
If you are looking for some quiet zones in America, then this map is for you. National Park Service researchers recorded and mapped ambient sound from all over the country.
Seizures in Elderly Cats
For some cats, ordinary household sounds can trigger seizures.
Scientific American Presents a Beetle Curator
Max Barclay curates insects at London's Museum of Natural History. He discovered the only known beetles collected by the famed 19th century explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, in a dusty old box...
When Black Holes Collide
When supermassive black holes run into each other, the fabric of space and time gets a little bit wrinkled.
