How much of 'us' is really 'us'?
Some time around 1683, amateur Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek scraped the plaque from between his teeth and peered at it through a home-made microscope.
Some time around 1683, amateur Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek scraped the plaque from between his teeth and peered at it through a home-made microscope.
Researchers at the John Innes Center and the Earlham Institute are pioneering powerful single-cell visualization techniques that could unlock higher yields of global wheat.
The mystery of quantum phenomena inside materials—such as superconductivity, where electric current flows without energy loss—lies in when electrons move together and when they break apart. KAIST researchers have succeeded in directly observing the moments when electrons form
A recent study by geophysicists at Washington State University offers insight into how nutrients may reach the subsurface ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons and a leading candidate for extraterrestrial life in the solar system.
Researchers propose a computational method to reveal the hidden timing structure of live performance. Vanessa C. Pope and colleagues present a framework, called Topology Analysis of Matching Sequences (TAMS), that algorithmically detects repeated material across performances
No one ever thought the birth of the Rocky Mountains was a simple process, but we now know it was far more complex than even geophysicists had assumed.
The days can seem endless in Canadian prisons—and yet, inside, inmates actually age faster than on the outside. Why?
Research into South Australia's koala populations, led by Dr. Frédérik Saltré from UTS and the Australian Museum, provides the first comprehensive population estimate for the region and identifies a cost-effective, humane solution to stabilize current unsustainable koala numbers.
Almost half (45%) of teachers across primary and secondary schools in the UK describe misogynistic attitudes and behavior among boys as being a problem, according to a YouGov survey in 2025. Additionally, 54% of secondary school teachers indicate that boys very or fairly often
Howler monkeys are relatively small primates known for their incredibly loud, low-frequency roars that sound as if they come from a much larger creature. This is useful in the animal kingdom because sounding big can deter predators and may discourage rivals before they get a
New Zealand now has a genuine chance to stamp out one of the most damaging invasive insects to reach our shores: the Asian yellow-legged hornet.
Today, only one species of the spiny dormouse survives, in southern India. However, the oldest spiny dormouse in evolutionary history, a member of the rodent family, was found in sediment dating back 17.5 to 13.3 million years in Europe.
Author Christopher Woods unpacks the science behind ancient plants’ longevity in a new book.
Carbon released from Earth's spreading tectonic plates, not volcanoes, may have triggered major transitions between ancient ice ages and warm climates, new research finds.
At the Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Innsbruck, a research team has succeeded for the first time in storing electrically charged helium nanodroplets in an ion trap for up to one minute.
In a study published in the journal Iraq, Dr. Troels Arbøll analyzed medical prescriptions from ancient Mesopotamia to understand and re-evaluate the role sanctuaries played in the healing process. The study found that specific ailments, particularly those linked to the ear and
Four people have now been bitten by sharks in the last two days in New South Wales, including three in Sydney Harbor. Two people are in critical condition.
The staff running the federal World Trade Center Health Program has been cut by 25% as the number of sick 9/11 survivors the group treats is expected to increase by 10,000 this year, the Daily News has learned.
The remnants of ice attached to the coast offer astounding insights into the climate history of past millennia. An international research team led by the CNR Institute of Polar Sciences (Italy) and involving the University of Bonn has applied a new method of analyzing sediment
Astronomers have captured the most dramatic view yet of a planet losing its atmosphere, watching the ultra-hot gas giant WASP-121b for an entire orbit with the James Webb Space Telescope. Instead of a single stream of escaping gas, the planet is wrapped in two colossal helium
By analyzing the data from ESA's Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have investigated the structure of a nearby open cluster known as NGC 752. The new study identified four substructures and delivered evidence for mass segregation in this cluster. The findings were presented
Quantum technologies are cutting-edge systems that can process, transfer, or store information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, particularly a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement. Entanglement entails a correlation between two or more distant particles, whereby
When you’re short on sleep and your focus suddenly drifts, your brain may be briefly slipping into cleanup mode. Scientists discovered that these attention lapses coincide with waves of fluid washing through the brain, a process that usually happens during sleep. It’s the
The U.S. has held its measles-free status for more than 25 years. Experts say unrelenting outbreaks in the past year may change that
Six-year-old Antoni, born in the UK to Polish parents, speaks only a few English words in class and often looks confused when the teacher gives instructions. He could simply be adjusting to English—or the problem could be developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition that
Spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet have helped researchers map out an ancient coastline that surrounded a large ocean billions of years ago
In rethinking whether AI is sentient, we are asking bigger questions about cognition, human-machine interaction and even our own consciousness
Consciousness researchers studying “islands of awareness” have found that disconnected brains likely sink into a strange form of deep sleep
Beachgoers in Australia are on high alert following four shark incidents in New South Wales in 48 hours.
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University and Chester Zoo analyzed thousands of images from 415 gardens, alongside each garden's specific characteristics, to examine how often hedgehogs were detected and which features most influenced their visits.
When the United States recently escalated its confrontation with Venezuela—carrying out strikes in Caracas and capturing President Nicolás Maduro—the moves were framed as political intervention.
The many, many ways researchers hope to solve the toughest mystery in science
A large dataset shows some dog stereotypes are based in reality, and others might be unfair characterizations
Will brain science deliver answers about consciousness or hit another wall?
Play this crossword inspired by the February 2026 issue of Scientific American
Letters to the editors for the October 2025 issue of Scientific American
Pick an unusual winning poker hand in this math puzzle
Researchers are close to making “reversed” cells that may wipe us off the planet
The James Webb Space Telescope should soon be able to spot the first generation of stars in space
Extremophile molds are invading art museums and devouring their collections. Stigma and climate change have fueled their spread
Motion is the new potion, and rest is no longer the best
Giant atoms; corpses for science
The Nobel Prizes remind us how science can unite society and inspire hope for the future
Increasing paternal age has been linked to elevated health risks for the next generation, including higher risks of obesity and stillbirth. But what drives this increased risk remains unknown.
A new Monash University study has analyzed the association between positive teacher-student relationships and well-being in middle and secondary school teachers.
Concerns around common sunscreen chemicals have prompted the search for natural alternatives, with lignin from wood being one of the most promising candidates
Collective behavior is an unusual phenomenon in condensed-matter physics. When quantum spins interact together as a system, they produce unique effects not seen in individual particles. Understanding how quantum spins interact to produce this behavior is central to modern
Research led by the University of Sydney is reshaping scientific understanding of one of the world's most widespread canine parasites, suggesting heartworm disease has a far deeper and more complex evolutionary history than previously believed—including a possible ancient
A study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Nature Food analyzes the ecological "footprint" from diets—and policy options to counteract through price signals. EU-wide, 23% of greenhouse gas emissions generated directly and indirectly by private