Getting tough on youth crime is politically easy. Building a youth justice system that is safe, accountable and capable of learning is much harder. And the public is worried. Some offenses are serious and visible, and harsher penalties sound like "real" action.
A research team led by Professor Zhou Weibiao from the Department of Food Science and Technology at the NUS Faculty of Science has shown that compounds extracted from red dragon fruit peel can be incorporated into bread to increase antioxidant activity and slow starch
At a potluck, you ate the best chocolate chip cookie—golden-brown, thick and chewy. Unfortunately, you don't know who made the cookie to get the recipe from, so you decide to recreate it. Using forward design principles, you might randomly choose a recipe from dozens of
Research from a Bowling Green State University faculty member recently found that one of the best strategies in the context of the criminal justice system is an old-fashioned virtue: telling the truth. Thomas Mowen, Ph.D., an associate professor of sociology and research
After a year and a half of remote work and learning, UC Santa Barbara undergraduate students Sophia Lecuona Manos, Gabrielle Plewe, Carson Gadler and doctoral student Zoe Zilz returned to campus in late 2021 eager for some on-campus, hands-on research, an opportunity that was
Turning waste into wealth may no longer be just a marketing slogan, as a team of researchers in China has found an eco-friendly way to do exactly that. The abundant sunlight our planet receives was put to use for transforming polystyrene waste, one of the world's largest
There’s no bulletproof remedy for a hangover, but a nutrition scientist explains which foods could aid symptoms after one has had too much to drink
A key Alzheimer’s drug has finally revealed its secret. Researchers discovered that lecanemab works by activating the brain’s immune cells—but only through a specific part of the antibody called the Fc fragment. This piece acts like a trigger, prompting microglia to clear
Over the past decades, electronics engineers have been trying to develop increasingly smaller devices that can store information reliably, even when they are not powered on. A promising type of non-volatile memory device is spintronics, solid-state systems that store and
A mysterious metal-rich asteroid called Psyche has been baffling scientists for over two centuries, and its true origin remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in planetary science. Is it the exposed core of a failed planet, or a chaotic mix of rock and metal forged
Even 200 years after asteroid 16 Psyche was discovered, astronomers continue to puzzle over its formation. Psyche is the 10th-most massive asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the largest known metallic asteroid, at 140 miles in diameter.
A growing field of research suggests that some medical treatments, such as cancer therapy or vaccines, might be more effective when given at certain times of the day
New alert systems and tests detect drug-induced kidney damage before the harm is irreversible
Three types of diabetes medication are improving the outlook for patients with kidney disease
IgA nephropathy, an immune assault on the kidneys, is often missed. New treatments mean that spotting it sooner might save lives
Once unfathomable, the milestone of a single company having 10,000 satellites operating overhead signals that the era of mega constellations is here to stay
It wasn’t Saint Patrick but a long history of chilly weather and geographic isolation that kept the Emerald Isle snake-free
The most common side effects of mRNA vaccines like the COVID-19 shot are well known: soreness, mild fever, and general malaise. Those symptoms, which typically resolve within days, are the natural result of the immune system activating. But what if they could be avoided?
Chronic kidney disease has a variety of causes, ranging from immune system problems to medication side effects
Lurid headlines don’t give American children enough credit
Surprising studies show young people are doing better than previous generations in many ways
Here’s how a mathematical paradox distorts our view of news, safety and statistics
The autism spectrum is big, vibrant and complicated, a new graphic of 39 traits shows
A Rhode Island start-up is working to recycle spent nuclear fuel into long-lasting power systems for the military
High in the Rockies, researchers are discovering that wind-borne pollution and rising heat are fueling unprecedented algal blooms
Tickling may be evolutionarily ancient and recognized across cultures, but science has only scratched the surface of this topic
Play this crossword inspired by the April 2026 issue of Scientific American
Letters to the editors for the December 2025 issue of Scientific American
Kidney damage can sneak up on people without symptoms. A new diagnosis can mean major limits on how a person lives
A series of novel treatments and medical insights is helping chronic kidney disease patients
Care innovations have allowed many more people with kidney disease to become parents. But pregnancy still carries risks
Use some creative arithmetic on this math puzzle
Evolutionary studies make sense of the world’s strangest plant
Your kidneys silently filter 150 quarts of blood every single day — but what happens when they stop working?
Bizarre objects that seem to lack all dark matter present a cosmic mystery
Supplements of this hormone are sold to increase sex drive. But the change may be tiny
A quorum of quarks; asbestos surprises
People frequently use medical cannabis to treat anxiety, depression and PTSD, but two new reviews show there is little evidence that it works
Physicists working on the LHCb experiment have spotted an elusive and fleeting particle, a heavier and more charming cousin to the proton, that has been sought for decades
A new study reveals an unprecedented increase in wildfires in tropical peatlands during the 20th century. "Unprecedented burning in tropical peatlands during the 20th century compared to the previous two millennia" is published in Global Change Biology.
The levels of a heavy form of hydrogen in 3I/ATLAS are 30 to 40 times higher than in Earth's oceans, suggesting the comet has a cold and distant origin
Researchers have identified a surprising brain pattern that may help explain why people with ADHD often struggle to stay focused. Even while awake, their brains can slip into brief episodes of “sleep-like” activity during demanding tasks. These moments are linked to more
The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed new details in a bizarre nebula that looks like a brain floating in space. Formed by a dying star, the “Exposed Cranium” nebula shows layered gas and a dark central divide that creates its eerie shape. Webb’s infrared view suggests
mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during COVID-19 but have limitations like waning immunity and complex production. Scientists are now testing a new platform called DoriVac, which uses folded DNA nanostructures to better control how the immune system responds. In early
What do we really know about how oviraptors—bird-like but flightless dinosaurs—hatched their eggs? Did they use environmental heat, like crocodiles, or body heat from an adult, like birds? In a new Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution study, researchers in Taiwan examined the
Astronomers may have found an exciting new clue about dark energy—the mysterious force driving the universe’s accelerating expansion. They discovered an extraordinarily bright supernova from more than 10 billion years ago whose light was bent and magnified by a foreground
Scientists studying a mysterious effect called cosmic birefringence—a subtle twist in the polarization of the universe’s oldest light—have developed a new way to reduce uncertainty in how it’s measured. This faint rotation in the cosmic microwave background could point to
Coyotes may be building dens and having litters of pups near you, according to new research from the University of Georgia. But chances are you won't see them—even if they are denning right next door. In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers followed 48 urban
Carbon trading limits the amount of carbon dioxide an organization can emit. To emit more, organizations must buy unused carbon emission allowances from others. A global study has found that in the fight against climate change, carbon trading is more effective than carbon
