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People in prisons and jails have contributed to some of the greatest ideas in mathematics

Traditional biology has long ignored nature’s sexual diversity—but evolution tells a far more complex story.

Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have spotted a moon nestled near Uranus’s rings that’s so small you could walk around it

From Miami to Maine, the East Coast is under moderate or high rip current risk advisories because of Hurricane Erin

The National Science Foundation will stop operating the Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker and slash polar science funding by 70 percent, devastating Antarctic research

Total reversals in scientific thinking are rare—but earth-shattering

Our anniversary celebration begins with an outstanding collection of stories about times that science itself has made a full about-face

More familiar smells and scents from complex molecules can often be more appealing

Letters to the editors for the April 2025 issue of Scientific American

Other species exhibit capabilities that were once thought to be exclusive to Homo sapiens

The Juno spacecraft has rewritten the story on Jupiter, the solar system’s undisputed heavyweight

Synthetic polymers were supposed to free us from the limitations of our natural resources. Instead they led to an environmental crisis

Huge fish; spiritualist rebuke

Remarkable new treatments can free millions of kids and adults from the deadly threat of peanut allergy, tackling one of our fastest-growing medical problems

Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories

The search for extraterrestrial life has periodically been turned upside down

Science in meter and verse

Play this crossword inspired by the September 2025 issue of Scientific American

Figure out how to split the square in this math puzzle

The U.S. is a global powerhouse. Public education is one of the main reasons why