Astronomy

The vast computational power of the El Capitan supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California will be used to support the US nuclear deterrent

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 from Webb

"Starlinksatellites look like a miniature version of the monolith from '2001: A Space Odyssey.' "

Tiny, solid windows in the shells of heart cockles let in light for the photosynthetic algae inside them – and they could show us how to make better fibre-optic cables

Tiny, solid windows in the shells of heart cockles let in light for the photosynthetic algae inside them – and they could show us how to make better fibre-optic cables

A cataclysmic quantum fluctuation could wipe out everything at any moment. The fact that we’re still here is revealing hidden cosmic realities

A cataclysmic quantum fluctuation could wipe out everything at any moment. The fact that we’re still here is revealing hidden cosmic realities

Rocket Lab is targeting mid-2025 for the debut of its partially reusable Neutron rocket, with commercial launches to start in 2026.

Prominent vaccine skeptic RFK, Jr., is a proven menace to public health. But with a bird flu outbreak looming, he is poised to take a perch atop the federal public health enterprise

The long-duration photographs capture Earth in motion.

Play this crossword inspired by the December 2024 issue of Scientific American

The far side of the moon offers grounds for compromise between advocates and opponents of lunar development

The fossil-fuel industry argues that we can’t live without its deadly products. It is wrong

Science in meter and verse

U.N. statistics show progress toward the goal of gender equality but a long way left to go

Changing the ocean’s chemical and biological makeup could force it to pull vast amounts of planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere. But is that a line we want to cross?

Censoring what children read deprives them of reality and the chance to feed their curiosity and develop empathy

Intense health anxiety is a true mental illness and threatens lives. The good news is that it’s treatable

Oil rigs around the world are habitats for marine species. When they stop producing oil, should they be removed or allowed to stay?

Mathematicians have found a new kind of shape with connections to nature and art