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— Carl Sagan

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Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.
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How Are AI Chatbots Affecting Teen Development?

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 10:15pm

More and more kids are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for social interaction. We are scrambling to understand the pros and cons of their use

Categories: Astronomy

More Teens Are Getting Vaccines

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 10:00pm

Bucking national trends in childhood vaccination rates, more teens are getting recommended shots, including for measles and whooping cough

Categories: Astronomy

Can a Generative AI Agent Accurately Mimic My Personality?

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 12:00pm

A large language model interviewed me about my life and gave the information to an AI agent built to portray my personality. Could it convince me it was me?

Categories: Astronomy

These Seabirds’ Pooping Habits Shock Scientists

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 11:00am

The first detailed observation of the bathroom habits of Streaked Shearwaters at sea leave scientists with a surprising load of questions

Categories: Astronomy

Laboratory Microbes Put Chocolate Flavors under Scientists’ Control

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 11:00am

From hints of citrus to caramel, premium chocolate’s complex flavors derive from fermenting microbes on cocoa bean farms—and a new study suggests they can be grown on demand in the lab

Categories: Astronomy

Can Cosmic Rays Help Alien Life Thrive?

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 10:00am

Beneath the surfaces of distant planets, microbes might subsist on harsh radiation rather than starlight, a new study suggests

Categories: Astronomy

What New Human Ancestor Has Been Discovered, and How a Virus Outbreak in China Could Reach the U.S.

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 6:00am

China is having a fast-rising chikungunya outbreak in a place that has never had one before.

Categories: Astronomy

Cholera Plagues Sudan amidst Civil War, and Climate Change Is Making It Worse

Fri, 08/15/2025 - 5:30pm

An ongoing civil war in Sudan has forced millions of people to flee their homes and move to camps, where a lack of water and sanitation infrastructure, along with heavy rains, are fueling a massive cholera outbreak. What role does the environment play in how the outbreak is spreading?

Categories: Astronomy

Human Embryo Implantation Revealed in First-Ever 3D Images

Fri, 08/15/2025 - 4:45pm

Analyzing embryo movements in uteruslike environments could offer clues to improving the success rate of in vitro fertilization

Categories: Astronomy

The Scientific Debate over Colossal’s ‘De-extinct’ Dire Wolves

Fri, 08/15/2025 - 9:30am

Colossal Biosciences bold announcements about its project to replicate dire wolf traits have drawn criticism from many scientists, but the billion-dollar firm is not backing down

Categories: Astronomy

How Social Media Algorithms Are Changing the Way People Talk

Fri, 08/15/2025 - 7:00am

Algorithmic social media is driving the creation of new slang at a breakneck pace. Linguist Adam Aleksic, also known as the Etymology Nerd, explains how

Categories: Astronomy

Scientific American Is Older Than the Discovery of Neptune

Fri, 08/15/2025 - 6:45am

Neptune’s discovery was a race that ended not long after this magazine came to be

Categories: Astronomy

What Is Experimental Archaeology? Sam Kean Explores Ancient Tools, Surgeries and Feasts in Dinner with King Tut

Fri, 08/15/2025 - 6:00am

In his new book, Sam Kean reveals how re-creating ancient tools, techniques and traditions can unlock secrets about how our ancestors lived—and what they felt.

Categories: Astronomy

Why Are Rabbits Sprouting Tentacles?

Thu, 08/14/2025 - 3:45pm

Rabbits spotted with hornlike growths on their face in northern Colorado are doing better than they look

Categories: Astronomy

Trump Cuts Could End U.S. Exploration of the Outer Solar System

Thu, 08/14/2025 - 12:00pm

The U.S. planetary science community is sounding the alarm about plans to discard a nuclear technology that has powered dozens of NASA missions over the past 50 years

Categories: Astronomy

New Brain Device Is First to Read Out Inner Speech

Thu, 08/14/2025 - 11:00am

A new brain prosthesis can read out inner thoughts in real time, helping people with ALS and brain stem stroke communicate fast and comfortably

Categories: Astronomy

Why AI ‘Therapy’ Can Be So Dangerous

Wed, 08/13/2025 - 12:10pm

Using AI chatbots for “therapy” is dangerous, mental health experts say. Here’s why

Categories: Astronomy

What Is a Glacial Outburst Flood? Alaska’s Suicide Basin Explained

Wed, 08/13/2025 - 11:52am

Meltwater from a glacial lake outburst is flooding Juneau, Alaska. Such events are likely to happen more often as climate change destabilizes ice and glacial lakes fill with more meltwater

Categories: Astronomy

New Human Ancestor Identified from Fossil Teeth

Wed, 08/13/2025 - 11:30am

Ancient teeth found in Ethiopia belong to a never-before-seen species in the Australopithecus genus of human ancestors

Categories: Astronomy

These Spiders Puke Up Toxic Digestive Fluid to Marinate Their Prey Alive

Wed, 08/13/2025 - 6:45am

Without a venomous bite, some spiders use a disturbing second option to prepare their food

Categories: Astronomy